You don’t have to own your home in the San Luis Valley to get help permanently reducing your utility bills. The Energy Resource Center can help families make free energy efficiency upgrades to homes they rent as well.
What the ERC does
The Energy Resource Center makes free energy efficiency upgrades to homes for income-qualified households. Some of the improvements we make include blowing new insulation into the walls, replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, installing more efficient toilets and shower heads and sealing up drafty areas.
Permanent change for temporary homes
Because the work ERC does is permanent and adds value to the homes, most people expect that we would only do the work free for the owners. But the ERC’s mission is to make homes more comfortable, safe and affordable for the people who live in them.
Many families in the San Luis Valley rent their homes and they deserve comfort, safety and affordability every bit as much as those who own their houses.
ERC works with landlords
Of course, while we can make energy efficiency upgrades to rental properties for renters, we still need the owners’ blessings. We can’t make major modifications to a property without the owner’s approval.
Most landlords are happy to work with the ERC because we make improvements to their properties that will make it comfortable for the existing tenants and more attractive to future renters.
For some upgrades, such as furnaces and water heaters, ERC will ask the landlord to contribute.
ERC wants to keep renters in their San Luis Valley homes
The improvements the ERC makes to rental properties are purely functional. We don’t paint or spruce the place up, but the work we do can still add value to a home and some landlords might think they can increase the rent as a result.
Before we agree to make free energy efficiency upgrades for a tenant, we have the landlord agree to maintain the rental rate for that tenant for a reasonable period.
Get help from the ERC Office in Alamosa
If you are renting in the San Luis Valley and worry every year about keeping up with your utility bills, contact the Energy Resource Center for assistance that will make a lasting impact and that won’t just reduce your costs, but will also increase your home’s comfort and safety.
