Oak Ridge Today

Deadline to apply for free home energy upgrades is Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Tuesday is the deadline to apply for free home energy upgrades through the Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, program.

MORE2 has provided more than 80 upgrades to Oak Ridge homes at no cost to homeowners since May 2016, according to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

“With only a short time remaining in the program, team members are emphasizing the deadline for applications as August 1, 2017,” ADFAC said.

To assist Oak Ridge residents in this last opportunity to apply, the MORE2 team is hosting a “Sign Up” walk-in application event at ADFAC from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, July 31. ADFAC is in Room 203 at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Reservations for appointments are not required.

“Team members will be on hand to provide additional information and to assist in application submittal,” ADFAC said. [Read more…]

Landlord summit for Anderson County landlords on Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

There will be a free landlord summit for all Anderson County landlords in Oak Ridge on Friday.

The landlord summit is being hosted by Tennessee Valley Continuum of Care. It is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, May 19, at the Scarboro Community Center, which is at 148 Carver Avenue in Oak Ridge. The event will include a free continental breakfast, which will begin at 8:30 a.m., a press release said. Reservations are not required.

The press release said landlords are encouraged to attend because many helpful topics will be offered, including:

  • MORE2 (Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient)—These are energy-saving upgrades available to Oak Ridge homes for lower income home owners and renters.
  • Housing Choice Voucher Program—Learn how landlords can secure rental payments by participating in this program.
  • Case Management—Learn how case management from various nonprofit organizations can help your tenant be successful in housing.
  • Free Legal Information—Learn about new housing laws, eviction requirements, fair housing, and other valuable topics.

[Read more…]

MORE2 provides much-needed home energy improvements to Oak Ridge home

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MORE2 logo

Submitted

Oak Ridge resident Peggy Brummett is just one of many happy participants in the MORE2 Program offered in our community and she urges others to apply.

“I would highly recommend this to anyone!” Brummett said in a recent interview. “I don’t understand why there aren’t a whole lot more Oak Ridgers applying. It’s made a huge difference in our home.”

Brummett applied for the MORE2 program, hoping it would help with her utility bills and, more importantly, with her peace of mind.

“I can now sleep better knowing I can rely on our heat or air conditioning and knowing it won’t cost us so much in the future,” Brummett said. “And as a bonus, there is less dust in our house.”

She suspected her old heating, ventilation, and air conditioner (HVAC) wasn’t working effectively, and her utility bills were proof she was correct. Her home was losing a great deal of costly energy due to air leakage, inadequate insulation, and the poorly working HVAC unit.

At no cost, the MORE2 Program provided a new HVAC unit, new insulated ductwork, and performed air sealing throughout the home. Brummett is recently retired from a large retail establishment in Oak Ridge, where she worked in customer service. Having worked in customer service, she knows good service when she sees it and commented on the program. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge home owner shares energy efficiency success story

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MORE2 Logo“I have won the lottery!” That is an emotional response from one Oak Ridge homeowner who recently received a Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, home energy makeover.

Ronald Jackson, an Oak Ridge resident for nearly 50 years, said he “could not believe my luck in finding this program.” Jackson, who has lived in his home for 10 years, learned about the MORE2 program from a poster while visiting the Oak Ridge Library and decided it was worth a try to apply. His application was approved, and in recent months, his home has received a new HVAC unit as well as new duct work and insulation—all at no cost to Jackson.

“This program is so wonderful I want to tell everyone about it!” Jackson said in a press release.

The program responsible for his enthusiasm is called MORE2, and it is helping Oak Ridgers lower their home energy use and their electric bills, the press release said. [Read more…]

A MORE2 success story, providing free energy-efficiency upgrades

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Before and after photos of Lacey’s attic insulation.

Before and after photos of Lacey’s attic insulation (see other photo below).

 

As winter sets in, Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, is helping Oak Ridgers lower their home energy use and their electric bills.

Mary Kate Lacey, a retired licensed practical nurse, rents an Oak Ridge home that she hopes to someday own. After taking part in MORE2, she said her home is more comfortable now than in the last five years and that her electric bill is reflecting energy savings.

“My heat pump just doesn’t run all the time now like it used to,” she explained. “And my utility bill is already a little lower than in earlier years.” [Read more…]

Making it easier to qualify, program offering free energy-efficient upgrades raises income level

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MORE2 Logo

In April, Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, began installing energy-efficient upgrades (such as water heaters, HVAC units, and attic insulation) in the homes of Oak Ridge residents for free.

So far, MORE2 has worked on more than 30 homes and has seen drastic improvements in the lives of those who have participated in the program.

MORE2 is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Linda, a renter who was heating her home with window air-conditioning units and baseboard heat, has been amazed at the difference in her life since the MORE2 team installed upgrades in her home, a press release said. She told a team member, “I’m sleeping better and I’m breathing better…I’m so pleased and grateful for these changes.” [Read more…]

MORE2, a home energy efficiency program, raises income qualifications, has public meeting Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MORE2 Logo

MORE2, the energy efficiency program that makes free upgrades to qualifying homes, has significantly raised its income qualifications, effective immediately, a press release said.

“If you make $122,670 or below, you may be eligible for upgrades,” the press release said.

Call (865) 375-4656 or visit MakeOREE.com to see if you qualify.

If you want to learn more about how to reduce energy usage in your home and apply for MORE2 help, you can attend this public meeting: [Read more…]

MORE2 helping Oak Ridger save money on utility bills

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

holmes-new-hvac

New HVAC for Mike Holmes (Submitted photo)

 

Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, is making great changes for some Oak Ridge residents. “Saving money” was the response of a recent participant as the most important—and his favorite part—of MORE2.

Saving energy, which can lower utility bills, is one of the primary goals of MORE2, a program funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority that kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of qualified Oak Ridge residents with no-cost energy upgrades, such as new HVAC and water heating units.

“My favorite part of this program is saving money, followed by how professional everyone was,” said Mike Holmes, a truck driver who recently retired early due to medical challenges. [Read more…]

MORE2 energy efficiency program has public meeting on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, will be hosting a public meeting for interested applicants Thursday, September 22, from 3-4 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

MORE2, funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of Oak Ridge residents with no-cost energy upgrades, such as new HVAC units and water heaters. [Read more…]

Last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge, mayor says; read presentation here

Posted at
By 3 Comments

warren-gooch-2016

Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This is a lightly edited version of a presentation that Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave to the East Tennessee Economic Council on Friday, September 9.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this morning as I begin my 22nd month as mayor and to share my thoughts about the positive direction of our city, and why that is important to you and your companies. First, I want to thank you for supporting Oak Ridge and investing your time and your money here.

My family and I have lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years. But my law firm, Kramer Rayson, has been involved in one way or another with Oak Ridge from its earliest days when our founding partner, Russell Kramer, received a call from an old friend in Washington. (Gooch tells a story about a telephone call with President Roosevelt.)

By any standard, the last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge and have increased the excitement that is being expressed about the momentum of our city.

First, demolition has accelerated at the old mall as construction for Main Street Oak Ridge ushers in a new and exciting era for our community. The tax increment financing (TIF) loan for Main Street had closed, and so has the loan for the new Marriott hotel that is being built. The importance of Main Street Oak Ridge to the image and self-confidence of our city and the economic vitality of Oak Ridge, Anderson, and Roane counties cannot be overstated. The success of Main Street and the continued redevelopment of our center city’s retail, residential, and commercial properties is my number one priority. We must work hard to maintain this momentum and take full advantage of it in the coming months. If we are successful, it will help you recruit the new workers you require for your businesses.

Second, LeMond Composites announced its licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and that the company is coming to Oak Ridge to manufacture innovative, high-volume, low-cost, carbon fiber in the Horizon Center Industrial Park.

Third, the National Park Service named Kris Kirby as the superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

Free energy efficiency program has two workshops (one on Thursday), one public meeting

Posted at
By 1 Comment

The program that provides free energy efficiency upgrades to Oak Ridge homes has two more workshops scheduled—including one on Thursday, September 8—and one public meeting.

The program is called Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2. It kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of Oak Ridge residents with no-cost energy upgrades, such as new HVAC units and water heaters, a press release said.

It’s funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“My home is so refreshing now with my new HVAC unit, and I can’t wait to try out the heat in a few months!” said one Oak Ridge resident, Linda Connolly, reacting to recent MORE2 upgrades to her home. [Read more…]

Learn about MORE2, free energy-efficiency upgrades, in meetings tonight, Wednesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MORE2 Home Improvements Quilliams Heat Pump July 20 2016

Brittany Quilliams of Oak Ridge stands next to a new heat pump installed as part of the Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient program, which is funded by a $2.9 million Tennessee Valley Authority grant announced in September 2015. Quilliams’ home on Bunker Lane is one of the first three improved in Oak Ridge, and she shared her story with media and officials on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient is hosting public education meetings tonight and Wednesday for residents to learn about the program, which is also known as MORE2, and ways they might lower their energy use.

MORE2, funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of lower-income Oak Ridge residents with free energy-efficient upgrades, such as HVAC and water heating units, a press release said.

“In addition to retrofitting homes, MORE2 is working to empower people in the Oak Ridge community with energy efficiency education, ultimately leading to lower electric bills and a healthier environment,” the press release said. “Qualified homes must be at least 20 years old and have electric heat.” [Read more…]