More Anoka County homeowners get weatherization aid

Doris Montury is hoping for some good news in her Energy Bills Yet to Come.

Montury is one of 157 residents in the pipeline to receive weatherization assistance from the Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP). Thanks to $1.6 million in federal stimulus money, the program will be available to nearly 300 more. In addition, workers will be able to look more closely at more clients' energy use than they've been able to in the past, and to find more solutions to bring clients' utility costs down.

Anoka County's allocation is part of $131 million in stimulus weatherization aid being parceled out across the state.

ACCAP, tapped by the state to deliver weatherization services in Anoka County, began this round of work July 1; between the stimulus allocation and the usual U.S. Department of Energy funds, the agency's goal is to weatherize 450 qualifying families' homes by next fall. The federal money means ACCAP can more than triple its client load, and it raises the average allocation per home from $3,000 to $6,500. And because of the increased funds and workload, ACCAP has added 16 full-time auditor and staff positions, and 15 part-time contractor positions.

Montury is due for some good news. The 83-year-old Coon Rapids resident lost her husband to a stroke in January; she found herself with thousands of dollars in medical bills and without his Social Security and pension income. She's trying to work with her mortgage company just to keep her home.

So the revelation that the new furnace, some insulation in the attic, a new bathroom fan and some weatherstripping installed in her 1988 home is likely to cut her monthly heating budget plan from about $150 to less than $80 was very welcome.

"I'm just so blessed," she said. "I felt so thankful to the energy people for what they did for me. It was just awesome."

"Before they have the work they're turning to us saying they don't know where else to turn," said Donna Mattson, ACCAP's housing services director. "They're having trouble with their bills; this allows them to put more money toward other bills. Their furnace is dying or has gone, and they're just in a panic."

Sometimes, workers are able to solve problems that had caused a real hazard. In one mobile home, the furnace had been out for a year, but the client had sky-high gas bills because she was paying to run a leaking hot-water heater. She also had been heating the entire place using space heaters.

Independent residential energy auditor Brian Foust says the infusion of stimulus money has been kind of a mixed blessing; yes, more clients can get help, but the byproduct is a lot more paperwork and politics. Still, he said he gets a kick out of helping folks who really need it.

Client education is a big part his job. Foust meets with homeowners to determine how to best spend the public's money. Sometimes, folks need to be reminded to turn down their thermostats, or to replace their furnace filters.

"We try to get them convinced to change one thing, maybe take better care of their furnace, or clean their refrigerator coils, or go out and buy compact fluorescent light bulbs," he said. "Does it work every time? No, but we try. ... The best thing is to look them in the eye and say its time to take care of things."