Xcel Energy donating $50,000 to weatherize Colorado's San Luis Valley homes

ALAMOSA, Colo. - Dec. 6, 2016 - PRLog -- To help Colorado's San Luis Valley residents save money on their home energy bills, Xcel Energy is contributing $50,000 to fund the expansion of CARE – Colorado's Affordable Residential Energy Program – to the region.

CARE brings together energy organizations in various regions of the state to help limited-income Coloradans improve the energy efficiency of their homes for free by conducting an energy audit and installing free improvements such as air sealing, insulation, furnace/boiler replacement, refrigerator replacement and other measures. Small upgrades, such as LED light bulbs and efficient faucet heads, may be provided during the audit.

CARE works alongside the Colorado Energy Office's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to help more moderate-income Coloradans get quicker access to home weatherization services. In the San Luis Valley, which has one of the highest poverty levels in the state, WAP has a wait list of more than two years. Xcel's support to expand CARE to the Valley will enable residents to get help more quickly.

To qualify for the program, a household must be at or below 80% of the area median income. Assistance is available to both homeowners and tenants, as long as the tenant has written permission from their landlord to participate.

In the San Luis Valley, the CARE partners are Xcel Energy and nonprofits Energy Outreach Colorado (http://www.energyoutreach.org) (EOC) and the Energy Resource Center (https://www.erc-co.org/erc-in-san-luis-valley/) (ERC). EOC, which launched the CARE program in 2015, provides grant funding and processes the applications to verify household qualifications. EOC also helps low-income Coloradans across the state afford home energy through energy bill pay assistance, energy efficiency grants for affordable housing and nonprofits, energy education and public policy.

ERC manages the San Luis Valley and Denver Metro CARE program and facilitates household audits and upgrades. ERC is partially funded through the Colorado Energy Office and provides energy efficiency services for income-qualified families in 13 Colorado counties, including the San Luis Valley.

Both EOC and ERC have a strong history of providing services to improve the living conditions of limited-income families and seniors in the San Luis Valley. Lance Cheslock, Executive Director of La Puente in Alamosa, has partnered with both agencies and values what they bring to the community.

"Charlie Sanchez, Program Director with ERC, is a great community guy and his crew does not miss a detail," Cheslock said. "Even the most tedious jobs they approach with thoroughness. Being efficient is just being smart."

"With winter under way, it's great to be able to work with agencies such as ERC and EOC to give these limited-income homes access to energy efficiency and free home improvements so they can continue to pay their energy bills and stay warm throughout the winter," said Michelle Hurst, Program Manager at Xcel Energy.

According to a State of Colorado report, Colorado households saved an average of $435 per year after weatherization services were completed. The CARE program is an effective way to save families money, as well as increase the safety and comfort of the home, at no cost to the homeowner.

For more information, please contact Peggy Hofstra, marketing director at Energy Outreach Colorado, at 303-226-5053 or phofstra@energyoutreach.org, or visit http://www.energyoutreach.org/get-help/care.