Stephanie Green and Paul Deatherage are on the move a lot. They might be in Lincoln County one day, in east Linn County the next, and back in Benton County the day after.
Green and Deatherage provide low-income families in all three counties with what is becoming popular money-saving information. Through the Community Services Consortium’s Emergency Services Department, they are educating families on energy efficiency.
“It’s a money-saving perspective that we take,” says Green, the energy education coordinator. “We point out the environmental advantages, but our emphasis is to help people cut costs.”
Green, in her first year with the CSC, is taking the lead on a new program that she says is off to a good start.
She conducts free Energy Conservation Workshops at CSC sites in Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis and Newport, pointing out ways families can lower their energy expenses. “It’s new, but it’s busy. I had 140 people in January workshops,” Green said. “I do three or four workshops at each site every month.”
About 20 people are on hand each session. Most come to the workshops through referrals from the CSC’s Energy Assistance Office. That was the case with Cheri Staker of Albany.
“I knew I needed to get some weatherization and I was sent here. I think it’s going to show me the right way to do things,” Staker said.
Workshops help speed up a process that used to feature one home visit at a time for on-side audits and to provide instruction.
Deatherage still conducts the free home visits and remains busy, but some of the pressure has been lifted because of the workshops.
“The addition of the workshops along with the audit allows us to reach more people,” he said. “I’m able to get the information to those who can’t get to workshops ... the elderly and disabled.” He is able to handle three visits a day, and inspections provide a thorough energy-efficiency analysis.
Workshops include a free kit with energy-saving materials to help attendees get jump-started. Kits include caulk and a caulking gun, spray foam, energy-efficient light bulbs, and thermometers to measure water and refrigerator temperatures.
Home inspections, which are available to workshop participants as well, offer additional weatherization materials. “I have more materials in my truck that are more custom to the clients' needs,” Deatherage said. “And if they need help installing the materials, I can offer that as well.”
Homeowners who have taken the workshop or had an audit can usually qualify for CSC’s free weatherization program, which brings an in-house crew to completely weatherize a home. Funding for the job costs comes from federal and state grants.
