Raised Beds Brought to New Heights

Stop by our new Center at 5227 Chartres to see our raised beds built by Historic Green volunteers & learn more about growing in containers or contact Kathy Muse at 504-939-9028.  Make gardening easy on your body :)

See more photos of all the industrious Historic Green volunteers accomplished Historic Green 2015

Related articles

Almost There...Moving In Soon to Our New Location at 5227 Chartres

 

Support CSED on GiveNOLA Day, May 5, 2015

Support CSED for GiveNOLA Day, this Tuesday, May 5. Last year, we raised $6,009 for the Lower 9th Ward CSED. We've set our goal this year at $10,000 and 300 donors.

 

Your support will help us to continue our rebuilding work with Lower 9th Ward residents, in the Bayou Bienvenue Triangle, with food security through community gardens, and the renovation of our new office and energy efficiency/environmental education center. 

 

Donate to CSED for GiveNOLA Day.    We are most grateful for your support!

CSED Hosts Green Corps Students for Training in Radiant Barrier Installation

The CSED hosted Green Corps students last week for training in radiant barrier installation at Mr. Sidney Butler's house. Mr. Butler became the 142nd Lower 9th Ward property owner to save energy & increase his comfort by having radiant barrier installed in his attic by the CSED. http://www.sustainthenine.org/programs/built-environment/radiant-barriers-weatherization    LA Green Corps is a youth & adult training program working to preserve both our environment & architectural integrity in the Greater New Orleans area.  Over 400 students have graduated from their programs.  http://www.lagreencorps.org/

Become a Part of the "Radiant Nine"

If you are a property owner in the Lower 9th Ward, you too can become part of the "Radiant Nine." 

A radiant barrier can be installed at any time, before or after your house is renovated and occupied.  All you need is a roof in good condition.

You can sign up online http://www.sustainthenine.org/programs/built-environment/radiant-barriers-weatherization  or

Call Kathy Muse at 939-9028 or 324-9955 for more information.  You can also come by the CSED office at 5130 Chartres Street, New Orleans LA 70117, Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 4pm.

Sustain the Nine!  River to Bayou

RB Program Good for Residents & Environment

CSED Radiant Barrier and Weatherization Fact Sheet

The CSED’s Radiant Barrier (RB) and Weatherization programs coordinated by the CSED, for Lower 9^th Ward property owners, has dramatically increased residents’ quality of life and in some cases resulted in utility savings of up to 40%.

Home Energy Assessments (HEA) are part of this program.  HEA’s inform homeowners of any health and safety issues in the home and provide written information on how to further increase energy efficiency. 

Priority for the RB program is given to seniors. 

CSED’s RB program includes community outreach efforts that inform residents of other CSED programs and projects, events happening in their neighborhood, and available community resources.

The CSED RB Program was initially established in 2007 in partnership with Sierra Club and Alliance for Affordable Energy.   LA Green Corps, Historic Green, AmeriCorps, and hundreds of volunteers have been contributing partners, as well as Lower 9^th Ward property owners, who make a donation toward cost of RB materials. The RB Program continues to be a major CSED service to the community with two certified Home Energy Raters on staff to perform home energy assessments and radiant barrier installations thus increasing our quality control.  

CSED’s Basic Weatherization Program was started in partnership with Alliance for Affordable Energy, and Sierra Club.  Contributing partners have included LA Green Corps, Historic Green, AmeriCorps, Global Green and Nurtured World.

CSED Radiant Barrier /Weatherization Program Numbers as of October 31, 2012:

• Educational, qualitative, Home Energy Assessments (HEA) have been performed on 214 homes.
• Radiant Barrier has been installed in 138 homes in the Lower 9^th Ward.  (Radiant Barrier saves approximately 10% annually on homeowners utility bills, increases comfort, and reduces CO2 emissions).
• Ducts have been sealed on 19 homes.  (Houses that receive duct sealing reduce energy consumption by 16% and save more than $80 a year).
• Weatherizations have been performed on 72 homes. 
• Currently, 7 homes have been assessed and are pending installation of Radiant Barrier.  41 applicants are pending home energy assessments.
• CSED Radiant Barrier/Weatherization Program has potential to serve over 2,000 homes in the Lower 9. (2010 Census verified 2,101 households in the Lower 9^th Ward )

Calculated savings for homes with R19 attic insulation and receive RB and Duct Sealing from the CSED.

*Radiant Barrier and Duct Sealing calculated annual savings for a 1,540-ft2 house with uninsulated ducts in the attic

Original Attic Modification	R19 Attic Insulation				Code-Level Attic     Insulation
Attic System Modification	Add RB, Improve Ducts, Add Insulation	Add RB, Improve Ducts	Add RB, and Insulation	Add RB	Add RB, Improve Ducts	Add RB
Miami	$460	$430	$180	$140	$410	$120
New Orleans	$730	$670	$240	$150	$610	$120
Atlanta	$670	$600	$200	$80	$540	$70
Baltimore	$1,210	$1,070	$320	$80	$950	$60
Chicago	$1,150	$1,020	$280	$60	$910	$40

*Based on Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL).  ORNL is a multiprogram science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Another Satisfied Radiant Barrier Customer for CSED!

If you're interested in learning more about the energy-saving benefits of having a radiant barrier installed in your home, fill out this handy online form or call CSED's Kathy Muse at 939-9028.

Wrapping It Up: Insulating the Lower Ninth Ward

CSED Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Vincent Fedeli, and Charles Reddick, the newest member of the CSED team,  help Henry Smith, son of  Lower Ninth Ward homeowner Edith Smith, continue the insulation of  her home. The CSED previously installed radiant barrier in the attic and fiberglass batting insulation underneath the house between the floor joists.  The attic and walls were insulated during construction. Last week, the final touch to complete the thermal boundary was the installation of R-Matte Plus-3 rigid foam plastic thermal insulation board composed of closed cell, polyisocyanurate foam underneath the fiberglass insulation.  The thermal boundary is the layer in a building enclosure that controls the transfer of energy (heat) between the interior and the exterior.  Homeowner Edith Smith will benefit from increased savings on her utility bill and will also enjoy increased comfort in her home.

Watts Up – Know Your Loads

 

High utility bills?  Grab the reins and take control of the electricity you use by identifying where your energy dollars are going.  Learn how much electricity your loads are using!

What’s a Load?

A load is anything in an electrical circuit that when the circuit is turned on draws power from the circuit.  A load can be an air conditioner, a water heater, a computer, a clock radio, a TV – anything in your house that uses electricity!

Of course not all loads use the same amount of electricity.  Per hour a TV will use less electricity than an air conditioner.  Per hour a 4 watt clock radio will use less electricity than a water heater.

To determine how many watts each of your loads uses, reference the manual or search for the label on the air conditioner, water heater, computer, clock radio or TV.  Most likely the label will have a watt number on it.  If you only see the amps and the volts, don’t worry.  The percentage of watts can be determined by multiplying the volts times the amps.  P(watts)=E(volts)xI(amps).

What’s a watt-hour (Wh)?

Load use is measured in watt-hours.

A (Wh) is a quantity of electrical energy when one watt is used for one hour.  For example: a 4 watt clock radio uses 4 watts an hour.  A 3500 watt (2.5 ton) central air conditioner uses 3500 watts an hour.  A large 1440 watt window unit AC unit uses 1400 watts an hour.

For those of us living in the Big Easy air conditioning consumes the majority of the household electricity we use.  You could then say it uses the most watts per hour.  Therefore air conditioning warrants the most attention.  Water heating usually consumes the second largest amount of watts per hour.  Lighting usually comes in third.

Understanding loads and the amount of watts they use can help you adjust your habits and save you money.  Take control of your utility bills!  Grab the reins, learn your loads, know your watts and make your home work for you - not the other way around.

Home Energy Magazine: Neighborhood Inroads

A really wonderful article from Home Energy Magazine on sustainable recovery in the Lower Ninth Ward and the work of CSED!

By Roger Hahn

In many ways, Deloris Wells is a pretty average resident of New Orleans. In other ways, she’s a remarkably accomplished woman. Her family moved from rural southern Mississippi to the outskirts of urban New Orleans in the late 1950s, when Deloris was about 15. They were looking for opportunities to better themselves. When Deloris and her brother graduated from high school, her father insisted that she continue her studies, and she became the first college graduate in the family. For most of her working life, she worked for the Social Security Administration, evaluating and accepting or rejecting disability claims. Over time, she worked her way up the organizational ladder to supervisor and eventually, to assistant area manager.

As we talk, it becomes clear that Deloris Wells loves to nurture close relationships with a wide range of "youngsters," from nieces and nephews to members of her own staff. It comes from her upbringing, Wells says, which is why she signed up to be a block captain in her neighborhood. "I've always felt that I've just been given so much that it's only right to give something back. I don't mind helping out at all, especially if it means I can help my neighbors come back, because I know so many of them still want to, and if I can help, that's what I’m going to do."

I've come to talk with Deloris Wells about a program that installs radiant barriers in the attics of homes belonging to people who are rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. I'm accompanied by Tracy Nelson, executive director of the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED), a post-Katrina extension of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, which stepped in right after Katrina, formulating plans for rebuilding and restoration, and engaging partners nationwide to find ways to implement those plans.

Right now, the CSED is focused on three problems: the post-Katrina lack of grocery stores in the immediate area; the restoration of adjacent wetlands; and need to create a more sustainable built environment by influencing decision makers about preserving housing stock, and by working to make the neighborhood carbon neutral. Hence, the CSED's radiant-barrier program. READ FULL ARTICLE >>

via www.homeenergy.org