Weatherization funds available until May 1
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 27, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Lionel Graham, WAGES weatherization coordinator, installs a blower door to depressurize a home to detect air leaks and to seal them to make the house more energy efficient. The WAGES Weatherization program is free to those who meet the income requirements.
WAGES is offering eligible residents in Wayne County the chance to weatherize their homes before funding runs out June 30.
"We typically have two areas of funding -- one is for weatherization and HARRP, or Heating and Air Conditioning Repair and Replacement Program," said Executive Director Marlee Ray. "What we have funding available for right now is in the weatherization assistance program.
"We spend our HARRP money for people who don't have functioning heat and then we go in and do the weatherization."
The HARRP funds for the year are gone, she said, but there is still some in the coffers for the weatherization, which she would like to see used.
"We do mobile homes and we do traditional homes. We do homes for rental properties, but of course with that we have to have permission from the landlord," she said. "The renter is the one who meets the eligibility requirement."
The one stipulation, in addition to income eligibility, is that the resident have a functioning heating system, Ms. Ray said.
"What we can do is go into the home and we do an energy audit to determine what measures would most significantly reduce the energy burdens for the home," she explained.
Trained technicians perform such services as repairs to heating and cooling systems, sealing air leaks and installing insulation and duct work.
"They also do safety measures, things like carbon monoxide testing, smoke alarms, bath fans, kitchen fans and range fans," she said.
Interested residents are encouraged to contact WAGES with any questions about eligibility or the application process.
While it only takes two or three days to do the actual work, there is a time constraint on using funds before the fiscal year ends.
"They need to contact us by May 1," Ms. Ray said. "We do have to do the work by June 30.
"We will have new funding for next year. I don't want to discourage anybody who doesn't get it in by then but for this year's funding that would be the deadline."
For more information, she advises calling Alexis Stamper at 919-734-1178, ext. 240.
"If they'll call that number, we'll also give the basic things over the telephone to let them know if it's a value for them to pursue it and then send them the paperwork. Or a lot of people, we will either mail it to them and they can fill it out or they can make an appointment and we'll assist them in completing it."
The service is provided for residents in Wayne, Lenoir, Greene and Wilson counties and in addition to Wayne County, there are still some openings for applicants in Lenoir County, Ms. Ray said.
"We're out there right now working just as hard as we can," she said. "We're sort of at the end of the year. We have completed our year from all those counties.
"People can go and apply now for July. We can actually take applications from all four of those counties (for next year)."