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Grant can help poor with utility bills

Betty Riley had her home weatherized a few years ago and she said it cut her utility bills in half. Riley stands next to her new hot water heater, replaced in the process, which is wrapped in insulation for efficiency.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Betty Riley had her home weatherized a few years ago and she said it cut her utility bills in half. Riley stands next to her new hot water heater, replaced in the process, which is wrapped in insulation for efficiency.

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By Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writer Updated 4:51 PM Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Betty Riley was drowning in bills and getting repeated utility shut off notices before her home was weatherized in 2005.

“My utility bills decreased by half,’’ said Riley, 59, of Hamilton. “My bills were $300-something. The next month they were $156.’’

Riley applied for weatherization assistance through Supports to Encourage Low-income Families, a local nonprofit agency that recently collaborated with Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area to help residents save money on utility bills.

The anti-poverty agency received $18 million in federal stimulus funds this summer and reached out to SELF in hopes of expanding the number of households eligible for weatherization to 2,000.

The program funds allow the agency to provide about $6,500 worth of repairs at no cost to homeowners and renters who meet certain income requirements.

The funds have also allowed the agency to add more employees and increase the number of households eligible for the weatherization program in the five counties it serves, including Butler and Preble counties.

SELF officials say they hope to serve 1,500 residents and urged anyone who thinks they qualify for the program to apply.

“Weatherization is one of the many ways we can help families save hundreds of dollars,’’ said SELF Director Jeffrey Diver.

The nonprofit agency also offers residents Ohio’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which offers emergency relief from heating bills.

Diver and HEAP Coordinator Athena Maley said offering both HEAP and weatherization will provide a one-stop shop for area residents struggling with utility bills.

Maley said the weatherization program will access a resident’s home energy efficiency and replace heaters, wrap pipes, fix damaged doors and windows and install insulation where needed.

John Bennett, a spokesman for the Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area, said the program saves homeowners money.

“It can cut bills by 30 percent, which works out to be several hundred dollars a year.’’

To qualify, homeowners must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. That means a family of four can earn $44,000 a year.

More information

To learn about the weatherization program or HEAP, call Supports to Encourage Low-income Families, which serves residents throughout Butler County, at (513) 868-9300.

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