Free Home Energy Visits Also Generate Funding for Neighborhoods!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  Photos originally appeared on the Johnny Northside blog.

Hawthorne board member John Hoff was kind enough to allow me to document his home enegy visit from CEE.  These free home visits include tips on how to make your house more energy-efficient, supplies and materials to make that happen, and information on access to more low-interest home rehab loans.  In case this hasn't been emphasized enough, the visits and materials are FREE to owner-occupants.  The only requirement is that recipients must first attend a workshop (which is ALSO free) put on by the Center for Energy and Environment.  Here are the next two workshop dates:

Thursday, March 24, 6:00 pm
North Regional Library (1315 Lowry Ave N)

Thursday, March 31, 6:30 pm
Salvation Army (2727 Central Ave NE)

For more information, or to reserve a spot, contact Kyle Boehm at kboehm@mncee.org or 612-219-7334.

But wait, there's more!   CEE and the McKnight Foundation have been generous enough to help fund a friendly cross-neighborhood challenge.  There are various levels of awards given out for neighborhood participation.  The more people participate, the greater award each neighborhood may be eligible for.  So here's how it works for you as a Hawthorne resident:  attend a free workshop about energy savings, get free materials that will make your home more energy-efficient, sign up for a free home energy visit where experts can give even more personal tips, AND participating can help fund your neighborhood organization.

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up today?

Flier for upcoming workshops
McKnight Outreach Challenge flier

Community Energy Services: A Bright Idea

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

Earlier this year, the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council and Community Energy Services jointly sponsored two workshops to get residents energy-efficient and environmentally friendly home upgrades. The home visit and materials are valued at $400, and require a $20 co-pay. But the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has offered to cover the co-pay for the first 150 residents who sign up. There's still plenty of space left for the materials and visits to be completely free to you!

Here's the catch: to qualify, you must be an owner-occupant of the Hawthorne neighborhood, and you must attend a CES workshop. The next workshop is set to take place on Tuesday, June 29th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. (they usually finish earlier) at Farview Park. If you are interested in attending, contact Kyle Boehm at 612-219-7334 or kboehm@mncee.org.

Pictured above are some photos from the home visit done with Hawthorne board member and blogger John Hoff.

Remember to Sign Up for Community Energy Services!

Post and photo by Jeff Skrenes.

Coming up soon, the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council will host two workshops for a new residential energy service program with the Center for Energy and Environment. Pictured above is Hawthorne board member and blogger John Hoff, filling out his application form for this program.

John was also kind enough to lend our neighborhood the use of his Johnny Northside pdf support site. Click here and you can view and download an informational flier about the program, an application document, and a flier about the two workshops.

Here's how it works in a nutshell: CEE is providing a customized home energy visit from professionals who can help ascertain what your home may need. Along with this, some materials will be provided to make basic energy savings changes in your home. The visit and the materials have a $400 value, and the forms indicate that there is a $20 copay. However, the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council will cover the copays for the first 150 people who sign up. If you're in that group, you get a $400 value PLUS some long-term energy fixes for your home for FREE.

Here's the catch: in order to participate, attendance at one of the two workshops is mandatory: February 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m. and February 20, 10 a.m.-noon, both at Farview Park. Please fill out the form here and get it to Ashley Robertson at CEE (arobertson@mncee.org) to register. We'll see you at one of the workshops!

New Residential Energy Program Coming to Hawthorne!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes

Learn how to reduce your energy use and save money! The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has teamed up with the Center for Energy and Environment, CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy to offer Hawthorne homeowners Community Energy Services, CES, a full service residential energy program.

The program will not only provide you with information about reducing your energy use by installing low-cost/no-cost measures in your home, but it will also provide you with the tools and financing necessary if you are ready to make larger investments such as insulation, sealing bypasses and installing new windows.

Community Energy Services Provides:

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• Customized home energy visits from qualified professionals who will identify additional ways for residents to save in their homes, including a blower door test. Up to $400 in services and materials for a co-pay of only $20, however the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council will cover the co-pay of the first 150 people to sign up for the program, giving you a $400 value for free;

• Personalized energy use inventory for the last 12 months and feedback for the next 12 months to show the homeowner how these low-cost/no-cost measures resulted in decreased energy use, also allowing participants to compare their energy use to that of their neighbors also participating in the program (confidentially of course);

• Information on financing, incentives, stimulus funding and rebates for those wishing to complete larger projects such as insulation or a furnace replacement.

SAVE THE DATES!
A general informational workshop will be held at Farview Park on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Two other workshops to sign up for these FREE services will be held on Wednesday, February 17th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 20th, 10 a.m. - noon. Call or email Ashley Robertson to reserve your spot TODAY, at 612-335-5869 or arobertson@mncee.org.

By being a part of the Community Energy Services program you will be one of the first people in the state to have access to everything this program has to offer! Invite your friends, neighbors and family, all Hawthorne homeowners are welcome!

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).