The Energy Resource Center, which provides free home energy audits and winterization assistance to income-qualified families in southern Colorado, is building momentum.
Helping people save energy and money
The Energy Resource Center helped 629 families make their homes more energy efficient, warmer, safer and cheaper to operate in 2013.
Deerfield Hills
While families who benefited were spread throughout Douglas, Fremont, Elbert, El Paso and Teller counties, the ERC was particularly proud of a project in the Deerfield Hills neighborhood of Colorado Springs.
ERC volunteers worked with the City of Colorado Springs, Deerfield neighbors and the Colorado Springs Housing Authority to increase energy efficiency in several homes and the neighborhood community center.
New partnerships
The Deerfield Hills project connected the ERC with the Colorado Springs Housing Authority, which has since helped to finance numerous other home improvement projects for income-qualified families who need help permanently reducing their energy bills and making their homes warmer and more comfortable.
New location
Our biggest piece of news is our new location. The Energy Resource Center has moved from Powers Boulevard in eastern Colorado Springs to 114 W. Rio Grande St. in south downtown Colorado Springs.
The move makes our office more central. With easy access to I-25 and Highway 24 into the mountains, the ERC anticipates saving upward of $80,000 a year on gas. Most of the homes we service are in older neighborhoods.
New program
Our fee for service program has been a great success. The same team of experienced engineers who evaluate energy efficiency for our income-qualified clients now works with clients who have the resources to pay for audits and improvements.
The money we generate with those services will help income-qualified families to reduce their utility bills. The ERC has also recently started working with new-home builders in Colorado Springs to make their homes more energy efficient.
Donations
Grants and donations through the Indy Give campaign have recently bolstered ERC so that the organization was able to rebuild some staff. The ERC lost several employees after the state cut funding in 2011. Every contribution helps.
Still working
The ERC will continue to work with families in southern Colorado to reduce energy consumption, lower bills and increase comfort. Call the ERC today if you need help or if you want to contribute.