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Erik Thielking moved from Queens to Croton about two and a half years ago. The Theilkings moved into a house built around 1900. Like many of the houses in Croton there was little to no insulation in the house.
In the winter, the house was very uncomfortable, Theilkings said. The only insulation we had was in the addition. When Eriks brother, Mark, convinced him to attend a conference surrounding energizing your home, Erik realized he could finance an energy assessment and upgrade his home for almost no cost to himself due to funds made available by the stimulus package, also known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
After having a contractor assess their home, the Theilkings chose to have a foam insulation sprayed throughout their home, which is estimated to help them save up to 400 gallons of oil per year. Although the Thielkings bought the house already outfitted with solar panels, the real savings came after the foam insulation.
Most people think insulation is the solution, said Crotons Mayor Leo Wiegman. He continued that the program is trying to help people look at their homes as a system. What would seem like mundane changes throughout the home, having outlets, windows, doors and walls tested for leaks, can change the energy savings inside a house dramatically, he said.
Wiegman is a founding member of the Energize Bedford program, which is a consortium of 14 different municipalities that will roll out their own energy programs toward the end of this summer, all with the hopes of informing people how to energize their homes. The financing of energy upgrades is made available through government held low interest unsecured loans, which are only approved if the estimated savings is more than the total cost of improvements. In other words, homeowners invest in their homes, but their monthly bills stay the same.
According to Wiegman, contractors are generally less busy in the summer, and busier in the winter, after people receive their first energy bill of the season. Thus the availability of certified contractors is much greater in the summer. The availability of funds for energizing your home right now, Wiegman added, is like drinking from a fire hose, for many middle class residents.
For more information on Energize Bedford visit their website here.
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