DEPARTMENT: Department of Planning & Community Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Bridgett White, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: District 1 and District 2
SUBJECT:
Update on the Under 1 Roof Program to provide results of roof replacement pilot program in District 1.
SUMMARY:
The goal of the Under 1 Roof Program is to replace failing roofs for disadvantaged homeowners with an energy-efficient light colored roof to address home maintenance issues, improve energy efficiency and reduce utility bills, and demonstrate benefits of light colored roofs to builders and residents.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Under 1 Roof Program is a needs-based grant program started in FY2016 for homeowners in Council District 1. As part of the FY2016 Pilot Program, an analysis was conducted to determine which neighborhoods to target. The areas selected and approved by the Council District 1 Office were Central Los Angeles Heights, Northmoor, and Edison neighborhoods based on the number of owner-occupied homes having an appraised value under $68,000 and one or more appraisal district exemptions, such as the homestead and disabled veteran exemptions. In addition, to the geographic eligibility criteria, program applicants also meet one or more of the following conditions: 1) Over 65 years old; 2) Military Veteran; 3) At or below 80% of area median income; and/or 4) Disabled. The FY2017 Program, which was allocated $400,000 in General Funds, will continue to target homeowners in these three areas of Council District 1 to complete a projected 25 roofs. The FY2017 Program also includes an allocation of $100,000 for the completion of six roofs in Council District 2 with Denver Heights as the selected neighborhood.
ISSUE:
This is a briefing and will provide an overview of the program’s progress and results. The Program’s focus is to replace worn and damaged roofs and install a light colored shingle along with a radiant barrier underlayment to obtain a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of .65. SRI measures the constructed surface’s ability to stay cool in the sun by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. The installation of light colored roofs was provided at no cost to the homeowner. The Program offered the following benefits: maintains home’s structure and stability, improves indoor comfort, and reduces overall attic temperature, decreases roof maintenance and yields potential energy savings for the homeowner.
The City’s Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) is contracting with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to conduct the monitoring and evaluations of the light colored roofs. The impact of new light colored roofs will be monitored for a one-year period to test the benefits of this technology. UTSA will conduct pre and post onsite visits to each home and confirm eligibility of each home. UTSA staff will also document existing conditions of each home, obtain twelve-month utility data for pre and post retrofit (electricity and natural gas) from CPS Energy. The attic and roof temperature also will be collected pre and post retrofit for each home through the installation of a temperature logger monitor by UTSA. UTSA has installed data loggers in 27 out of 28 homes completed. These 27 homes comprise the 11 homes completed as part of the FY2016 Program and 16 homes completed to date as part of the FY2017 Program.
The roof repair and replacement work for the eight homes began on November 16, 2016 and was completed by on December 22, 2016. Construction resumed for the second quarter on January 4, 2017 and 9 additional homes were completed, resulting in a total of 17 homes completed to date. The City utilized a private sector construction contractor to repair and install the new roofs. DPCD staff is working to qualify 8 additional homeowners and anticipates all 25 roofs to be completed no later than the third quarter of FY2017.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this briefing.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a briefing for informational purposes only.