By John Steinbach
You’ve got it…to pay utility bills and save energy
Low-income or fixed-income households needn’t be left out in the cold when it comes to paying utility bills and making their homes more energy efficient. Help is available. And one of the leading organizations
offering such help in our area is CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana).
According to Joe Conrad, CANI’s executive director, “We help people with energy needs in two ways. First, we use state and federal money to help people pay bills so they can keep their energy account open. That’s an important service, and there are plenty of other organizations that help people with limited means make payments.
“The other way we help is to make people’s homes more efficient. We seal up the home with some caulking and new insulation. And we help with the purchase of more efficient appliances. This program saves money year after year and also helps the environment, because less energy is used, meaning less pollution.”
In 2006, CANI helped 170 families live in safer, more energy-efficient homes. The organization’s website, canihelp.org, describes its Weatherization Program like this:
CANI’s Weatherization Program provides free, energy-efficient improvements for the homes of low-income families. Improvements may include insulating attics, walls and mobile home bellies. CANI also fixes heating systems, such as repairing poorly installed equipment or leaking heating ducts, and can repair some furnaces.
The Weatherization Program improves about 200 homes each year in northeast Indiana. The program operates in Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties.
The process starts with a thorough home analysis by CANI’s trained, certified Weatherization inspectors. The inspectors determine what work needs to be done based on program guidelines and house conditions. Licensed contractors complete the work. They are selected annually through an open bid process. Inspectors then check the work to make sure it meets federal and state standards.
CANI’s Weatherization inspectors also install smoke detectors and test for carbon monoxide leaks. Inspectors will teach families ways to reduce energy costs and have healthier homes. To be eligible for the free Weatherization services, a family must be at or below 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Most families are referred from the Energy Assistance Program. There may be a waiting list. Owner-occupied and rental units are eligible.
While helping with energy bills and increasing energy efficiency are both extremely important services provided by CANI and others, efficiency is clearly the greener and more intelligent choice.
“How we use funds is in accordance with government guidelines,” Joe Conrad says. “We would love to use more for efficiency, which would give people the ability to save more fuel every year. And we’re starting to see a trend in that direction.”
CANI’s two programs reflect a choice every homeowner has — a choice that becomes more difficult the lower that homeowner’s income: Do you try to come up with more money every month to cover increasing energy costs? Or do you make the investment to save energy and money each month? That’s where a rebate program, such as those offered by the state of New Jersey and by utilities like REMC are especially helpful. These programs support energy sustainability — sound practices for national security and the environment.
If you or someone you know could use a little help from CANI, please call the organization’s main office for an appointment: 260.423.3546 or 800.589.2264.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 March 2008 14:41 )
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