Renew Rocktown helps promote free energy audits provided by HEC and other contractors for homes in Harrisonburg. A home energy audit, or assessment, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and evaluates what measures you can take to make it more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. Get your free energy audit from HEC here.
By connecting people with HEC services, 65 home energy audits were conducted in 2016. In order to pass down this knowledge, Gaines Group Architects trained 200 middle school and high school students to understand energy audits.
Home Weatherization
This is the act of protecting your home or building from natural elements – particularly sun light, precipitation and wind – and modifying it to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency. Community Housing Partners (CHP) offers free weatherization to those who income qualify. See if you are qualified here.
Our Current Project:
“Climate Justice Outreach and Engagement Project”
Thanks to grants from Clean Virginia, in 2025 we continue to work with Community Housing Partners, Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, Shenandoah Valley Faith and Climate, and Sierra Club/Shenandoah Group to inform community members about what energy efficiency and weatherization services are available to them. We are doing this through a collaboration with local social service organizations.
This project will —
- Address “energy burden in Virginia.
- Work toward a fairer energy system.
- Target communities in need of services to reduce their energy bills.
- Build a strong foundation for area non-profits serving disadvantaged communities to deploy additional ways to collaborate and help each other serve their clients, particularly around essential needs.
Going forward, we believe such needs will likely include energy-related ones but could extend to others.
For example, water quality; housing; quality of life in the neighborhood issues such as tree canopies for reducing heat islands, cleaner air for better health, improved transportation and childcare options, and amenities like sidewalks, playgrounds, and community gardens.
A cumulative outcome would be overall greater resilience.
This project is locally conceived and implemented. We and our partners want to favorably extend the positive impacts of more energy efficient, weatherized homes into communities that could greatly benefit from CHP services, as well as current and upcoming federal, state, and local programs and funding.
Our partnerships include non-profit organizations based in Virginia with service and advocacy missions related to intersectional relationships to clean energy, climate change, energy burden, civic engagement, and environmental, social and economic justice.
Stay tuned for more information about this exciting collaboration!