CALGARY- An expensive winter for heat and power left some Calgary seniors stretching their budgets. Fortunately, a new program aimed at helping them is already paying off.
A partnership between the city and a foundation called Energy Angels see volunteers head to the homes of low-income seniors, and make easy changes that can help save money.
“We’re able to give them some energy efficiencies in their home, some weatherization products like new weather stripping, lights in their home that are energy efficient, to help them save a little money,” explains Geoff Moore from City Links.
On Wednesday, the group headed into 93-year-old Elfriede Prain’s small bungalow. In March, Prain’s utility bill was $260.
Moore says the changes they’ve made should help that number go down in the future.
“There are some efficiencies there that will be realized. We start with a baseline of her utility bills, so we’ll be able to check in with her to see if she’s saving a little bit of money.”
According to the All One Sky Foundation which pays for the upgrades, the program has more benefits than just cutting costs.
Calgarians are also being asked to volunteer their time or money to the cause, by going to allonesky.ca.
“There are different levels of support you can lend to the program, so we are looking for donors and looking for partners to expand this to other groups in Calgary,” she explains. “People have gone to our website and said ‘I want to pay for a door’ and they’ve clicked on that and sent their money in.”
Click here for more information about the City Links agency for low income seniors.
Comments