Mark Watson
The City of Oak Ridge has been selected for a $2.9 million grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority that will “undoubtedly change the lives of people living in legacy Oak Ridge homes by helping them save money on their utility bills,” officials said Friday.
This grant is part of TVA’s Extreme Energy Makeover project and will allow the start of an unprecedented revitalization of the legacy homes in the Oak Ridge community and provide assistance to those that need it the most, a press release said.
“The City of Oak Ridge is honored to be selected for participation and award for use in the Extreme Energy Makeover program, which will be used to encourage use of the legacy housing of the city when it was a ‘Secret City,’†City Manager Mark Watson said. “This investment will demonstrate our housing’s continued value for residents for years to come. As historical housing, our demonstration project has shown that electrical usage can be substantially reduced creating a ‘win-win’ for our residents, TVA, and the Oak Ridge electrical system alike. We look forward to the challenge and partnership with TVA to become a model for the entire TVA service region.â€
The Extreme Energy Makeover project is a partnership between TVA, the City of Oak Ridge Electric Department, and team members Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC; Gilmartin Engineering Works Inc.; Tetra Tech Inc.; and Strata-G LLC. It’s designed to improve the quality of life for residents of the City of Oak Ridge Electric Department service territory, the press release said.
The grant money will be used to perform whole-home, deep energy retrofit upgrades to achieve a 25 percent reduction in electric energy usage and achieve annual total project energy (megawatt hour) savings of 1,000 megawatt-hours per year for homes that are at least 20 years old in the Oak Ridge community.
“This is another success for the Oak Ridge Energy Corridor,†said Gary Gilmartin, president of Gilmartin Engineering Works. “This builds on our achievements in high tech manufacturing, renovations of our city infrastructure, designations as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner, and as a TVA Platinum Sustainable Community.â€
The project will be underway in April 2016 and go through September 2017. Additional information, including the application process for interested homeowners, will be available in the coming months.
For more information, contact Watson at (865) 425-3550.
For more information about the City of Oak Ridge, visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.
Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gary Love says
This is great news, and I applaud TVA for their investment in our wonderful community.
Joseph Lee says
I agree Gary. This is good news for our city. Of course,
the negitrons will be pilling on as usual. Thanks you.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
At least we are right Old Joe. Let me abbreviate the covenant for you since your comprehension is so poor, “You are NOT allowed to build a mall on that property”.
Joseph Lee says
Ray,
Blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah and blah, blah.
Please enjoy your day and miserable life. Thank you.
Ray Evans says
While this article is about a TVA grant, much misinformation is being espoused regarding the redevelopment of the former mall property.
Walmart gained certain rights and restriction when they purchased a portion of the mall from Crown American. The restrictions do not keep the property from being redeveloped as a retail driven town center. The restrictions however do not allow a super market or a big box store larger than 95,000 SF (used to block the location of a Target). The City Council had nothing to do with that agreement between private parties.
Neither RealtyLink nor their predecessor Crosland Southeast proposed to build a mall. Instead they propose to build and open air town center consisting of just over 400,000 SF of retail as well as residential and hospitality uses. The Walmart restrictions are not an encumbrance on that plan.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
For Sale: view of WalMart roof and parking lot.
The city council did allow such a use of property. You work for the city, don’t you Ray Evans? So the city is still involved with that property. How is it a property in Oak Ridge is somehow NOT under the ruling authority of the city and the expectations of the county? It isn’t, Ray Evans is blowing smoke. This is a “negative covenant” and the city allowed it. When the work to keep the Oak Ridge Mall should have been done is when this covenant was filed and the city to make sure it is an “affirmative covenant”. The leadership in this city is currently interested in keeping their wealth at the risk of Oak Ridge homeowners. With thatbeing said, the city was involved back then, is involved today, and is glowing at showing its ineptitude at property use. Just look at the incentives spent there to have a mall since it was first closed in. There won’t be anything successful relating to retail on that property.
JCPenney will be releasing their new property closings in Jan and Belk’s is heavily sending signs they are selling their company. Find a new piece of property to spend our money on Ray Evans. How much are you paid to work on this?
Ray Evans says
Again, the City did not have and should not have had a role to play in a private agreement between Crown American and Walmart.
The Belk family announced in August that they were selling their company to Sycamore Partners. No secrets there.
My compensation is a matter of public record. No secrets there either.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
You are paid by the city, why are you giving a presentation on the property?
Ray Evans says
Simply because the League of Women Voters asked me to do so. The presentation was opened to the public. I wish you had attended.
Will Smith says
Well, Mr. Kircher seems to be at it again with his inane and wildly imaginative commentary. IIRC, he’s previously proposed that Walmart was going to build a store on Pellissippi (and close the Oak Ridge Store), that a road be built thru Clark Center Park to Knoxville, and that the pavilion at the marina was to be locked up and used only by select individuals, Now he seems to think among a number of things that KUB is going to start serving Oak Ridge (must be quite a surprise to the ORUD), that the city had something to do with a private business transaction between Walmart and Crown American (or that the city somehow could control such a transaction), and he even seems to think that the energy retrofit money is coming from KUB instead of TVA. Mr. Kircher is the perfect example of the Mark Twain quote: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Yep, all about me. Hate to change the subject on you, but now what new failure will you present to the city? TVA is only giving this out to raise rates, but since you are paid by the ratepayer, why would you want to discuss other people’s money? As long as it keeps coming. Time for this gravy train to stop. Any candidate who references that property as a mall will surely be doomed. It isn’t a mall, won’t be a mall for yet another 80 years, yet Will Smith believes Oak Ridge citizens can pay the CORED rates all the while Will Smith is eating buffet with business owners on the city’s payee list who are looking for a write off. This is going to be good. What the citizens have paid for and how this city who has no control over the property will come up with for a revitalized area. I bet I’ve seen tent cities with more commerce than what Will Smith can develop on that property. Put your money instead of ours where you mouth is Will Smith. You cannot do it.
Will Smith says
So how do you explain the $80 million that the developer is going to be spending on the downtown redevelopment, Mr. Kircher? Or the privately developed plans for the area? And now suddenly, it’s TVA and not KUB that’s giving out the grant? Can’t you even keep your own fantasy coherant?
Raymond Charles Kircher says
You want to keep making this about me? Your fantasy of having a developer there building anything more than a low income housing project is as asinine as your name. You are a fake with a pseudonym name to hide your identity. You are a liar and have nothing but a gravy train of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars that you steal from the working class. You and your city friends are sloths, Will Smith. You keep hiding, I’m right here with the topic of city leadership is stealing from tax and utility ratepayers. The proof is your very own inaction and hiding from the public. Where is KUB handing this out, that is the point, not a topic of discussion. This is theft all while our infrastructure is failing and the very low income people you claim to help, you then shut off their utilities. You are exposed Will Smith. Go back to Knoxville.
Will Smith says
Now you’re imagining that you know me and know where I live. You’re as clueless about that as you are about everything else.
Joseph Lee says
Mr. Smith, l think you may have answered your own question. Coherent and Kircher in the same post is a fantasy. Thank you.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
All of the truth is not there in your comment Ray Evans. You are purposely hiding some very important facts about that property. Is that why you are hired by the city to tell people the city isn’t involved with this property? Taxpayers need to start wondering why a project as simple as Ray Evans states hasn’t happened now for over a decade. We have another 80 years to go before your plan is able to be built on that property, Ray Evans. I cannot wait any longer for another pipe dream of what is going there, a low-income high rise, maybe a senior home, but one thing is for sure, the retail you want there isn’t coming, right Ray Evans? You are having big problems with that part which you are not coming out to say the truth, yet you are paid by the city and the city isn’t in control of that property. Who can the ratepayers believe in this city but not a city boondoggle.
Joseph Lee says
Raymond, maybe you should have taken the blue pill. The red one isn’t working for you. Thanks.
Gary Love says
Joe, I have read all of these comments and they astound me……how in the world is making a home more energy efficient a bad thing?
Will Smith says
Gary, if God appeared in Bissell Park and gave out the cure for cancer, there are people in this town who would complain about it.
Gary Love says
Will, I believe we do have a community of very intelligent people, but we have to quit trying to overthink everything. The people that will receive this service are the people that need it the most.
I have been trying to get TVA to provide Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County to provide energy efficient appliances in our builds, but they have refused. I think this is the next best thing.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Because the ratepayers know the appliances put in the home won’t last the 30 years to pay it off, nor even stay in the home when the units are sold and the customers go back to Nat. Gas because it is more efficient for the user. The units will be sold off by the homeowner’s receiving them. This is a way to attack ORUD and drop their customer base by TVA teaming up with the city to buy off new elec. customers with other people’s money. The city is crapping where they eat. Electric rate hikes to come instead of the money being used to repair and update infrastructure; that is where the savings are found. Just ask KUB. So if free money is there to be given out, why has everyone’s rates climbed?
Joseph Lee says
No argument there Gary. Some of these comments are truly astounding. Maybe we should all crawl back in a cave somewhere and hope for the best. I can hear it now.
CAVE dwellers unite and just give up. Thanks
Dave Smith says
“The grant money will be used to perform whole-home, deep energy retrofit upgrades to achieve a 25 percent reduction in electric energy usage and achieve annual total project energy (megawatt hour) savings of 1,000 megawatt-hours per year for homes that are at least 20 years old in the Oak Ridge community.”
The claims of a 25% reduction in electric energy usage through “retrofit upgrades” is absurd unless the homes are currently missing windows and doors.
What could be the economic impact of a reduction of 1,000 MWh/y? If 1000 homes are retrofitted (average expenditure of $2900 per home), then on average each home will be required to reduce consumption by 1 MWh/y, or about 2.7 kWh/d. At our present electricity rate, that amounts to a savings of 27 cents/day, $100/year. The payback period would then be nearly 30 years, which is likely to be longer than the useful life of the upgrades. The payback period does not decrease if the number of homes that are retrofitted is 100, 1000 or 10,000.
By the way, my house is more than 20 years old, so I’ll be applying for the free money from TVA, courtesy of the cohort of ratepayers here in TVA land.
Steve Dittner says
“The grant money will be used to perform whole-home, deep energy retrofit upgrades to achieve a 25 percent reduction in electric energy usage and achieve annual total project energy (megawatt hour) savings of 1,000 megawatt-hours per year for homes that are at least 20 years old in the Oak Ridge community.”
20 years old or older qualifies as legacy housing? I believe this was worded that way so the people that know how to work the system can receive the bulk of this grant money. Legacy housing should be listed as housing that was built during the time of the secret city days, nothing after 1959 should be considered till all of the houses from the earlier time frame have had a chance to apply for their share of these funds. Another gaming of the system by the powers that be.
Anne Garcia Garland says
That seems like a fair condition. The original housing, particularly the Alphabet housing, is tremendously well constructed and remodelable as evidenced by the many homes in which people have invested. The block housing in Woodland is also outstandingly constructed.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
They are not that well constructed in the terms of energy savings. That is the point. Is KUB going to go in and replace warped lumber and cracked walls upon settling foundations? This is a way to spend money so they can continue to raise rates.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Really, a savings of $97,500 a year? Do the math people. 1,000 MWhs is the equivalent of 1,000,000 KWhs. We currently average a cost of $0.0975 per KWh. 30 years for this $2.9 Million to go to a select few people in Oak Ridge while all of us pay for Oak Ridge special people. Will the Seniors be first in line for this? Do I need to explain anymore?
Mark Watson, City Manager says
The TVA has submitted a plan of funding to the EPA for an Administrative order filed against the agency. Part of that response is the Extreme Energy Makeover program. The TVA developed the competitive program to examine how we can take specific energy savings actions to reduce consumption, thus avoiding or prolonging the avoidance of building new or expanded power plants. (Remember, the President has now directed the elimination of coal fired plants). The legacy housing to be considered is the original housing of our community. We have on our team the same persons involved with the ORNL Zebra houses and have looked at the data as to where consumer savings can occur. Our test/experimental legacy house in Oak Ridge dropped a $600 a month electrical utility bill to less than $125 for a family of four. So energy savings is possible and reinvestment in this original housing can be worthwhile. The math below is not how this is examined.
This is a great opportunity to re-establish the value of smaller, more efficient housing for active use in the region. It also will establish ways of measuring the usage by our housing, as the future for the City of Oak Ridge will require more detailed electricity purchase contracts with TVA. More information will be released as we move forward.
Anne Garcia Garland says
Anticipating the probability of this program and the benefits of demonstration, the city manager and the administrative departments (community development, electric, and others) created an excellent model experiment. I am extremely proud to see the administration supporting the position I have long espoused on behalf of myself and so many neighbors and friends that the early housing is extraordinary in quality of design and construction. In this era of enthusiasm for downsizing and “Tiny Houses,” Oak Ridge is one of the beautiful towns perfectly poised to offer wonderful neighborhoods to home seekers. I extend congratulations to Mr. Watson and the staff.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
The money trail is found. This money isn’t going to reach the homes to help so called poor people. Within a few years the house is going to fail due to the lack of quality craftsmanship needed to rebuild one of these. So it is a good bet, this will be the last we hear of this program on any level that is considered a value in Oak Ridge terms.
Dave Smith says
I can’t speak authoritatively to whether the legacy housing (alphabet designation and Skidmore-Owings-Merrill new town masterplan dwellings) was “extraordinary” in design or construction, but I can say without hesitation that the legacy housing is not a salable option to offer the young professionals we would like to attract to our city. The floorplans are dated and not easily remodeled, the houses usually sit irregularly on the lots, the neighborhoods are punctuated with slum quality dwellings, there has historically been little if any appreciation in value of the properties, and so on. It compares unfavorably with property available elsewhere.
On the other hand, the legacy housing is very attractive as rentals for low-income families that are attracted to our full-service city (as Leonard Abbatiello is wont to term us). I can only wonder how low-income families are able to afford the extraordinarily high energy bills endemic to the properties.
Where you see “wonderful neighborhoods to home seekers,” I see mostly a continuation of blight. Folks who can’t afford to invest in energy efficiency will be similarly unable to afford the maintenance and repairs to maintain value and curb appeal.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
The math below is a real world fiscal review. The mayor’s HGTV and This Old House experience is lacking in that the loan will still be unpaid and the homes in sad need of repairs. That is the real world Oak Ridger’s live in, not a world where government has everyone stand in line for a pittance of relief of the bills coming down on the citizens of Oak Ridge. This would only work for the current homeowners if their warranty for the work is for 30 years also. There is enough money there for that, just raise the rates. I upgraded my structure, curbed water problems and grade, many more energy saving projects and moved my $600.00 a month bill to under 125.00 a month. It is easy to do when elected and hired city officials aren’t standing around with their hand out. They should be working on building our new infrastructure instead of patching it and putting lip-stick on pigs. I’ll be happy to show up at the next city council meeting if the mayor and any of the city council members who cannot comprehend how this won’t work. You don’t need to be affiliated with the DOE to understand it.
Dave Smith says
An 80% decrease in electrical power usage, as implied by the $600 to $125 decrease in the monthly electrical utility bill of the test/experimental legacy house, is unquestionably stupendous. I can understand why this information was not part of the press release because it sets the expectations quite high. I hope this improvement will be typical of the extreme energy makeovers and not simply the product of a carefully chosen property.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Nor can it mean the rates those low income people will be paying in the future is any less. This is a scam people, much like the leaders of Oak Ridge who believe they can break a covenant. No need in providing facts, they don’t mean the truth, even after the 30 years to pay this back. Who in their right mind is going spend nearly 3 million dollars to throw good money to bad home structures which will not pay them back, KUB ratepayers, that’s who. Who in their already half dead mind is going to build a mall next to a WalMart, Oak Ridge leadership, that’s who. I’ll say it again, many people in Oak Ridge today will be long gone dead before a mall is built on that property. It is going to take Oak Ridge leadership to take a dirt nap to move away from that rock solid covenant. What needs to be done is exactly what isn’t being done, like this scam of a energy savings or mall.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
KUB is moving in on ORUD territory. Why would KUB spend money on a low income household that has Nat. Gas heat, hot water, stove, and dryer, also a BBQ and fireplace. This is a huge scam on the ratepayers of KUB. I’ll be throwing my projects in also. Then sell the units and go back to Nat. Gas.
johnhuotari says
Raymond, I don’t think KUB has any involvement in this project. Thank you. John
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Wonderful, that isn’t what the county would like to see done with that property nor do involved citizens of Oak Ridge who know the covenant. Besides Will Smith, who in their right mind is going to buy a view of the WalMart roof, our mayor? TVA is spending this money because they want to raise rates. Simple bureaucratic policy to keep rates rising.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Then why have the IDB involved if the city isn’t funding this 99 year party of city officials with proposed developers looking for a tax write off because they have property that doesn’t have a covenant by WalMart? Shame you are wasting your time with me and WalMart lawyers who keep telling you NO. Tsk, Tsk!
Raymond Charles Kircher says
If isn’t reality. The real numbers according to KUB is almost 30 years if rates were to stay the same, but this blowing of money is to ensure rates are going to rise, so much for the low income saving anything. They aren’t in the long run. Douglas Dam needs leaks repaired, use this money for that and save us the rate hikes.
Raymond Charles Kircher says
To make this money give away less look like a scam, it should have been given to schools to upgrade their facilities where the value of return is much better and the citizens can actually see the effort to reduce costs of utilities. What a waste for a family to win this and then sell off the units for cash. Isn’t that what people really want, cash, not free appliances that will be outdated before the next election?
Why is our city manager involved with this war between Electric and Nat. Gas appliances? Once the homes are retrofitted, many of them will return to Nat. Gas. Nat. Gas has been winning at this for a while and their updated appliances. So our city council is actively pursuing to put a dent on Nat. Gas sales in Oak Ridge. Tsk,Tsk!
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Sure is, low income housing with a balcony over look of WalMart. Wonderful news, but you are not revealing the truth. Belk is gone, ray already alluded to that, but there is more problems with that property you are not revealing. Go on, say it. Let the people know the truth. Nobody involved there is getting a piece of this tva handout. What do you have to lose?
Dave Smith says
Thank you for commenting. I agree that exchanging LED or even CFL bulbs for incandescent bulbs has the potential for a large reduction in energy usage for lighting, and those who can afford to do so should make the switch. Unfortunately, lighting accounts for only about 9% of household energy costs, so the switch to LED bulbs would provide only a small fraction of the postulated 25% reduction in household energy costs.
A standard electric hot water system accounts for about 12% of household energy costs, so whether by “high efficiency heater” you are referring to a super insulated tank HW heater, a tankless HW heater or a heat pump HW heater, it will at best reduce the consumption by about 50-75% (heat pump heated).
Those are the least expensive investments, and they might reduce the energy consumption in a modern home by 10-15%. But the legacy homes are not modern homes; they are poorly insulated and not designed to accommodate forced air HVAC. If they have an HVAC system it was often an awkward conversion from the original coal furnace or electrical “ceil heat”. I respect that we might have a difference of option on the assumptions implied by the press release, but an extensive top to bottom re-insulation, replacement of problematic windows and doors, and replacement of the HVAC system and appliances, is not a “retrofit upgrade.” It is the very definition of an extreme upgrade. It’s lipstick on a pig.
johnhuotari says
I think this conversation has gotten off track, so I’m closing this thread. Think you for reading Oak Ridge Today and participating in the discussion. John