Did you see the story on 401(e) in the Grand Forks Herald last week? Charly Haley did a great job telling our story.
Here it is! Grand Forks Herald Story
As Haley writes, 401(e) Home Energy Services was born when Red River Valley Community Action (RRVCA) saw the opportunity to expand home energy services in the greater Grand Forks area. RRVCA, a nonprofit human services organization, had administered a weatherization program for years, focusing on serving income-eligible families through energy efficiency.
Jason Schaefer, 401(e) Coordinator notes in the Herald article that a lot of people who weren’t eligible for the RRVCA program were still interested in what weatherization measures could do for their home. By offering market-rate home energy services to those who didn’t qualify for the program, 401(e) was able to create an additional funding stream for RRVCA – proceeds from 401(e) services support RRVCA’s social programs – helping the nonprofit to become more self-sufficient in a time when budget cuts are all-too-familiar.
In a poll accompanying our story in the Herald, 47% of readers had taken measures to make their home energy efficient this winter, 45.5% hadn’t, and 7.6% planned to. So for everyone planning to improve their home’s energy efficiency, what is important to consider? How do you prioritize improvements and ensure good results?
Here at 401(e) we emphasize a whole-house approach, a method used by us and other Home Performance with Energy Star Partners in determining which improvements will be the most effective for your home’s specific needs. What do we mean when we refer to “whole-house approach”? Well it means we understand that a house itself is an interconnected system, and so we take a look at all the components that affect the home’s comfort and efficiency, how these various parts work together (or don’t), and how they factor into a home’s performance.
By taking a whole house approach and letting that inform our energy improvement decisions, we can create positive and effective results in our homes. Thanks to the Grand Forks Herald for telling our story, showcasing our work, and helping us generate awareness for energy efficiency and home performance in our community!
