AECP MEMBERS RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARD

AECP members John and Joanne Langford, co-owners of J&J Weatherization received a Department of Energy National Recognition award on December 12, 2007 at the National Weatherization Conference in Orlando, Florida. J&J has been weatherizing homes in Virginia since 1980. They also have built and operate a mobile home weatherization training center at their headquarters in Lynchburg, VA. John is a nationally recognized trainer and has helped train weatherization crews from all over the U.S. Check out their website at www.jjweatherization.com .

AECP HOLDS 8 TH ANNUAL GREEN LIVING AND ENERGY EXPO

AECP successfully held its 8 th annual Green Living and Energy Expo at the Roanoke Civic Center on November 2 and 3, 2007. Over 2000 people attended the event, which featured 75 exhibits that showcased a wide variety of green living topics. There were also seminars, presentations, workshops, and demonstrations that provide information on energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green building, global warming, and sustainability.

AECP INVOLVED IN 2 ND ANNUAL STATEWIDE CONFERENCE

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld served on a planning committee for the 2 nd annual Commonwealth of Virginia Energy and Sustainability Conference held at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA from October 16-18, 2007. Billy also moderated a session on Green Residential Development: Costs and Benefits held on October 18 that featured AECP member Ed Tuchler, President of Shelter Alternatives as its main presenter.

AECP PRESENTS AT VIRGINIA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSEMBLY

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld gave a presentation and participated on a panel discussion entitled Sustainability in Action on October 6, 2007 at the Virginia Environmental Assembly held at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. The Assembly is sponsored by the Virginia Conservation Network. Billy spoke about AECP’s efforts to promote sustainability through education at their Sustainable Living Education Center in Floyd, VA.

 

VSBN Recognizes SLEC

The Virginia Sustainable Building Network (VSBN) recognized AECP’s Sustainable Living Education Center (SLEC) at their annual membership meeting in Williamsburg on June 28, 2007. SLEC was also nominated for the VSBN 2007 Green Innovation Award as the Most Sustainable Community Program in Virginia.

AECP Works With SCC to Reduce Electricity Consumption

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld is a member of the Virginia State Corporation Commission working group assigned to making recommendations to the SCC on how to reduce electricity consumption in Virginia by 10% by the year 2022.

The SCC has been mandated by the Virginia General Assembly to deliver a report by December 15, 2007 on a plan of action to accomplish this task. SCC staff will evaluate   reports from five subgroups that were formed from the main working group. These reports are due to the SCC by October 1, 2007. Mr. Weitzenfeld is currently serving as co-chair of the subgroup on Information and Consumer Education.

AECP Invited to Present at National DOE Conference

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld, has been invited to participate in two different presentations at the Department of Energy (DOE) National Weatherization Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida Dec. 9-13, 2007. One of the presentations will be a five hour tutorial on Green Building. AECP members Bill Beachy and Colin Arnold will help with this presentation. The other presentation will be a one- hour workshop on how Weatherization Programs can more effectively use green building materials in their work.

AECP Becomes Energy Star Partner  

In August of 2007 AECP became an official Energy Star Partner. AECP has promoted Energy Star products for several years. Energy Star is a label provided by the Dept. of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to appliances and products that exceed federal energy efficiency standards. But Energy Star is more than just a label awarded for energy efficiency. It is a partnership among government, business, and consumers, united in the pursuit of a common goal – to protect our environment for future generations. Check out their website at www.energystar.gov for more information.

AECP Executive Director Takes Home Energy Rater Training

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld took the week-long training to be certified as a Home Energy Rater (HERS) on August 13-17, 2007. The training was administered by Performance Systems Development, Inc. from Ithaca, NY. He successfully passed the National Rater Exam given on the last day of the class and now must submit five ratings to an Accredited HERS Provider in order to receive the national certification. A certified Home Energy Rater helps builders and homeowners gain access to Energy Star labeled homes, Energy Efficient Mortgages, and 2006/07 Federal tax credits.

AECP Participates in Area V Envirothon

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld served as a judge in the Oral Presentation competition at the Area V Envirothon held at Ferrum College on April 19, 2007. The Envirothon is a competition between High School teams from around the state and is sponsored by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The competition consisted of four main topics – soil, aquatics, forestry and wildlife. There is also one special topic each year and this year it was “Alternative Renewable Energy”, which is the topic that the oral presentations were based on.

AECP Presents at School Earth Day Celebration

AECP Executive Director, Billy Weitzenfeld gave presentations to three different school assemblies at Floyd Elementary School on April 23, 2007 as part of their Earth Day Celebration. Mr. Weitzenfeld spoke to over 500 students about Earth Day, Global Warming, and how we can all save energy in our homes. The students ranged from pre-schoolers to 7 th grade.

AECP Conducts Workshop in West Virginia

AECP has been invited to conduct a workshop at the West Virginia Community Action Program Educational Conference on May 1, 2007. The workshop will be “Weatherization Production: Tips and Techniques for Efficient and Successful Management and Operations”.

AECP Sets Date For Annual Membership Meeting

AECP will hold its annual membership meeting from 1:00 - 4:00 on Monday, June 11, 2007 at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The membership meeting will be preceded by a Board of Directors meeting from 10:00 – 12:00.

New River Valley Green Home Tour and Seminar

AECP is working with several other organizations to sponsor, develop, and implement a Green Home Tour and Seminar in the New River Valley. The event takes place on April 28, 9am – 5pm. The tour will begin with a seminar from 9am – 12pm at the YMCA at 1000 North Main Street in Blacksburg. The tour will run from 1pm – 5pm. Registration is $15 per person or $25 per couple. People can register by calling the YMCA Open University at 540-961-9622 or by registering online at www.vtymca.org . For more information about the event please visit www.NRVgreenMOB.blogspot.com.

AECP SPONSORS HEAT PUMP TRAINING

AECP is sponsoring a two-day training at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, VA on April 18 and 19, 2007. The training will focus on heat pump basics, diagnostics, efficiency, and installations and repairs as well as electrical safety, and wiring schematics. Mike Alderman, Professor of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning will teach the course.