Forest Park’s Residential Energy Efficiency Program Enters Its Second Year! Reduces Home Weatherization Costs by 50 Percent!
CINCINNATI – March 14, 2012 –
In 2011, The Forest Park Environmental Awareness Program and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance have teamed up to help Forest Park residents save money and improve the comfort and safety of their homes through a comprehensive home weatherization program. Over 50 homes have successfully completed the program and are now enjoying lower energy bills and greater home comfort. The program was launched in March of 2011 and an additional $20,000 has been leveraged by Forest Park to weatherize even more homes in 2012.
On average, these homeowners are saving approximately $550 per year on their energy bills, with some households enjoying savings of over $1,000 through energy efficiency investments. These improvements can include improved air sealing/insulations, installed energy efficiency heating and air conditioning systems, heat pumps, water heaters and even energy efficient windows. “Investing in your home provides immediate savings, while improving the comfort and value of your home,” shared Andy Holzhauser, Executive Director of the Energy Alliance. “Partnering with the City of Forest Park has generated incredible value to Forest park customers, who can enjoy an even quicker payback on their home investment with a 50% instant cash rebate towards the home improvement project.”
This partnership provides everything a resident needs to complete these energy improvements including:
- Home Performance Contractors –Trained and certified companies that will provide comprehensive home energy assessments and improvements.
- Assessment Report- Complete project plan that includes cost-effective energy saving opportunities, including available and.
- Funding –50% of the costs for projects costing up to $12,000. In addition, a GC-HELP low-interest 6.99% unsecured loan is also available.
- Quality assurance to verify the installed measures.
The goal for 2012 is to improve the efficiency of at least another 50 Forest Park homes.
Wright Gwyn, the FP Environmental Program Manager, is very excited about this program. He sees this as a “win-win type of program because of the energy and cost savings.”
An Open House has been scheduled at the Senior Center for Tuesday, April 10th from 6 PM to 8 PM as a resource for local residents. This is an opportunity for Forest park residents to learn more about the program and connect with Energy Alliance certified Home Performance Contractors.
The Forest Park Environmental Awareness Program is encouraging residents who are interested in participating in this program to register this year. Funding has been secured through 2012, but funding for 2013 has not been decided. To register and learn more about the Open House event, residents can go to the Forest Park Environmental Awareness homepage (www.forestpark.org/environmental). Once there, select the Residential Energy Efficiency Program to get started. If you have additional questions, please contact the Environmental Awareness Office at 513-595-5263.
The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities reduce their energy costs. The Energy Alliance provides education, expertise and innovative financing to help the region to become more energy efficient, saving money for residents while also creating local jobs. Visit www.greatercea.org
The Forest Park Residential Energy Efficiency Program is a project of the Forest Park Environmental Awareness Program, which is a department under the City of Forest Park. The Environmental Awareness Program is committed to fostering a spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility among citizens, businesses, institutions, and governmental agencies towards the enhancement of local, regional, and global environmental quality. www.forestpark.org/
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