WARM Training Center

Everyone can be a part of the solution to the energy crisis. Energy education is a WARM specialty. In a time of rising fuel costs, WARM shows people how to be more comfortable while saving on their utility bills. Unpaid utility bills can lead to shutoffs and shutoffs can lead to many problems, including homelessness. WARM's strategy is to educate the resident as well as promote the creation of more energy efficient housing.

WARM reaches three thousand people a year through energy workshops and home energy education visits. This resident education has been funded through a variety of sources, including a state low income energy efficiency fund and the Michigan Department of Human Services. These visits provide the customer with hands on ways of immediately saving on their utility bills. As part of the service, customers typically receive energy saving materials such as plastic storm window kits, door sweeps and energy efficient lights.
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Green Building

WARM is a State of Michigan designated Energy Demonstration Center. At its offices are exhibits and information on a wide range of topics including:
> Proper insulation
> Energy and water efficient appliances
> Cutting edge "green" products
> Solar and wind equipment
> and more....

The center is available for school and neighborhood group tours, presentations and workshops. WARM also brings traveling exhbits and presentations to communities throughout the Metro Detroit area.

WARM's website provides a variety of educational material and connections to other important resources. The online Metro Detroit Green Building Resource Directory provides information on:
> local distributors of green products
> local professionals
> green building strategies

In 2002, WARM developed the Michigan Build! standards for home construction, which combine ENERGY STAR efficiency measures with healthy air controls. Originally started as a statewide program to make affordable housing truly affordable with energy efficiency, the Michigan Build! ENERGY STAR Homes program is working with commercial builders as well to create and verify improved energy efficient housing in Michigan.

In addition to workshops and online resources for a variety of green building topics, WARM provides individual consultations on:
> availability and cost of energy efficient and environmentally-friendly products
> no-cost and low-cost practices to save energy; and
> healthy house issues.
WARM also provides energy and sustainability audits for new and existing buildings.
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Contruction Management Services

WARM does a wide variety of Construction management services for non-profit housing developers. In some cases a group without its own housing manager contracts with WARM to provide the needed skills in these areas. In other cases a group handles most of its construction management needs but uses WARM for specific tasks such as writing specifications or verifying payment requests once the project is underway.

Services Include:

Rough cost estimates
Detailed work specifications
Creating bid documents
Help in contractor selection
Ongoing oversight of work in progress
Evaluating change requests/approving draws
Written progress reports/approving draws
Ensuring proper documentation is in place: permits, certificates, etc.

This is a cost effective way for groups to have access to the skills they need to ensure a project succeeds without having to hire their own construction specialist for what could be a temporary and/or part-time basis.
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Home Repair Workshops

WARM has been conducting home repair workshops since 1990. Homeowners, especially first time homeowners, need minor home repair and maintenance skills. WARM offers such classes year round. Classes are held in various neighborhoods around the city to ease participants' transportation problems. WARM teams up with a local neighborhood group, library or recreation center to offer the classes at no charge to participants. WARM's instructors try to build in as much hands-on learning as possible. If you attend the drywall class, come ready to get your hands dirty! Home repair topics include:

Understanding how your house is built and works
Basic carpentry
Basic electrical repair
Basic plumbing repair
Painting and drywall repair
Saving money by saving energy
Outdoor maintenance and landscaping
Green building and healthy homes

Home Buyer's Training
In addition to its home repair series, WARM has conducted workshops as part of a home buyer's training curriculum. These classes focus on making the potential homeowner more aware of the kinds of ongoing maintenance that is involved in owning a home.
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Housing Inspections

One of the ways WARM serves its mission of promoting affordable, sustainable communities is by conducting housing inspections on developments that include affordable housing units. WARM is a multifamily housing inspector for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) in Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw counties. WARM has also done Section 8 inspections and Housing Quality Standard (HQS) inspections for other cities and agencies.
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Conferences

Financial Institutions' Community Development Conferences

WARM coordinates these events every Fall, working with a committee comprised of Detroit's major lenders along with representatives of the City and community based development groups.

The Conference has become an excellent opportunity for lenders and City officials to meet and exchange ideas with many who work in the non-profit community development sector of the City.

Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit conference