Weatherization For All Oregon Homes
Posted on October 2, 2013 by Stephanie Levine
Tags, Consumers and Utility Customers
With the rain arriving here in the Portland, and memories of sunshine already fading fast, it seems like the right time to start thinking about home weatherization options for the upcoming winter months. For many low-income households, the additional expense of heating a home throughout the colder months is an unmanageable financial burden. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, is a federally funded program that is administered by the state to assist eligible families with their home heating costs.
Funding for the program has been decreasing in recent years. From 2011 to 2012, funding for Oregon dropped about 18 percent (about $8 million) and that meant about the same reduction in houses being weatherized. The 2013 budget was lower than 2012 and the 2014 budget number is still far from settled but will likely not see an increase. In short, badly needed LIHEAP funds aren’t coming.
In light of these challenges, investing in adequate home weatherization for low-income households becomes all the more important. The state of Oregon has a variety of programs, funded by ratepayers, state tax dollars or private donations that are available to assist residents make weatherization improvements that help to heat—and cool - homes more efficiently, effectively reducing home energy costs. Resources include:
• Energy Conservation Helping Oregonians (ECHO): The Community Action Partnership of Oregon (CAPO), a non-profit association made up of individual that serves county specific Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that provide a range of services, including energy programs in each county. The energy programs involve both the federal LIHEAP and the ratepayer-funded ECHO programs. Through these programs, the county agencies have resources available to help low-income households make weatherization upgrades. Consult this list of community action agencies to find the agency in your area that can assist you with weatherization services upgrades.
• In-Home Weatherization and DIY Weatherization: The Community Energy Project: The (CEP) is a non-profit organization that provides free weatherization workshops to the community (as well as information on lead poisoning prevention and water conservation) and provides in-home weatherization services for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. They are a great resource if you would like to set up a workshop for your neighborhood group. They also offer free weatherization materials for income-eligible participants.
• State Home Oil Weatherization Program: SHOW assists Oregon households that are heated by oil, kerosene, butane, or wood. Income-eligible households can conduct their own energy audit and apply for cash rebates to assist in upgrades that include insulation, weatherstripping, programmable thermostats, windows, and more efficient furnaces, oil burners or oil tanks.
Getting energy efficiency savings through home weatherization is very important, especially for households who are making heat or eat decisions. Help get the word out about these very important programs to make sure that all Oregonians can have warm homes and affordable energy bills.
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04/04/17 | 0 Comments | Weatherization For All Oregon Homes