ROGERS — The leader of an agency that oversees a statewide weatherization assistance program hopes a change in supervision for this area means a shorter waiting list for help.
Scott Hamilton, director of the Arkansas Energy Office, said oversight of the federally funded program is a good fit for his office because it can share the latest energy trends with installation contractors. The Weatherization Assistance Program was under the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
By The Numbers
Qualifying Income
The Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council can provide weatherization assistance to low-income families in Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Madison, Sebastian and Washington counties. Weatherization improvements can be installed for free for families who meet the income guidelines.
• $22,980 for an individual
• $31,020, a family of two
• $39,060, family of three
• $47,100, family of four
• $55,140, family of five
• $63,180, family of six
• $71,220, family of seven
• $79,260, family of eight
Source: Staff Report
The Northwest Arkansas program ran out of money in December 2012, said Debbie Biggs, weatherization director for the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council. Administration for the program in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties moved from the Office of Human Concern in Rogers to the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council in Fort Smith in July.
The Rogers office is keeping a referral list for the Fort Smith agency.
Jeff Griger, a Rogers resident, said he didn’t notice the change in the agency, but he is happy to see improvements on his home after two years on the program’s waiting list. The program assists low-income families with home improvements to lower their energy costs.
AT A GLANCE
Questions?
For more information on the weatherization program:
Contact the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council at 479-785-2303, or write P.O. Box 4069, Fort Smith, AR 72914.
Source: Staff Report
Web Watch
Saving Energy
For more information on how to save energy at home visit the Arkansas Energy Office online at www.arkansasenergy.org.
Contractors blew 12 inches of insulation into Griger’s attic Wednesday. They caulked around the windows, installed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replaced every light bulb with curly, new, compact fluorescent bulbs. Griger said he is pleased with the work and how the contractors explained the process.
Every weatherization visit starts with a series of tests, including a blower test where the house is sealed and air is blown through the house to identify spots where air conditioning leaks out and heat leaks in, Hamilton said.
“There are things you can’t see with your eyes,” Hamilton said.
He anticipates a reduction in waiting lists because six agencies will oversee this year’s program instead of 15 last year.
Funding levels have changed in the past several years, Hamilton said. There was an influx of money after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but that has ended.
Plans call for improvements on 113 homes in Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Madison, Sebastian and Washington counties this year with a budget of $938,061. The same counties last year had $210,305 to spend on 32 units, according to plans provided by the Arkansas Energy Office.
Because winter weather is more severe further north, her office is focused on finishing jobs in Northwest Arkansas right now, Biggs said. There are three projects under way in Benton County, two in Carroll and two in Washington County. Biggs plans to finish three projects in each county this month.
The office may be in Fort Smith, but it just takes a phone call to find them, Biggs said.
A year to two-year wait is average, depending on funding for the program, she said.
The help was worth the wait, Griger said. A fixed income means he and his wife could not make the changes themselves.
“We knew we had problems. We just did not have the money to deal with it,” he said.
There are others who probably need the program even more, he said, but a lower electrical bill will stretch a tight budget. If there are savings, Griger has a simple plan to celebrate. It won’t be fancy, but it’s something he hasn’t done in two years.
“I’d like to take my wife out to dinner,” he said.