Why Is Weatherization Day Important to Me?
My name is Ray Judy and I am currently the WAP Program Chair for NASCSP. I started my career in the Weatherization Assistance Program as a “Material Installer” [shell technician, insulation guy, crew person, etc.] for a WAP sub-grantee in Southern Indiana. When I took the job, I did not have any far-reaching goals. I was young, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I needed a job. That was almost 28 years ago!
Fellow “old timers” of the WAP will appreciate what 28 years in this program means. It means we have witnessed, lived through, and participated in monumental change and advancement. Imagine with me, if you will, having a goal of attaining energy savings on a home. How would you go about attaining that goal? Imagine trying to reach that goal 28 years ago. Imagine obtaining real energy savings without:
- a blower door
- an infrared camera
- utility billing data
- knowing how to dense-pack wall cavities and roof slopes
- a digital gauge
- understanding attic air sealing
- pressure diagnostics
- spray foam
- high efficiency furnaces
Are you still up for the challenge?
My how times and technology have changed the WAP! The accomplishments of the WAP over the years have been and continue to be impressive. The ability to enter the roughest of the roughest housing stock and emerge with energy savings for the occupants is simply amazing. To accomplish the savings that the WAP does with the resources available is even more amazing. The fact that we accomplish those savings while leaving the home a safer place to live is simply phenomenal!
So I guess I should finally get around to answering the question posed in the title of this article. Why is Weatherization Day important to me?
It is important because it reminds me of why we do what we do. The WAP has a way of getting into your blood. It starts out as a challenge – a challenge to enter a home and figure out what is broken in the “system” and then fix it. It is a challenge to enter an energy hog of home and kick the waste to the curb. Ultimately – it is a challenge to enter the home of others and impact their lives to be in a better place when we leave than when we arrived. That is why Weatherization Day is so important to me. It is a reminder that every day I come to work, in at least some small way, I play a part in impacting the lives of others! What an incredible blessing – and you thought all we are doing is saving energy!
I close with what I think is a simple request. On October 30th, wherever you find yourself, take a few minutes and reflect upon your involvement in the WAP. Take some time to reflect upon your journey and what the WAP means to you. Take some time to share how your efforts in the WAP impact the lives of others every day!
Happy Weatherization Day!
