Leadership Opportunities with
the Low Income Weatherization
Program in Oregon
Maximizing Equity, Economy,
and Environment
 What is the problem?
 Why is weatherization an important
starting point?
 Why does the state of Oregon’s program
need to be changed?
 What leadership strategies are most
appropriate for addressing the problem?
What is the problem?
 The rising costs of energy are overburdening Oregonians,
especially those classified as low-income.
 The LIWP as managed by Oregon Housing and Community
Services (OHCS) doesn’t offer enough flexibility to
maximize equity, economic, and environmental value.
 Collected data suggests that new practices for reducing
energy usage in low-income housing developments is
needed and that the LIWP is a good candidate for
implementing these practices.
 There is the need for a new leadership strategy which opens
up dialogue between OHCS and the affordable housing
community regarding the LIWP.
Why is weatherization an important starting
point?
 The LIWP has defined metrics of measurement that can
be tested against.
 The program is a powerful legal and financial incentive
that brings OHCS, the developer, and input from local
authorities together at a common table.
 OHCS is currently experiencing a period of
organizational redesign, creating a window of
opportunity to make significant changes in LIWP.
Demonstration Project of
Cottonwood II Senior Apartments
Categories for Measurement-LIWP
Cost (labor &
materials)
Conservation Measure
Area
Existing U Value
Proposed U Value
Increased U Value
Windows
0
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
Sliders
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
Doors
0
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
Walls
0
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
Ceiling
0
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
Floors
0
0
0
0
#DIV/0!
SUBTOTAL
Total
Existing Efficiency
New Efficiency
Baseline Minus New
Efficiency
Value
Total Number of Units
Kilowatts Saved
0
#DIV/0!
# Units X Cost per
Unit.
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!
Total (KWh)
kilowatt
hours
saved
Refrigerator
485
485
0
Clothes Washer
270
270
0
Dishwasher
414
414
0
Lighting (CFLs)
Insert cost of Energy Star CFLs
0
SUBTOTAL
0
0
Outside air temperature is 95.5 degrees F on a July afternoon. Building siding is
registering between 154.4 degrees and 157.3 degrees.
Anthony Watts, Watts Up 2009
Home Improvement Blog, 2011
It’s A Wonderful Life, RKO Pictures, 1946
Recticel Insulation from France
Archiexpo.com 2012
Building science.com, 2012
Cottonwood II, site walk 8-27-09
Why is it important to change the LIWP?
 Monetary Costs
 Attempts to maximize energy reductions through costly
and complicated mechanical and electrical upgrades
rather than more passive solutions, which focus on an
“envelope first” approach.
 Values expensive modeling programs and certification
processes.
 Doesn’t lend itself to information sharing between the
developer and OHCS.
 Lacks malleability and a way to act as a performance
based program.
 Third-party verifications are expensive.
Why is it important to change the LIWP?
 Equity and Environmental Costs
 Doesn’t
maximize equity to residents, property
owners, or the general public.
 Doesn’t
can.
do as much to help the environment as it
What leadership strategies are most appropriate
for addressing the problem?
 Existing barriers
 Communication
barriers as defined by a
government and service provider relationship.
 Mid-level managers have no power to advocate
for championing a cause, goal, or program.
 There is an absence of a shared understanding of
how best to provide value.
 Resignation to the status quo because of
organizational culture and capacity.
What leadership strategies are most appropriate
for addressing the problem?
 Opportunities
 Cashing
in on OHCS’ recent hierarchical shifts.
 Highlighting the history between organizations;
we’ve been working together successfully for
over 20 years.
 Co-producing builds organizational capacity.
 The data provided by the case study from
Cottonwood II maximize value for the three E’s.
 Utilizing the power of existing communication
channels OON.
Proposed OHCS Org. Chart for LIWP, Oregon.gov 2012
Conclusions and a path forward…
 Leadership at Northwest Housing Alternatives
(NHA) needs to take initiative to open
communication with OHCS.
 NHA needs to continue collecting benchmark data
that demonstrates the economical, equitable, and
environmental data to enlist growing support for our
weatherization strategy.
 As a matter of policy, NHA needs to adopt an
“envelope first” approach to all of our developments,
both new construction and rehab.