Arlington Energy Masters Kick Off a New Program Year
Over the past couple of months, a new cohort of Arlington Energy Masters trainee volunteers have been meeting regularly to receive energy efficiency education training covering everything from building science to caulking outlets and vent. Modeled after the successful Master Gardener Program, the Arlington Energy Masters (AEM) program provides trainees with 4 classroom training sessions and two hands-on workdays, one in an apartment building where they will be working in the upcoming months. Volunteers then contribute 60 hours of volunteer time during their first year to the program, which has had a significant impact on improving the energy efficiency of hundreds of affordable housing apartments throughout Arlington and reducing energy costs.
This past weekend, while many were out enjoying the fabulous fall folliage, our new recruits embarked on their first hands-on day at The Berkeley apartment buildings where they made upgrades to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of the apartments and provided tenant education to encourage behavior change. Our volunteer crew installed new CFLs, power strips, faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads and more. The results were pretty impressive!
We had planned to tackle 14 apartments, but we surpassed that goal by completing 18 units. Here is the tally by the numbers …
5 Teams Completed 18 Units:
- (3) Efficiencies
- (6) 1-bedroom units
- (8) 2-bedroom units
- (1) 3-bedroom unit
Installations/Sealing:
- CLFs installed: 117
- Outlets, light switches and vents sealed: 149
- Bath aerators installed: 10
- Kitchen aerators installed: 12
- Shower heads installed: 3
- Toilet tummies installed: 7
- Power strips installed: 9
Our next workday is scheduled for December 7th and your support is always welcome. Whether participating as a drop-in volunteer to support teams, or donating food and supplies, we welcome your involvement. Learn more about the program and our impact on the community. You can also learn more about how you can improve the energy efficiency in your own home by reading our 3-part series on energy audits.