Pulaski Technical College is now offering “HOME and E-Star classes” in Little Rock. 

The HOME Program provides formula grants to States and localities that communities use to fund a wide range of activities that build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.

When HOME funds are utilized for new construction, ENERGY STAR® certification is required on the dwelling units.  Any dwelling completed after Jan 1, 2011 will have to meet ENERGY STAR® Version 3.  In addition, builders, HVAC and Energy Raters are all required to get special  training in version 3.

This certification provides a new line of education for construction managers and builders in Arkansas to tap into the new regulations being put in place that address sustainable construction.

For more information on the HOME Investment Partnership Act, please click here.

To learn more about ENERGY STAR® requirements, go to EPA’s website for National Program Requirements and more here.

On April 13, 2011, the Clinton School of Public Service will host a panel discussion titled, “Sustainable Communities: Land Use, Transit Patterns, Economic Recovery and the Vision for a Healthier Urban Environment,” featuring Joe Black, president of Southern Bancorp Capital Partners; Sandra Otto, administrator for the Arkansas division of the Federal Highway Administration; Karen A. Peycke, Region 6 land revitalization coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency; and Alice Rufus, Little Rock Field Office director for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The panel discussion is being presented as part of the Clinton School’s Lunch & Lecture series and will run from 12:00 P.M. until 1:00 P.M.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program is designed to provide weatherization services to low-income families. This program allows qualifying homeowners to install energy efficiency measures in order to lower energy costs.  According to the DOE, the Weatherization Assistance Program has provided weatherization services to more than 6.2 million families.

The DOE is now amending the eligibility provisions to provide further assistance to multi-unit housing.  If a multi-unit building is under an assisted or public housing program and is identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and included on a list published by the DOE, that building will receive certain benefits under the Weatherization Assistance Program without the need for further evaluation or verification.  Through the Weatherization Assistance Program, Congress states that it is attempting to develop and implement an assistance program to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential energy expenditures, and improve their health and safety, especially low-income persons who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, the handicapped, and children. For further information, please see 42 U.S.C. 6861.