HAC Grants Support ENERGY STAR® Certification Program

Contacts: Janice Clark, Housing Assistance Council, (202) 842-8600

Washington, D.C., October 4, 2010 – With support from The Home Depot Foundation, The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) has awarded new grant funding to twelve rural, affordable housing developers, which will result in energy savings for 82 low-income families. Rural housing groups are constructing units to meet ENERGY STAR® certification standards, which will result in lower energy costs, provide healthier living areas, and protect the environment. The ENERGY STAR® grants will help support the cost of certification on 82 new single-family units in rural communities across the nation.

The 82 families, who are benefiting from the ENERGY STAR® program, are participants in self-help housing programs funded in part by HAC’s Self Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP). SHOP families are often responsible for installing the energy-saving components that qualify them for ENERGY STAR® certification. “Homes built by affordable housing developers have become more energy-efficient because of programs like ENERGY STAR®,” said Moises Loza, executive director of the Housing Assistance Council. “HAC is proud to support this program and help families save money and protect the environment.”

Through this new ENERGY STAR® certification grant program, HAC strengthens its Green Building/Healthy Homes Initiative, which is supported by The Home Depot Foundation. HAC has awarded nearly $1 million in grants under this program since its creation in 2005. The ENERGY STAR® Certification Grant program will increase the capacity of affordable housing developers to complete the certification process and develop ENERGY STAR® qualified homes.

The ENERGY STAR® program is a joint effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy, which provides building guidelines and identifies home building materials and products to raise the energy efficiency standards in American homes. To earn an ENERGY STAR® certification, a home must meet the guidelines for energy efficiency set by the US EPA and be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than standard homes constructed. In attaining this higher standard of efficiency, ENERGY STAR® certified homes typically include additional energy-saving features that make the homes 20 to 30 percent more efficient than a standard home.

2010 ENERGY STAR® Certification Grantees

• Colorado Housing, Inc., Colorado
• Florida Home Partnership, Inc., Florida
• HOMES, Inc., Kentucky
• Housing Development Alliance, Inc., Kentucky
• Low Income Housing Coalition of East Kentucky, Inc., Kentucky
• Marquette County Habitat for Humanity, Michigan
• Community Action Commission of Fayette County, Ohio
• Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, Texas
• Mountainlands Community Housing Association, Utah
• Rural Housing Development Corporation, Utah
• Community Housing Partners, Virginia
• Southern Appalachian Labor School, West Virginia

About the Housing Assistance Council
Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Housing Assistance Council is a national nonprofit corporation dedicated to helping local organizations build affordable homes in rural America by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, research, training, and information services. HAC’s programs focus on local solutions, empowerment, reduced dependency, and self-help strategies. HAC is an equal opportunity lender. To learn more about HAC’s Green Building/Healthy Homes Initiative, visit www.ruralhome.org.

About The Home Depot Foundation
Created in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation supports nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating and preserving healthy, affordable homes as the cornerstone of sustainable communities. The Foundation’s goal is for all families to have the opportunity to live in healthy, efficient homes they can afford over the long-term; to have access to safe, vibrant parks and greenspaces; and to receive the economic, social and environmental benefits of living in a sustainable community. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $190 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 95,000 homes, planted more than 1.2 million trees, and built or refurbished more than 1875 playgrounds, parks and greenspaces. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org, follow us on Twitter @homedepotfdn and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homedepotfoundation.

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