RAPIDS CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Community Action of Western South Dakota welcomed the community to watch a demonstration of the weathering process Wednesday to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Department of Energy’s weathering program.
Demonstrations included how carbon monoxide moves through a home, how to blow through insulation, and how to prevent catastrophic events such as home fires.
WSDCA has many programs for people striving to lift themselves out of poverty, and home weatherization is just one of them. Auditors will check things like doors, windows, insulation, and HVAC systems. Once the audit is complete, the auditor enters all the information from the audit into a computer software system created by the Department of Energy to find the most cost-effective way to improve the home, if necessary. Finishing with material installation and final inspection.
Weathering not only saves money, but also keeps people healthy.
“Low-income people survive by making things happen, and sometimes that’s not up to code. In other words, they’re putting themselves in dangerous situations. As part of the final inspection, the HVAC We make sure that everything is working as expected as far as it goes, and we make sure that there’s no carbon monoxide in that home,” said William Thompson, energy auditor for Community Action of Western South Dakota. , said.
Thompson added that the organization aims to save homeowners at least 15 percent in the first year after weathering because the energy savings are so significant for low-income residents.
WSDCA operations manager Laura Fletcher said weatherizing homes benefits not only current residents but also the community.
“Rapid City has a growing aging housing stock, and the more we keep these older homes occupied, the longer these homes will stay occupied,” Fletcher said.
Thompson said he knows many people whose lives have been saved by the weatherization work provided by WSDCA.
“One of the most gratifying things is to be able to identify a life safety issue in particular and actually save people’s lives. Personally, I’ve known at least five people that we’ve actually saved lives. I know ~10 people who had medical carbon monoxide poisoning, but our process has since made their homes safe. ” Thompson said.
Fletcher hopes to hold a demonstration on another day to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Western South Dakota Community Activism.
For more information about programs such as Western South Dakota Community Action and Weatherization, visit the WSDCA website.
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