2023 | Weather or Not? Barriers to Implementing Energy-saving Strategies for Off Campus Housing

IGC Capstone Project | Interfaces of Global Change

Weather or Not? Barriers to Implementing Energy-saving Strategies for Off Campus Housing

Student Members:

• Becca O'Brien, Fish and Wildlife Conservation
• Stephanie Duston, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
• Brendan Shea, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Faculty Mentor:

• Dr. Theo Lim,  School of Public and International Affairs

Weatherizing one’s home helps to reduce the cost of utilities and improve personal health by protecting the interior of the home from environmental elements such as moisture, wind, cold temperatures in the winter, and heat in the summer. Vulnerable groups such as low-income families and students are often faced with financial hardship and may be disproportionately affected by high energy costs to which weatherization could be a great benefit. At Virginia Tech it has been well documented through University-wide surveys that students (especially graduate students) living off campus are experiencing financial hardship. This capstone project aimed to quantify the weatherization needs of off-campus student housing and identify some of the barriers to weatherization as well as factors which could help improve access, ability, and motivation to weatherize. Working in collaboration with Virginia Tech’s Office of Sustainability, they collected data on living arrangements, energy cost expenditures, motivations to weatherize residences, and weatherization knowledge within the Virginia Tech community. Their findings will be available to inform materials that can be used for future outreach efforts in the New River Valley. 

Resources guide to weatherization services in the NRV.