Home energy assessments and assistance for Detroit residents

Prof. Johanna Mathieu is collaborating with Pecan Street, Inc., Jefferson East, and the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative on a National Science Foundation project called, “Piloting a Decarbonization-Ready Common Home Assessment.”

The planning phase of this grant was called Designing a Decarbonization- Ready Common Home Assessment.

The video provides an overview of the program, and how it aims “to streamline repair assistance efforts and demonstrate how lower income homes and neighborhoods can benefit from decarbonization.”

VIDEO transcription

Project spokesman

Thousands of homes in Detroit face the urgent need for home repairs and the growing burden of high energy costs. 

The goal of our NSF CIVIC Project is to streamline repair assistance efforts and demonstrate how lower income homes and neighborhoods can benefit from decarbonization. The project integrates electrification factors into existing home assessment surveys in Detroit to focus repair efforts on decarbonization and help families access all available assistance resources.

Josh Elling, CEO, Jefferson East

Since 2013, Jefferson East has deployed more than $3.3 million in home repair resources, helping more than 4,500 residents throughout the East Jefferson corridor. Most of our repairs have been focused on ways to make homes more energy efficient, boost their weatherization, and make them more resilient to the challenges posed by a changing climate and extreme weather events. 

Thanks to the National Science Foundation CIVIC Grant, we’ll be taking that work a step further by analyzing 50 homes to help figure out how we can help residents focus on decarbonization, electrification, and find ways to weave renewable energy into their homes.

Most of our people in the neighborhood, they’re living very modest lives; they’re not driving huge cars, they don’t have a huge energy burden. They’re not driving climate change, but they’re bearing the brunt of what climate change is bringing to them. What can we do to mitigate the effects of climate change? So all that goes together, we like to say we focus on resilient houses and resilient humans.

Project spokesman

Jefferson East’s work with Janice Bradford illustrates the impact coordinated assistance can make on Detroiters’ lives and energy use. 

Janice Bradford, Detroit homeowner

I have a refrigerator that I was very much in need of because sometimes the freezer wouldn’t freeze or things is warm at the bottom. My furnace. I was four years in this home without a furnace at all. No furnace. I was freezing. It was dangerous to have your stove burning to try to keep you warm. I have a new AC unit in the home. I don’t have to worry about all the fans and things now. And I don’t take advantage of it, you know? I don’t want my bills to go up extremely high. If it’s just me, I say, well, I’ll be okay.

Project spokesman

Assessing homes is a critical first step. Through resident surveys and in-person energy assessments, researchers from Pecan Street and the University of Michigan can analyze and model the energy cost impact of various home improvement options. 

Cavan Merski, Data Analyst, Pecan Street Inc.

One important part of our project is inputting the information we gather from the decarbonization module in the home assessment into energy modeling software.

This software simulates how the home uses energy and shows how that could change after repairs and energy efficiency upgrades are made. It combines details about the home, local weather data and utility rates to simulate how the home will use energy and the cost per time of use rate structures. This is crucial because we want to make sure the upgrades reduce energy expenses and increase the home’s longevity and the homeowners comfort.

We’re able to model different types of insulation and heat pump models to ensure the homeowner will save the most money while making their home as comfortable, safe, and healthy as possible. 

Mike Walker, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

I’m a native Detroiter, lived in the city all my life. When I’m standing in your living room helping to alleviate your home of health and safety, it’s rewarding. I’m not there to sell you anything. I’m there to help. So ultimately, we want to be successful and proven effective in Detroit. And then we look to scale it nationally.