Hurry-up to sign up for the Durham Home Energy Savings Program

According to the press-release reprinted after the break, there are still some spots left for homeowners to sign-up for the Durham's Energy Savings Program -an EPA funded initiative that provides homeowners with up to $1600 in funds to weatherize their homes for free or at greatly reduced price.

To qualify, your home must be:
• Located in Durham
• 2,300 square feet or less of heated space
• No unvented gas, propane, oil, or wood appliances in the living space
• No major structural, moisture, or hazardous materials issues
• Rental property must have approval from the landlord and tenants
• Occupants must agree to allow access to energy use data for one year prior and two years after the retrofits
• Occupants or landlords must provide the contractor with the $400 payment at the time of the initial home assessment with the Durham Home Energy Savings Program paying up to an additional $1,600 per house
• Occupants must be available to be home when contractors come to do the work (estimated two visits)
• Occupants must remove contents of attics and/or crawlspaces to allow contractor access to those spaces
• Occupants and landlords must be current on all local taxes

There are about 50 slots left,so hurry and sign-up online. 

Bike Buddies Kickoff

*This post is authored by Casey Collins

Hello neighbor.  It’s very nice to meet you.  Won’t you join me for a bike ride?

“What?” say you.  You mean that no one has ever asked you this question out on the street?  Well, now someone is asking you.  Come join your neighbors on Tuesday, May 29^th, 7:00 PM at Oval Park to kick off the Durham “Biking Buddies” program!

We’re looking for any and all potential bike riders who are interested in bike commuting in Durham.  Maybe you’ve been riding for years, maybe you ride occasionally, or maybe you haven’t even looked at a bicycle since you were twelve years old – it doesn’t matter, because we can get you started riding to work, riding for errands, taking your children to school, and any other thing you can do.

And no, this will not be some intimidating spandex-clad racing crowd looking down well-tanned noses – we’re just folks who want to share our experiences with cycling for utility.  We think that once you start biking around town, you’ll see why we prefer it over other modes of transportation.  Yes, it’s environmentally friendly.  Yes, it saves you money.  But most of all, it is fun.

Watts-Hillandale, you’re in.  Old West Durham, you too.  Come on Cleveland-Holloway. Woodcroft – hop on the American Tobacco Trail and come on up.  Forest Hills, you can come, but you have to swing by Nana’s and pick us up some delicious comestibles.  DukePark?  Yes, but you should swing down by Fullsteam to bring some beer.  

One of our primary goals will be to team up groups of neighbors who may commute to similar locales, so that experienced bike commuters can share knowledge and experience with those just getting started.  Durham has commuters riding to downtown, Duke, SE Durham, RTP, Chapel Hill, and most anywhere you can find to ride on two wheels.  

At our kickoff meeting, we’ll discuss:

• The basics – acquiring a bicycle and getting started
•   Safety -  helmets, lights, riding with traffic, road etiquette
•   Commuting – origins/destinations, available routes, parking/racks, carrying equipment and clothes (“How do I commute by bike without walking into my morning meeting all sweaty?”)
• Utility – biking for errands, grocery shopping, riding the TTA with your bus, etc.
•  Biking for families – hauling children, specific safety items
• Knowledge base – communicating routes, using social media for sharing ride information, etc.

·         Any other questions that you’d like to ask  

We’ll get you moving, and all you have to do is show up!  Ii the meantime, peruse these links for existing cycling resources in Durham:

Local Shops:

·         Tip-Top Cycles (http://tiptopcycles.com/)

·         Durham Cycles (http://www.durhamcycles.com/

·         Seven Star Cycles (http://www.sevenstarscycles.com/)

·         The Bicycle Chain (http://thebicyclechain.com/)

·         Durham Bike Co-Op (http://durhambikecoop.org/)

Maps and Community:

·         American Tobacco Trail (http://www.triangletrails.org/ATT.HTM)

·         Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (http://www.bikewalkdurham.org/index.html)
·     Durham Bicycle Coalition (https://www.facebook.com/durhambicyclecoalition)

·         Bike Duke (http://bikeduke.com/)

·         Bike Commuting in RTP (http://www.trilug.org/~chilcote/Bike/rtp-bicycle-commute-FAQ.html#Q1)

·         Durham’s Comprehensive Bicycle Plan (maps & more) (http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/transportation/bike_plan.cfm)

Anyone interested in attending is welcome – however, a response indicating your attendance is appreciated – RSVP to casey.collins@duke.edu