• $1.6 million in Recovery Act funding for Crawford-Sebastian action agency
• 233 additional homes to be weatherized with Recovery Act funding
• Agency tripled number of contractors doing weatherization work
"If they hadn’t shown up in the nick of time, I would have been in the hospital or found dead," says Loren Bledsoe, a 70-year-old retiree living on a fixed income and recipient of weatherization work done by his local community action agency.
Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council (C-SCDC), based in Fort Smith, Ark., provides two counties with weatherization services, helping low-income families save money on their energy bills. But the community action agency is also in the business of saving lives because of mandatory health and safety inspections that take place during the process. The agency recently discovered a string of homes leaking carbon monoxide, a deadly gas.
With additional funding, the agency can continue to save more lives than ever before.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allowed the agency to expand its services to more of Arkansas than ever, helping residents and even providing a boost to the local economy.
Through the Recovery Act, the agency has hired three energy auditors, two office assistants and a materials handler. Additionally, it has gone from working with one contractor that weatherizes homes to three, all of which have had to add crews to keep up with the work of weatherizing 233 additional homes. According to the C-SCDC, clients are seeing a 30-to-50-percent decrease in energy costs, but many are seeing other benefits as well.
Catching a killer
Last winter, C-SCDC saw several homes with dangerous levels of carbon monoxide leaking from heating systems in recipients’ homes.
"We had a chain - one right after another," says Debbie Biggs, weatherization director. "One had carbon monoxide levels so high we told the man to shut down everything and get out until we could get there to fix the problem."
In most cases, the agency is able to get to the root of the problem, install a solution and provide the homeowner with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in a matter of days.
"When you have levels as high as we’ve seen, it’s a wonder that some folks weren’t dead. They call carbon monoxide a silent killer, and it really is," Biggs says. "Every client we helped in regard to carbon monoxide problems had a story to tell about how they had been sick or how their eyes were always burning. Within a week of their units being replaced, they were fine and couldn’t believe it."
In Bledsoe’s case, he says he’d noticed himself gradually becoming more lethargic and sleeping excessively. But his doctor couldn’t figure out why.
As it turns out, the problem was with a cracked heating unit that was leaking increasingly dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Additionally, the gas-powered hot water heater had been vented into Bledsoe’s attic but not the rest of the way out of the house.
"Within 48 hours from them putting a new unit in, I felt considerably better," he says. "I think the weatherization program saved my life."
In addition to fixing carbon monoxide problems and installing detectors, Bledsoe says the weatherization team that came to his home also helped by replacing windows and blowing in additional insulation, making for an overall more comfortable living experience and saving him almost half on his energy bills. He’s happy with the local impact as well.
"I think it helped our local economy, too," he says. "The windows were made by Harry G. Barr Company here in Fort Smith. Other products came from Rheem Manufacturing. And there were local people doing the work. So it not only helped me reduce energy consumption and saved my life, but I think it helped a lot of other people as well."
• 233 additional homes to be weatherized with Recovery Act funding
• Agency tripled number of contractors doing weatherization work
"If they hadn’t shown up in the nick of time, I would have been in the hospital or found dead," says Loren Bledsoe, a 70-year-old retiree living on a fixed income and recipient of weatherization work done by his local community action agency.
Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council (C-SCDC), based in Fort Smith, Ark., provides two counties with weatherization services, helping low-income families save money on their energy bills. But the community action agency is also in the business of saving lives because of mandatory health and safety inspections that take place during the process. The agency recently discovered a string of homes leaking carbon monoxide, a deadly gas.
With additional funding, the agency can continue to save more lives than ever before.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allowed the agency to expand its services to more of Arkansas than ever, helping residents and even providing a boost to the local economy.
Through the Recovery Act, the agency has hired three energy auditors, two office assistants and a materials handler. Additionally, it has gone from working with one contractor that weatherizes homes to three, all of which have had to add crews to keep up with the work of weatherizing 233 additional homes. According to the C-SCDC, clients are seeing a 30-to-50-percent decrease in energy costs, but many are seeing other benefits as well.
Catching a killer
Last winter, C-SCDC saw several homes with dangerous levels of carbon monoxide leaking from heating systems in recipients’ homes.
"We had a chain - one right after another," says Debbie Biggs, weatherization director. "One had carbon monoxide levels so high we told the man to shut down everything and get out until we could get there to fix the problem."
In most cases, the agency is able to get to the root of the problem, install a solution and provide the homeowner with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in a matter of days.
"When you have levels as high as we’ve seen, it’s a wonder that some folks weren’t dead. They call carbon monoxide a silent killer, and it really is," Biggs says. "Every client we helped in regard to carbon monoxide problems had a story to tell about how they had been sick or how their eyes were always burning. Within a week of their units being replaced, they were fine and couldn’t believe it."
In Bledsoe’s case, he says he’d noticed himself gradually becoming more lethargic and sleeping excessively. But his doctor couldn’t figure out why.
As it turns out, the problem was with a cracked heating unit that was leaking increasingly dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Additionally, the gas-powered hot water heater had been vented into Bledsoe’s attic but not the rest of the way out of the house.
"Within 48 hours from them putting a new unit in, I felt considerably better," he says. "I think the weatherization program saved my life."
In addition to fixing carbon monoxide problems and installing detectors, Bledsoe says the weatherization team that came to his home also helped by replacing windows and blowing in additional insulation, making for an overall more comfortable living experience and saving him almost half on his energy bills. He’s happy with the local impact as well.
"I think it helped our local economy, too," he says. "The windows were made by Harry G. Barr Company here in Fort Smith. Other products came from Rheem Manufacturing. And there were local people doing the work. So it not only helped me reduce energy consumption and saved my life, but I think it helped a lot of other people as well."