Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2009

Seniors get energy audits

If your refrigerator is avocado, gold or a similar vintage color, it's likely an energy hog.

That's the word from Delores McCoy, weatherization coordinator for Resources for Seniors, the nonprofit agency that is performing energy audits of hundreds of Wake County homes. The goal is to see if they need help from the new federal weatherization program.

The good news for people with outdated appliances is that a new refrigerator may be in the future of people who meet income standards and have had already had higher-priority needs met.

"It's not a given, even if it's avocado," said McCoy, who's worked in the weatherization field for 27 years.

The nonprofit Resources for Seniors agency will be overseeing weatherization for hundreds of homes in Wake County during the next three years. That's roughly twice the numbers that are funded now.

"We like this flow, and we would just like to keep it going," said Gerry Massey, weatherization assistant for community awareness at Resources for Seniors.

Last week, the Rev. Clyde Walton received a visit from McCoy, who checked out the home he's owned for 36 years. He learned that he qualifies for help in reducing an energy bill that can reach $200 monthly.

"They're going to put in some insulation in the attic," Walton said.

The average homeowner saves more than $400 a year, according to program literature.

"They're really happy once we do the work and they see the difference in their electric bill," McCoy said.

The weatherization program takes care not to install items that can be damaged by other problems in homes. In Walton's case, that means he has to get a leak in his roof taken care of before the insulation goes in.

"I referred him to the city of Raleigh" for home renovation help, McCoy said. "We cannot put insulation in a leaky roof."

The rapid pace of weatherization projects has some observers concerned that program managers will have too little time to verify clients' eligibility and make sure installers do high-level work. However, Massey says the agency's background in similar projects will serve it well.

"This program has already run so efficiently for so many years," she said. "We already have a standard that we are not going to deviate from because of this.

"We are not going to compromise the quality of the work we do."

The qualifying guidelines are strictly vetted, with all income verified for the past 12 months, Massey said. The overall numbers will be larger, and that means hiring more staff.

"We try to do 10 audits a week, but we don't know what the house is like until we get there," McCoy said. "We're going to have to hire two more crews."