Stimulus to help low-income residents save money on bills

By LEONARD SPARKS Capital News Service

Published 02/27/09

WASHINGTON - Tim Kenny, then 15, protested when his father made him spend a snowy day replacing windows and doors as part of the weatherization program the elder Kenny coordinated in Harford County.

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But 20 years later Kenny runs his own weatherization company and, along with his father, is hailing the $5 billion boost the Department of Energy's weatherization program is receiving from the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last week.

The funding will bring $63 million to Maryland over the next two years - more than 10 times, on average, what the state normally receives.

The increase is expected to...

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Reduce Your Energy Bills - 2009-02-28 19:59:03

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in -- costing you higher heating bills.

But what can you do about the four largest ?holes? in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer?

Attic Stairs

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

Whole House Fans and AC Returns

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan cover. Installed from the attic side, the whole house fan cover is invisible. Cover the fan to reduce heating and air-conditioning loss, remove it when use of the fan is desired.

Fireplaces

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used. Visit www.batticdoor.com for more info.