San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has installed sound insulation in 5,000 Californian homes through its Quieter Home Program (QHP).
The QHP applies to certain residences around San Diego International Airport (SAN) in California, deemed eligible by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These homes may receive retrofitted exterior doors and windows, a ventilation system and other items such as weather stripping and caulking around openings, noticeably reducing noise levels by at least 5dB inside the home. Since its inception, the QHP has retrofitted 5,000 single-family and multi-family residences immediately east and west of the airport, including the neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, South Park and Golden Hill.
In September 2021, the Airport Authority received two airport safety and infrastructure grants through the FAA for noise mitigation measures totaling US$25.9m. The funding is being used to sound-insulate approximately 400 to 500 homes per year, depending on the size of the homes. The QHP recently expanded to sound-insulating non-residential facilities, so a portion of the grants will treat two church and preschool facilities in the areas most affected by aircraft noise. It is estimated that once this program component is fully initiated, one non-residential noise-sensitive property will be able to be sound-insulated per year.
Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, said, “Reaching this milestone is a tremendous accomplishment for our community, the Quieter Home Program team and its contractors. Through grants provided by the FAA, our Quieter Home Program has made significant progress in reducing the impacts of aircraft noise in the communities most impacted. I would like to congratulate the QHP team on reaching 5,000 completed homes.”