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Page 20 of 27 <br /> <br />insulation. Retrofits mitigate issues that include mold, mildew and pests <br />that can result in health issues that add on additional costs. By addressing <br />these issues at the time of the retrofit, the team prevents the resident from <br />increasing costs of these issues becoming worse over time. <br /> <br />25. Does your project accelerate or <br />expand on existing programs <br />that already show positive <br />impact? <br />Two key project partners, NCSEA and Enpira, are currently under <br />contract with the N.C. Weatherization Assistance Program (NCWAP) to <br />evaluate the program and recommend best practices. This project <br />involves quantifying energy savings of weatherization provided to lo w- <br />income homes and educating community action agencies and contractors <br />of these impacts. Our current iteration of the project involves working <br />directly in Orange County, so the project team will be able to compare <br />savings generated by NCWAP services with the savings from this <br />initiative, further educating us on which EE strategies have the highest <br />impact. The project team also has access to data collected by NCWAP so <br />that we are able to determine the homes in the project area that have <br />requested WAP services, ones that are on the waiting list, ones already <br />retrofitted via WAP, and which ones will be a good candidate for the <br />NCWAP-supported agency, Central Piedmont Community Action. This <br />will be helpful in determining which program would be the best fit for <br />homes in the neighborhood of focus and will help meet the needs of <br />residents. <br />NCSEA also engages regularly with Duke Energy to work towards <br />making energy more accessible to low-income communities. This <br />includes working with the utility to help them design an innovative low- <br />income EE program through the Duke Energy Collaborative, with a goal <br />of scaling the program statewide. NCSEA also intervenes through the <br />N.C. Utilities Commission to help keep rates affordable and make clean <br />energy more accessible for low-income communities. <br />NCSEA is also a partner on the Southeast Energy Insecurity Stakeholder <br />Initiative led by Duke University Nicholas School for the Environment. <br />The purpose of the Initiative is to facilitate a broad, collaborative <br />discussion among stakeholders to explore opportunities for reducing <br />energy insecurity in the Southeast. NCSEA serves on four working <br />groups in this initiative, including Data Access and Improvement, <br />Awareness and Community Engagement, Utility Solutions and Housing. <br />Additionally, ERS of NC and Enpira are currently working on an energy <br />equity project in Guilford County that have objectives that overlap with <br />this project. The LMI Housing Audit Upgrade program through the <br />Center for Energy Research and Technology at NC A&T State Uni versity <br />will perform full energy assessments on up to 30 homes and <br />comprehensive energy efficiency upgrades on up to 25 homes. NC A&T <br />students will be performing calculations on expected energy savings and <br />comparing actual, measured energy usage data to better understand the <br />impacts of the retrofit work performed. This is a grant through the <br />CARES Act. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 05316BF7-95C7-4D54-82D9-7EBD5926DA4D