CITY OF HOUSTON, CENTERPOINT ENERGY & HARC TEAM UP TO IMPROVE PLEASANTVILLE HOMES
January 26, 2006 -- Centerpoint Energy, the City of Houston, and the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) today announced the start of a program aimed at significantly reducing energy costs for both individual consumers and the city as a whole. The program will begin with a large-scale weatherization project designed to reduce the energy consumption of an entire Houston neighborhood. The neighborhood chosen to pilot the project is Pleasantville, located just inside the East Loop and south of I-10.
"I think this is an excellent opportunity for residents to receive assistance in weatherization for their homes and to realize significant savings on energy bills. There is a need to have energy efficient measures taken to reduce the higher costs in cooling (during summer) or warming (during winter) our homes," said Jaunetta Johns, President of Pleasantville Area Super Neighborhood Council.
The weatherization project will replace or improve several components of the home that cause increased energy bills and poor energy efficiency. Homeowners will benefit greatly not only financially from energy cost savings but also receive greater comfort within their energy-efficient, improved home.
"This is a project that makes life better and extends the life of a neighborhood with so much history within Houston," said Issa Dadoush, City of Houston Building Services Director.
Pleasantville homeowners may receive several improvements to their home through the project, including:
Installing weather stripping on windows and doors
Caulking windows
Installing additional insulation in the attic
Installing insulation on exposed hot water piping
Hot water heater insulation
Energy efficiency has improved dramatically over the years in new home construction. However, in the Pleasantville community where the homes were built in the 1950s, weatherization is one of the best means possible to produce positive energy efficiency results. Homeowners will be able to save from 12 to 25 percent in energy consumption.
The City of Houston has selected HARC to document and consult on the project in order to maximize returns for consumers. HARC will be the point of contact between the community, the City of Houston and CenterPoint Energy.
"We believe weatherizing the Pleasantville homes will effect significant energy savings resulting in lower gas and electric bills", said Alan Ahrens, CenterPoint Energy Manager. "We look forward to working with the City of Houston, HARC and the residents of Pleasantville on this project."
"We're excited to bring in our experience and expertise to this project. We want these families to be completely comfortable in this Houston climate no matter what season of the year it is. In a neighborhood where a majority of the homeowners are retired, utility expenses are crucial to their financial well-being," said Todd Mitchell, president of HARC.
When the project is complete at the end of summer 2006, the results will be lower utility bills, better homes and a historic neighborhood with many more years to come.
AboutCenterPoint Energy
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution and sales, and interstate pipeline and gathering operations. The company serves nearly five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total approximately $16 billion. With more than 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.
CenterPoint Energy contact: Alicia Dixon,
phone: 713-207-5885 pager: 713-619-5143
For more information about HARC visit www.harc.edu.
