NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Low income homeowners and renters in Hutchinson and across Kansas can get help to make their homes more energy efficient through the weatherization program with the South Central Kansas Economic Development District.
"Normally, here at SCKEDD we get about $4.5 million to serve 40 counties, which approximately does about, a little over 400 homes," said Julia Westfahl with SCKEDD. "This funding here is going to be additional funding above and beyond that funding. We're getting to do those 400 homes a year, but then we're also going to have enough funding to do additional homes. It's going to be about 120 additional homes we'll be able to do per year."
That is because SCKEDD is receiving an additional $10.8 million over the next five years for weatherization that is provided as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
"The first part of the process is our application process," Westfahl said. "They can either go into our office, we have one located here in Hutchinson at 530 East 30th. We also have one located in Bel Aire, over towards Wichita. They can walk in and receive an application, they can download an application from our website, or they can just call in and ask to receive an application. Once they get that application, they'll fill that out, provide income documentation and then, they will provide that back to our processing department."
If they've filled the application out correctly, they'll get an approval letter, if not, they'll still get a response.
"If, for any reason, they have missed information on their application, they will also receive a letter stating what missing information that they have," Westfahl said. "Our ultimate goal is to get every application approved, by helping them through that process and making sure all the documentation is there. Once they have been approved, they move to our waitlist and then we send an inspector out to analyze the home."
That analysis can include repair or replacement of many household items, including air conditioning in some cases. This is done through what is called an energy audit.
"They'll go and they will measure the home," Westfahl said. "They're going to look at how much insulation is in the attic, if they have floor insulation, if they have any sidewall insulation. They're also going to do testing on the furnace and the hot water tank to make sure they are drafting properly. If the furnace is old or inefficient, we will get approval for replacement. If their AC is old or inefficient, we will run those for approval or replacement. If they have a health issue stated, that maybe they don't have a working AC, but they have some sort of a health issue that its required that they have a cool environment, we can get approval for replacement of those. If they don't have an AC and maybe they need to install a window AC, we get approval for replacement on those, as well."
They'll also do things like wrap the ductwork, they'll wrap water lines and install CO or smoke detectors, but they do that all through contractors.
"We hire the contractors," Westfahl said. "We do have an internal HVAC crew, as well as contractors to help assist in getting these homes done as quickly as possible. Then, from there, we send in our weatherization contractors to do the insulation, the air sealing and all of that. Once all the work is completed, we send another inspector out to do basically another look at everything that was done to make sure everything was done to the rules and regulations of the Department of Energy and the State of Kansas."
The goal is to make homes more comfortable, but also to try to help save money on utility bills. It's hard to quantify how much individuals would save now, but it's been as high as 20 to 25% savings in previous years.
Eligibility is based on household income relative to federal low-income guidelines. In addition, if a household contains a member who receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits or utility assistance from the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), the household is automatically considered eligible for weatherization services.