The Weatherization Program is not a remodeling or rehabilitation program. The program operates with limited funding that must specifically be used to improve energy efficiency of your home.
Eligibility for weatherization services is a two-step approval process. First, your application is reviewed to make sure you qualify based on income eligibility, ownership or landlord permission, and appropriate documentation. Second, your home must qualify to determine if it can be weatherized. Although you may qualify based on income requirements, your home may not. Some examples why a home would not qualify are:
(AND MY HOUSE QUALIFIES FOR WEATHERIZATION SERVICES?)
One of our Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified energy auditors will contact you to schedule an in-home energy assessment. The energy auditor gathers and records a great deal of information on your home. They use specialized equipment such as a blower door that measures the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home and infrared cameras that can “see” through walls to assess insulation levels. They also use combustion analyzers and carbon monoxide detectors to assess the safe and efficient operation of gas heating systems and appliances. All of this information is used to develop an energy improvement work scope for your home.
A licensed HVAC technician will evaluate and clean your heating system. If needed, he will make recommendations for repair or replacement based on his assessment. As funding allows, your system may be repaired or replaced.
Next, our own trained work crews install the materials and perform the energy saving measures outlined in the work scope. This routinely takes two to three days depending on the amount of work required. Finally, we make a quality control inspection of the work that was done to make certain everything was installed per Weatherization Standards.
Most of our clients start to notice a difference in their homes almost immediately. They feel more comfortable with regards to heating and cooling. They notice those “cold” spots in their home are gone. They also notice their heating & air conditioning is not running as much as it used to, yet they feel warmer in winter and cooler summer. Then they start to see the difference in their electric bill or gas bill. Many of our clients have seen a $100 per month drop in their electric bills. Everyone may not experience such a dramatic decrease, but your home will be more energy efficient, healthy and comfortable.
A common thread through all of our services, be they Family Services, Senior Services, or Housing Services, is that we help change lives by providing needed resources and support. Coastal Community Action, Inc. provides needed services to thousands of residents in our region annually.
