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~a NORTH CAROL]NA HOUSING' STAN CE AGEI~,TCY ~. - HOUSING REHA~3ILTTATION PRQGRAMS - A~ Energy Standards - (For the rehabilitation of housing in buildings of ono to four dwelling units) (Effective May 1, 1199 introduction. ~ There is no doubt about the need to reduce household energy use. Houses accouzit for over one-sixth .of our national energy consumption. We have been exposed to countless facts and figures illustrating the need for and possibility of cutting this fraction in half. We have heard haw many thousands of tons of polluting chemicals and particulates cpuld be avoided, how many do2ens of nucleaz power plants we would not have to build, -how many millions of barrels of foreign oil we would not have to import if all our homes were as energy-eff cient as we know how to make them. And, there is no doubt that our housing rehabilitation prograttis' 'targeted betieficiaries are among the hazdest hit by borne energy casts. Nationally, the poorest 20% of households spend almost 15°!0 of their income for home energy, while the next 40% of Americans spend about d% of income for home energy. Ta those with incomes below half the state's median, to the elderly and disabled on low, fixed incomes, and to single-parent families struggling tv break the cycle of poverty, a saving of even $30 or $40 per month in energy costs is very significant. There is no doubt about that. . However, what is not so cleaz-cut is which specific ,measures should be taken on a given dwelling unit to improve its energy-efficiency, Every house we wank on is unique, and many of them were "homemade" to no set standazds. Plus, the burgeoning field of building science gives us new diagnostic techniques, new sets of priorities and new energy-saving products at such a pace that few can keep up. What follows, then, is an attempt to guide qualified and experienced rehabilitation specialists in providing the most appropriate measures with available funding to save money for low- and moderate-income clientele, and to save energy resources far posterity. • $ackground. The first edition of these standards was developed in 1990 to govern rehabilitation funded by the North Catalina Housing Trust Fund's Rehabilitation Incentive Program. A set of standazds developed by the North Carolina Alternative Energy Corporation (AEC) was used as a guide, as were documents from low-income housing rehabilitation programs in other states. The first edition was reviewed by AEC, the Energy Division (of the North Cazalina Department of Commerce) and the North, Carolina Solar Center. Their comments lead to several important improvements. In developing 'two subsequent editions feedback from many others, including rehabilitation specialists representing Rehabilitation Incentive Program recipient organizations, was responsible for additional improvements.