Orange County NC Website
11 <br /> Supplemental Weatherization <br /> • If <50% of Area Median Income, 12% of all income spent on energy <br /> • Leverage ongoing partnerships: OCHPC, OCAHC <br /> • Coalition organizers notified of potential project <br /> Recommended FY20 Climate Actions <br /> LED Campaign: <br /> • LEDs can lower energy bills 7-10% and they last 10 times longer <br /> • LIEAP and FSA are already serving energy insecure households <br /> • Pledge and energy efficiency impact <br /> • Partner departments notified of potential project <br /> Recommended FY20 Climate Actions <br /> Solar for Schools: <br /> • 3 proposed grant requirements <br /> -Consider leasing to maximize investment <br /> -Report energy output and % offset <br /> -Install a monitor for education <br /> • Schools notified of potential project <br /> Recommended FY20 Climate Actions (chart) <br /> Commissioner Marcoplos thanked staff for its work. He said he has done a lot of air- <br /> sealing in his career, and he imagined that more than 15-20 houses would be completed. He <br /> said replacing windows is a lot more expensive than caulking and foaming, and he asked if <br /> various options can be investigated to see if more homes can be air sealed through a variety of <br /> methods. He said he would like to get more bang for the buck, and help as many people as <br /> possible. <br /> Brennan Bouma said that is possible. He said the more he learns about this, the more <br /> complicated he understands it to be. He said he wanted to propose a conservative estimate, in <br /> case more houses have greater needs, such as HVAC systems, windows, etc. He said the <br /> pictures in the presentation are lower cost interventions, and if these are the types of <br /> improvements that the grant will fund, then more homes will be treated. <br /> Commissioner Marcoplos said he assumed air-sealing, weatherization, and insulation <br /> would take top priority. He said this would be a significant upgrade to a lot of houses. <br /> Commissioner Price referred to the solar array for the schools, and clarified that it is <br /> going to be a lease, with smaller amounts each year. She asked if there is a life expectancy for <br /> the equipment, and if there will be a party designated to handle repairs. <br /> Brennan Bouma said the recommendation is for the schools to consider leasing as one <br /> of two primary financing strategies. He said this is a fairly new funding arrangement that was <br /> enabled by house bill 589 in 2017. He said there are RFP examples that require the bidding <br /> companies to present two options: within the funding amount show how much solar could be <br /> achieved via an outright purchase; and how much could be achieved through a leasing <br /> arrangement. He said there are provisions for maintenance of the solar arrays that can be <br /> baked into the lease, along with the size of the systems, etc. <br /> Commissioner Price asked if there are benefits to leasing over purchasing. <br /> Brennan Bouma said the benefit of leasing over purchasing is that a much larger solar <br /> array can be obtained immediately, and thus the up front climate impact is larger. <br />