Energy Alliance spreads efficiency gospel in Covington

The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) hit the streets of Covington last Saturday to distribute home energy efficiency kits and spread the word about programs that provide financial assistance to Kentucky homeowners interested in making energy efficiency improvements to their home.

The canvassing campaign was the first in a month-long GCEA effort to reduce energy bills for residents, and generate work for contractors, in Northern Kentucky.

A new program called Kentucky Home Performance provides assistance to Kentucky homeowners in addition to the federal and private money that GCEA already offers.

"It's a program that just came on line literally in the last couple of weeks, so this will be the first real roll-off for it in Northern Kentucky," GCEA executive director Andy Holzhauser said.

Working with the Center for Great Neighborhoods, a community development organization in Covington, the GCEA selected about 1,000 homes in the Peaselburg, Levassor Park and Wallace Woods neighborhoods to be visited by volunteer canvassers. The volunteers passed out energy efficiency kits which include compact fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving aerators, and spoke with residents about the benefits of a home energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits.

"We're bringing to people the message that virtually every home that we've looked at so far, whether it's five-years-old or 105-years-old, has one or a couple of what we call the low hanging green fruit," Holzhauser said. "And those are inadequate insulation, air infiltration reduction, and duct sealing."

Lilah Glick, GCEA's marketing director, said that a typical retrofit can produce savings of between 20 and 30 percent of home heating and cooling costs.

Between the two funding sources, GCEA volunteers offered homeowners $150 towards a $200 energy efficiency assessment, and 35% of the cost of retrofits recommended in the assessment. Depending on the work being done, and amount of energy saved, the GCEA will also help homeowners locate additional incentives offered by Duke Energy, and federal tax credits.

"We do as much as we can to be that personal advisor, if you will, for the customer to ensure that their support is maximized and their project is as affordable as it can be, given all the potential resources out there," Holzhauser said.

Fifty eight home energy assessments were requested during the Covington canvas.

The GCEA will be attending community council meetings at Ritte's East on November 11, Levassor Park and West Latonia on November 15, and Peaselburg on November 22, to continue providing information to Kentucky homeowners about energy efficiency programs.

The Covington campaign was the GCEA's third canvas since it began community outreach work this summer. It is the group's first major outreach effort in Kentucky.

Writer: Henry Sweets
Photo of Andy Holzhauser by Scott Beseler