More funds available in county for weatherization

This Week's Poll
How was August in Leadville for you? Please select one:
	I stayed out of town.
	Exhausting.
	Too many people; too much trash.
	Profitable.
	I loved all the events and people in town.

This Week's Poll
Whose side are you on? Please select one:
	Augusta
	Baby Doe
	Neither
	Both

home : news : news

7/30/2009 3:39:00 PM

Email this article • Print this article

Installer Rob McKeon shows how insulation is pumped into the wall of a home in the 500 block of W. Elm Street in Leadville. Photo by Marcia Martinek

More funds available in county for weatherization

by Marcia Martinek
Herald Editor

Stimulus funds may provide weatherization assistance for more Lake County residents.

The Weatherization Assistance Program is expanding throughout Colorado as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in February.

Lake County falls under the jurisdiction of Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, a local administering agency under The Governor's Energy Office Weatherization Program. GEO divides the state into eight weatherization regions, and the NWCCOG weatherization program serves 13 counties.

Services include calking, weather-stripping, insulation, furnace tune-ups, and the installation of storm windows, new energy-efficient furnaces and refrigerators.

Old, inefficient furnaces are replaced with 92-percent- or 80-percent-efficient models. Also refrigerator usage is measured as part of the initial energy audit, and refrigerators using excessive amounts of energy are replaced with new Whirlpool Energy Star-rated refrigerators.

Many of the homes, particularly mobile homes, weatherized in this region, have pre-existing health and safety problems. In addition to reducing energy consumption and heating costs, the weatherization process corrects any health and safety problems found such as gas leaks and carbon-monoxide problems.

In the 08-09 grant year ending June 30, 2009, NWCCOG served 19 households in Lake County.

Eligible residents may apply throughout the year. There is currently an estimated waiting list of around two to four months once approved for services, so NWCCOG recommends applying as soon as possible.

The program has been broadened to include far more residents who could benefit from these services. The enhanced program includes higher federal poverty-level guidelines. Based on household size, the incomes of those served must be less than the following:

One person: $21,660

Two people: $29,140

Three people: $36,620

Four people: $44,100

Five people: $51,580

Six people: $59,060.

Those whose incomes fall below these guidelines can receive the work on their homes free.

For information or to apply for weatherization services, call NWCCOG at (800) 332-3669 or visit www.nwc.cog.co.us.

Article Comment Submission Form

Please feel free to submit your comments.

Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it.

Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.

Name:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Passcode:

This form will not send your comment unless you copy exactly the passcode seen below into the text field. This is an anti-spam device to help reduce the automated email spam coming through this form.

Please copy the passcode exactly
- it is case sensitive.

Message:

On-line publication, Copyright 2007, The Herald Democrat. All information on these pages is Copyright 2010, Arkansas Valley Publishing.
Any reproduction requires permission in writing from
Arkansas Valley Publishing, PO Box 189, Salida, Colorado 81201. (719-539-6691)
Software © 1998-2010 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved