Executive Summary:
Health and safety problems often cause barriers that prevent full weatherization from being completed in homes that could otherwise achieve significant energy savings. Common health and safety barriers include elevated CO levels or gas leaks, mold, friable asbestos, vermiculate insulation that may contain asbestos, and knob and tube wiring. The Health and Safety Barriers to Weatherization Study aimed to evaluate the scale and nature of these problems in Connecticut, assess where they are most likely to occur, determine whether data about these problems is being effectively collected and tracked, and what might be some strategies for minimizing health and safety barriers to weatherization.
Based on a review of existing studies carried out in Connecticut, interviews with key stakeholders, and a detailed qualitative and quantitative survey
administered to vendors working for EnergizeCT in United Illuminating’s service territory, the main findings of this study are …