What Is This?
ANC is launching a new Energy Preservation Initiative, with a focus on making homes healthier and more energy efficient. We’re also studying energy use and community response in a pilot Study District on Shepard, Leslie and Regent Streets, between Michigan Avenue and I-496.
Throughout the Eastside, we’re linking homeowners with local community resources to restore and improve their homes to a higher level of efficiency, safety, and beauty.
What Can I Do?
You can pay less for your utilities and add value to your home through local programs that help make your home more energy efficient for low or no cost. And you can get started today:
- Schedule an energy audit.
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents.
- Install faucets and showerheads that use less water.
- Have your furnace checked.
- Seal cracks and gaps where air escapes your house.
- Install insulation in your ceilings, sidewalls, and floors to help stop heat loss.
- Choose Energy Star appliances.
Why Weatherize?
There are lots of benefits, starting with serious financial advantages:
- 25-30% average savings on heating costs.
- $300 average annual energy cost savings per household.
- 7,000 jobs supported by weatherization efforts.
- Money spent on saving energy will stay in the local economy.
- Worry less about rising energy costs.
- Decrease pollution levels.
- Reduce the need for building expensive new power plants.
How About Health?
90% of our time is spent indoors. You can get free expert advice, products, and home repairs that can make your house healthier and safer for your family:
- Reduce asthma triggers.
- Improve household safety and prevent injuries.
- Remove lead paint to prevent poisoning.
- Improve the air quality in your home.
Can I Make Repairs?
If you want to make repairs, updates, or improvements to your home, there are low to no interest loans available. You can borrow from $7,500 to $50,000 to improve your property:
- Replace your roof.
- Replace your furnace, boiler, or water heater.
- Address energy efficiency, renewable energy, and weatherization needs.
- Fix any code-related problems.
- Attach ramps and grab bars.
- Remodel or add a room to your house.
What If It’s An Emergency?
There are options if you are having difficulty paying your utility bills or facing shut-off:
- Talk to your utility provider about protection plans
- Apply for State Emergency Relief to keep your utilities from being shut off
- Talk to local community agencies about other ways to keep your utilities on
Home Weatherization
Capital Area Community Services is offering free assistance with home weatherization to qualifying neighbors. You can be a renter or home-owner, and participants save an average of $358 per year on their energy bills.
Call Allen Neighborhood Center at (517) 367-2468, and set up an appointment to learn more and fill out assessment or:
If your household’s income is less than 200% of the poverty level:
- $22,648 for a single person household
- $29,167 for a family of two
- $36,620 for a familyof three
- $44,100 for a family of four
You could get some of the following for free:
- Smoke Detectors
- Clothes Dryer Vent
- Furnace or Water Heater Testing, Repairs, or Replacements*
- Duct Sealing / Repair / Replacement
- Duct Insulation
- Attic Insulation
- Setback Thermostat
- Low Flow Showerhead
- Kneewall Insulation
- Exterior Wall Insulation
- Infiltration/Exfiltration
- Bandjoist (Boxsill) Insulation
- Floor Insulation
- Perimeter Insulation
- Refrigerator Replacement*
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(* – if determined necessary; owner occupied homes only)
If you apply for this program, you’ll need to provide proof of income for the last 90 days, your current electric and heating bill. If you’re a homeowner, you’ll need proof of homeownership; if you’re a renter, you’ll need the name, address, and phone number of your landlord, and they will have to sign an agreement. We’ll help you through the process.
So How Do I Get Started?
- Complete an eligibility assessment: For faster processing, CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE AN ASSESSMENT ONLINE, or call us at Allen Neighborhood Center, at (517) 367-2468 to complete one over the phone. We can help you learn more about any of these options and walk you through the right steps to take.
- Complete a needs assessment. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE A NEEDS ASSESSMENT ONLINE,
- Gather the documents requested in the checklist you will receive then, call us at Allen Neighborhood Center, at (517) 367-2468 to set up an appointment.