This issue of NYSWDA's newsletter will focus on a quick update on the Fridge Procurement (to meet the new Energy Star standards), update to lighting procurement, the new fuel study, a quick update on the OSHA NID, and a training update.  Please read the section on the Fridge Procurement as this is an important update to the procurement process.  Also Earl has an important update to the NID issues. 

Trainings:  You will soon see the balance of the years trainings scheduled on our website calendar.  We are focusing on the goal of providing basic training in all regions on a regular basis. 

Core trainings will be offered at least once in each region.  Core trainings being scheduled are:

• New Field Staff one day trainings
• New Field Staff advanced trainings
• 2 Day Auditor training
• 1 Day Lead Safe Weatherization training for staff and subs
• New Office Staff trainings
• DHCR Data Base trainings

CLICK HERE to view the training calendar. 

Other trainings being scheduled is the Cellulose Maintenance course, the Bacharach training, the 32 hr EPA Lead training, and the EPA refresher courses. 

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NOTE: NYSWDA is trying to set a record goal on our membership participation.  If you have not paid your dues we would appreciate if you consider supporting our efforts with you support.   Our promise is that staff will do our best to make your dues a worthwhile investment.   Thanks, james....

Staff Update:  As many of you may have heard, Earl Hicks is leaving NYSWDA to be the WAP Director for Tioga County.  We wish him well and he will be sorely missed here at NYSWDA.  Earl has been the main person behind the OSHA NID that has benefited the network, worked on developing the OSHA Alliance that NYSWDA will soon be part of, and helped with the LSW trainings. 

Training Center Update:  Ray and James will be visiting the training centers in Ohio and Indiana later this summer.  We hope to bring back ideas for NYSWDA's training center to build the best center possible.  Our goal is to build a versatile center where agencies can send staff for hands on training on all the techniques used in the WAP process. 

NOTE:   Our first training on Cellulose Blowing Machine repair and Maintenance went well and was well received by the participants, 5 agencies attended the training at PEACE Inc, in Syracuse.  Ed and Bill from Bonded presented the training which will be provided soon around the state - stay tuned.  Here are a couple of pics that can be clicked for full size views. 

NYSWDA and AEA are under contract with DHCR to coordinate the gathering of the data for this two year study.  To make the study valid and not subject to outside criticism, it was decided to use the services of Joel Eisenberg's staff at the Oak Ridge National Lab to oversee our methodologies and to write the final report.  Oak Ridge Labs perform a lot of services for DOE at the national level, have performed fuel savings studies in the past, and are well respected for their work.

This study will encompass a lot work on everyone's part but should pay off in the end with a definitive study on the savings we all know our program achieves.  Hopefully we will then have updated data to use in our efforts in local advertising, lobbying at the state level, and data DOE can use at the federal level.

DHCR has identified over 1700 units done this past year that used Electric or Gas as the primary fuel.  Our first goal is to see how many of these units can qualify with good pre-weathrization fuel data. 

We decided for the upstate agencies to eliminate Oil in the study as this fuel is difficult to get accurate usage records for a valid study.  NYSWDA has compiled the data and will be breaking out the units by agency.  We are currently doing a test run with a few agencies in order to work out the bugs on the instruction manual. 

You will soon be receiving an email with a Excel file with the units identified for your agency that were completed in the past contract period.  Coming shortly, (after we test run the process with a few agencies) will be an instruction manual in MS Word.  This will be a learning curve for new staff that are not accustomed to reading fuel printouts from the utility companies.  We hope to make the process as easy as possible.  If you can gather the additional data on costs from your BWS forms this will greatly help in identifying where our dollars are best spent.  If you have problems using the Excel fill please call the office at 315-701-0440.

NOTE:  Because the utility companies only have the fuel data keep for a short timeframe, we are sending out the list before you get the instruction manual.  What we are asking is you take the oldest jobs on the list and work back to the most recent units and get the fuel printouts from the utility company while they are available.  By then we should have the manual ready to instruct your staff on gathering the balance of the data. 

Randi - I have heard from agencies that they have not received their policy for the Pollutant Occurrence Insurance.  B.C. Environmental has been made aware of the situation and they are talking to the Roxanner to expedite getting them out. 

If you have not received your policy after being bound for 1 ½ months, please let me know.  I will work with BC Environmental so that you have the document in a timely manner

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Randi at 518-453-9008 x22 or E-mail Randi Randi@nyswda.org

Message from Randi: 

There have been a number of changes to the bid results for Lighting and Refrigerators that agencies need to be aware of.  These changes are on the NYSWDA website on the Procurement Page and are effective immediately.

Refrigerators

On January 1, 2004, the ENERGY STAR criteria for refrigerators changed for all full-size refrigerators. All refrigerators greater than 7.75 cubic feet must be at least 15% more efficient than the federal standard. Before January 1, 2004, refrigerators needed to be at least 10% more efficient than the federal standard. The criteria for freezers and compact refrigerators and freezers did not change. Freezers with a volume of 7.75 cubic feet or greater must still be at least 10% more efficient than the federal standard and compact refrigerators and freezers must still be at least 20% more efficient than the federal standard. 

Products manufactured before January 1, 2004 that qualified for the previous criteria, and do not qualify under the current criteria, may still be labeled with the ENERGY STAR logo and retailers may continue to promote these products as qualified until June 30, 2004.

NYSWDA has re-bid the refrigerators in order to be in compliance with the ENERGY STAR criteria.  We have also included vendors to sign-off on a Certificate of De-manufacturing which requires the vendor to remove and legally dispose of all replaced refrigerators, freezers. All refrigerators, freezers must be dismantled in order to prevent reuse, and parts must not be sold or distributed for reuse. 

These appliances must have refrigerants, including but not limited to chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s),  hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC’s), or 134A (HFC’s), removed as defined by Section 608 of the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR Part 82.  Any capacitors or ballasts that may contain Polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCB’s) must also be removed and disposed of in an environmentally sound way. All capacitors must be physically removed and examined.  Any capacitors that clearly say “NO PCBS” can be disposed of normally.  If the words, “NO PCBs”, do not appear on the label, the capacitor contains PCBs and must be incinerated by an EPA approved incineration site or put in a landfill that is permitted to legally handle PCBs.

All refrigerators, freezers must be sent to a shredding or baling facility for final destruction and recycling of materials.

Lighting

 The following updates have been issued: 

• Item I.3: Energetic FE127-24 24w Spring Lamp CFL will be available from Fred Davis Corporation at a price of $3.04. 

• Item I.9: TCP 10714C 14w Candelabra will be available from Fred Davis Corporation at a price of $5.98.

• Item I.1: The correct model# is Philips SLS15, not SLS215.

• Item I.5: The correct model# is Philips EL/0 15, not EL1015.

• TCP UB274 and TCP 28927 are 27w, not 28w.

 If you have any questions, please contact Randi at 518-453-9008 x22 or e-mail her at Randi@NYSWDA.org

MATERIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The New York State Weatherization Directors’ Association(NYSWDA) would like to invite you to participate on an advisory committee which is being formed to work on specifications for the statewide material bid. The working group, once invited, will be composed of persons from DHCR, NYSERDA, AEA, CEC and weatherization programs from across the State. The group will advise staff on the following so that the project can be Roxanned out: identify industry standards, determine additional research that is needed, prepare bid documents,
develop vendor lists, evaluate proposals.

If you are interested in participating on this committee, please let Randi know. You can reach her at 518-453-9008 x22 or e-mail her at Randi@NYSWDA.org
 

NYSWDA has updated the lead logs (LSW Activities Logs).  These forms should be filled out whenever you work on a pre-1978 house and are used to document the lead safe work related activities practiced during weatherization.  The changes have incorporated weatherization staff and OSHA comments.

Revision 1.  In the description of the work practices (line 1 or 2), use of trough systems has been added.  As many of you know NYSWDA has been demonstrating various alternatives to augment conventional ground plastic containment.  The basic design of these alternatives is based on portable plastic trough systems. These systems are site constructed or self-contained. Click here for some examples.

Revision 2. “TOOLS” was added to the first page of the lead logs. When OSHA reviewed the NID one of the comments was to specify which tools were used during the measure.  OSHA’s point was that the NID showed exposure to lead dust based on very specific tools and techniques.  For example, a hole saw may generate different amounts of dust than a self-feeding wood bit. 

These forms are available on the NYSWDA website under WAP Management or click here: We suggest that you customize the form by filling in the tools that your agency uses on a regular basis for each measure and then use it to make copies.  Don’t forget to update the NID field copy!
 

NYSWDA staff presented at the Rochester Community Lead Summit on June 10, 2004 on the topic of Creating Lead-Safe and Energy Efficiency Housing.  Motivating this conference was the fact that over 1,200 Monroe County children continue to be poisoned each year.  Presenters included a broad spectrum of national experts in the building trades, pediatricians, researchers, and of course, lawyers and politicians leading 22 different sessions.

For most, this was the first exposure to New York’s Weatherization Assistance Program, and how it benefits New York’s low-income population.  Although the Rochester area has been substantially ramping up their contractor base with Lead Safe Work Practices, as was evident by the many exhibitor booths, session attendees were very impressed with the competency, dedication, and proven commitment to WAP’s addressing lead issues in out clients’ homes while conducting our main mission of reducing energy bills. NYSWDA stressed that WAP can work most effectively in reducing lead hazards by partnering with other programs and funding sources who’s primary aim is to “abate” the problem.

This conference had over 400 attendees and concluded with a “commitment ceremony” in which individuals could publicly obligate themselves and their organizations to programmatically act on reducing or eliminating the lead problem confronting children in the Rochester Area.

The summit was organized by the Coalition to End Lead Poisoning.  For more information visit their website at www.leadsafeby2010.org

AND NOW FOR TODAY'S Computer TIP...

If you have been following the news recently you have heard of the many problems with Microsoft's browser (Internet Explorer).  There are several free choices on the internet for better browser software. 

When Netscape lost the war with MsExplorer a few years ago, they decided to make the code open source and allow all the best software writers in the world to make the best browser possible.  Out of this has come three good browsers.  Netscape 7.1, FireFox, and Mozilla.  All are free and have many features not found in Explorer.  They block popups, few hackers attack them as with Explorer, and the best feature is tabbed browsing which allows you to open a new link in a tab.  This is a great feature when doing a search.  You have your search results and can then open several choices as tabs and still have your page with the search results.

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Here are the links for a few free browsers.  Remember FireFox, Netscape, and Mozilla are similar and built on the same Kernal file.  I like Netscape the best and it has a new version about to be released.  FireFox has won over many critics and is considered the best alternative to Explorer.  The new version of FireFox and Netscape is scheduled for release in Sept.

FireFox - Download site is http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Netscape's - Download site is
http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp

Mozilla - Download site is
http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/

Avant - Download site is http://www.avantbrowser.com/

Remember when you download and install, use the custom install and do not install their email program if you are using Outlook as your default email program.  Have fun, I have all of these installed and try each one from time to time.  You can import your bookmarks etc in all these browsers.