Thurmont Homeowners Make Most of Energy Grants

I pull down the mailbox door and peek inside, a pile of bills sits there waiting for me. This time, instead of wrinkling my nose in disgust and cursing the weather for the need for heat or air conditioning, I grab them in anticipation and tear them open. I’m excited to see how much less they will be, and fantasize for a moment about all the things my family can do with the money I saved… This is a scene I imagine for myself in the near future. My husband, Paul, and I applied for the PowerSaver Retrofits Program (PSR) through the Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources (OSER). The grant awarded to OSER through the Maryland Energy Administration’s EmPOWER Clean Energy Communities program provides $5,000-$8,000 to qualified households via a Home Performance with Energy Star audit to determine which energy efficient options to install, at no cost to the homeowner. Our home was built in the 1930s, and as smitten as I am with the architecture and lay out, it isn’t exactly what you’d call modern when it comes to its energy use. Previous owners’ upgrades left it lacking in insulation and efficiency. Typical energy saving options that can be installed through the program include air and duct sealing and insulation, lighting upgrades, appliance and water heater upgrades, and HVAC tune-ups or upgrades. It’s a major win for our family, as we have been accepted into the program. You can apply as well, but they have already filled 90 of the 150 slots, so I’m glad we applied early. Interested Thurmont homeowners should apply as soon as possible before all the slots are full. In order to qualify, a homeowner and their household must meet income limits (ranging from $65,000 for a single person household to $122,550 for an eight-person household) and submit a completed application, which includes 2015 tax information. The application takes approximately twenty minutes to complete and can be submitted in-person or via mail or e-mail. For assistance completing your application, contact the Thurmont Green Team member Hillary Rothrock at [email protected]. To learn more and download the application, visit www.frederickcountymd.gov/5147/Power-Saver-Retrofits or contact Lisa Orr at 301-600-6864.