Sterling Heights

Neighborhood tapped for energy-efficiency program

By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

Residents in a specific section of Sterling Heights can receive $1,000 in housing upgrades and qualify for other incentives, thanks to the BetterBuildings for Michigan Residential Energy Efficiency Program.

After applying in May, Sterling Heights administrators recently learned they’d been selected — along with neighborhoods in 26 other Michigan communities — to participate in the pilot program, led by the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office and powered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The idea, said Gillian Ream, SEMREO’s communications coordinator, “is to help people learn about their houses and get them to invest in energy efficiency,” as they often can more than recoup the cost of upgrades via energy savings.

The area in Sterling Heights tapped for the grant — which spans from 15 Mile to Metropolitan Parkway, from the Edison Corridor and Schoenherr — stands to receive up to $1 million in improvements through the program, which is expected to begin in September and extend through December, said Denice Gerstenberg, the city’s business development manager.

“There are approximately 1,100 homes, and it’s going to be one big massive wave … and anybody who wants to participate can,” she said.

Residents who sign up will receive a professional consultation with a full report on the best ways to make their dwellings more energy efficient, as well as products to get them started: air sealing and insulation to reduce drafts, compact-fluorescent light bulbs and faucet aerators, said Ream.

“After that first visit, they give you a report on your house; it’ll show you what your next priorities are,” whether it be replacing an inefficient furnace or hot water heater, swapping out drafty windows, etc., she said.

For most homeowners, the consultation and report — which alone would normally run $300-$400 — will entail a nominal fee, which varies by community and has yet to be set for Sterling, said Ream. Low-income households can qualify to receive the service for free, she added.

According to Ream, anyone in Michigan can pursue specialized financing to help fund energy upgrades to their homes through a program called Michigan Saves. But individuals living in the designated BetterBuildings neighborhoods will be eligible for an even more “preferential interest rate” on loans fueling such projects, she said, and the fee they pay for the consultation will be credited toward any additional energy improvements they choose to pursue.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said Ream. “If you’ve been thinking about making your house a little bit more energy efficient, this is the time to do it.”

The city qualified to apply for BetterBuildings as a member of SEMREO, a Ferndale-based collaboration of local governments that declares its mission is “helping communities to become more energy efficient and reduce their impact on global warming.”

Sterling also had to demonstrate a commitment to becoming “a sustainable, green community,” which Gerstenberg said it accomplished via such programs as its recycling centers, recent energy-saving projects and the Sterling Heights Initiative for Neighborhood Excellence, which aims to reduce blight and boost property values.

Detailed guidelines governed which subdivisions would be eligible for inclusion.

“The grant specifications for this particular program were very specific,” said Gerstenberg. “The most important criteria were borders within a quarter-mile of transit … with the city of Sterling Heights, that pretty much limits us to 15 Mile, Schoenherr Road and Van Dyke. So that dropped out a large portion of our neighborhoods.”

The selected area also had be within walking distance of a commercial district, contain a “high percentage” of owner-occupied, single-family homes, and have no more than 20 percent of homes below poverty level.

“We had demographic data that we used from the Census Bureau to determine the rest of the criteria,” said Gerstenberg. “That particular neighborhood met all of the criteria very, very well. We did look at an entire map of Sterling Heights, and we did go through each subdivision to see what would be the most feasible for our community.”

Other nearby communities with BetterBuildings-benefiting neighborhoods include Ferndale, Lathrup Village, Roseville, Southgate and Ypsilanti. Community Relations Director Steve Guitar said city administrators are pleased that Sterling is among them.

“Anytime we are able to offer residents a chance to go green and upgrade their homes to save energy resources and ultimately reduce costs is beneficial, not only to their personal financial bottom line, but to the entire region,” he said. “We hope that grant opportunities like these expand in the future so that even more residents can take advantage of the benefits of reducing their home’s carbon footprint and going green.”

Gerstenberg said the pilot program’s aim is to determine best practices, so the efforts can be duplicated and expanded elsewhere.

BetterBuildings for Michigan is a collaborative effort between SEMREO, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Michigan Energy Office, Michigan Saves, the city of Grand Rapids and the Detroit Economic Development Corporation.

Residents living within the qualifying grant area who are interested in participating can call (866) 402-1061. For general information on the program, visit www.regional energyoffice.org.

Local contractors hoping to bid on BetterBuildings projects must be certified through Michigan Saves; for more information, visit www.michigansaves.org.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1046.