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INVESTIGATOR: Fluellen, V. M.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
FORT VALLEY, GEORGIA 31030

PROJECT GEORGIA RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY NETWORK (GREEN)

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data reveals that Georgia's average residential electricity use is 22% higher than the national average residential use. Out of the total 50 states, Georgia has the 11th highest average residential electricity bill. In 2005, the average Georgia residential customer paid $99.22 per month for electricity, 12% higher than the national average, evidence that the average Georgia residential customer uses more electricity than the average U.S. customer. The "Georgia Residential Energy Efficiency Network" (GREEN) project will focus on the overall goal of providing low-to-moderate income Georgians with the education and information they need to adopt energy practices that produce economic benefits, reduce environmental impact and increase sustainability of energy supply. The GREEN program will address energy concerns of Georgians by providing measurable savings or offsets. This savings will be noted in several ways: increase in the number of Energy Educators providing one on one technical assistance and education; increase in low-to moderate income families participating in energy awareness programs; decrease in the amount of kilowatts used, increase in the number of CFLs used in the home; gallons of water saved by using low flow shower heads and increase in the usage of best practices adapted. The Georgia Residential Energy Efficiency Network is a program that will be statewide and reach hundreds of low to moderate income communities.

OBJECTIVES: To ensure the energy concerns of the rural disadvantaged and low-to moderate income audiences are addressed, the FVSU Cooperative Extension Program will create the Georgia Residential Energy Efficiency Network (GREEN). This program will focus on the overall goal of providing low-to-moderate income Georgians with the education and information they need to adopt energy practices that produce economic benefits, reduce environmental impact and increase sustainability of energy supply. The objectives of the program are to: 1) Train an Extension supported energy efficiency team to provide technical assistance and education to clientele on best practices for energy efficiency in Georgia 2) Provide education and technical assistance to homeowners and/or renters through workshops to increase energy efficiency and reduce the impact of energy consumption 3) Increase communications and outreach to low-to-moderate income families on current best practices as well as strategies of energy conservation and calculate the environmental impacts of the outreach efforts. Project GREEN will increase the number of Extension personnel trained as Energy Educators, number of hours trained and CEUs awarded, number of resource tools and materials acquired to aid the Energy Educators, number of forums created for interaction between the public and trained energy educators and number of partnering agencies participating in the educational network. GREEN will also increase the number of workshops on energy awareness with a placed emphasis on efficiency/conservation, number of low-to-moderate income families serviced throughout the county service areas, number of technical assistance visits to homeowners and/or renters, number of residential homes in communities impacted through educational outreach, percentage increase in the number of low-to-moderate income communities participating in statewide energy awareness activities, percentage decreases in the amount of energy consumed among, low-to-moderate income communities, percentage increase in knowledge gained of energy conservation among low-to-moderate income families, percentage reduction of the energy cost burden of consumers through improved energy efficiency and energy management. GREEN will track knowledge gain and behavior changes of participants, percentage increases in communication and outreach to minority and underserved, low-to-moderate income communities, percentage increases in the number of publications developed that target low-to-moderate income communities, percentage increases in the number energy related publications distributed among minority, underserved, and low-to-moderate income communities, number of exhibit sites at local community centers and/or churches, increase the number of publications developed, increase the number of low-to-moderate income clients receiving educational information through the Project GREEN exhibit.