Get Your Hands Dirty Conserving Energy

As a follow-up to "This Old House of Worship," CTIPL is starting "Pass it on Weatherization Workshops" in conjunction with the Connecticut Light and Power's Home Energy Solutions program. This service includes sealing drafts, professional evaluation of the insulation in basements and attics, providing free water heater and pipe insulation, and the installation of energy-efficient light bulbs, showerheads, and faucet aerators.

In the Pass It on Weatherization Workshop, CTIPL members will have the opportunity to "job shadow" a Home Energy Solutions Contractor. Workshop participants will travel to two homes with the contractor, learning how to identify conservation pit-falls and how to do the repairs. Under the guidance and supervision of the contractor, workshop participants will actually get their hands dirty and perform the repairs! Workshop participants can then "pass on" their weatherization skills, assisting others in making similar repairs in their own homes.

CTIPL will be holding a workshop in Middletown in March and needs support in holding a workshop in New Haven. Right now we are looking for twenty people who would like to attend the workshop. The workshop will start at the Smart Living Center in Orange. There participants will get an overview of home energy conservation and get a chance to familiarize themselves with the tools used in the home repairs. From the Smart Living Center participants will then travel to two homes to assist in weatherizing.

CTIPL is also looking for two homeowners in New Haven who would like to host the workshop. By agreeing to host the workshop, homeowners will bypass the current eight month waiting list for the Home Energy Solutions program. (Please note, however, that the repairs will be done by workshop participants rather than the contractor.) Finally, the home would also need to have central air conditioning and natural gas heat; these are the homes which use the most energy and are thus the target of the Home Energy Solutions program. The program is only for individual homes (Churches do not qualify). Parsonages or rectories would make excellent candidates!

If you are interested, email or call Andrea at Connecticut’s Interfaith Power and Light, 860- 231-8554.