Four Regina families get ‘HELP’ with their homes

REGINA – Paying the heating bills became a whole lot easier for a Regina family today.

“It basically felt like we won the lottery,” said Jimi Cabylis.

The Cabylis family, which includes Jimi, his soon-to-be wife and four children, are one of four recipients in the city to be selected for the Home Energy Legacy Program (HELP). SaskEnergy, Habitait for Humanity and Magnus Insulation partnered for the 2014 program to give low-income families’ homes an energy efficient upgrade.

“We go more than just writing a cheque into the community. We want to do something different,” said Shannon Doka, Community Involvement Leader for SaskEnergy.

In total, 18 homeowners in the province were selected this year. The Cabylis family is one of four chosen in Regina.

The upgrades put a dent in the bills.

“It helps to give them a hand up to stay in their home,” said Kelly Holmes-Binns, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Regina.

The Cabylis’ home is getting a $10,000 upgrade that includes better windows and an attic insulation top-up. A new furnace will also be installed, which will provide the most noticeable difference to the budget.

“It could be $10 a month, in the course of the year, it could be hundreds of dollars,” said Doka of the savings.

Cabylis said his monthly SaskEnergy bill can reach as high as $225 in the winter using his old furnace.

“It’s substantially going to save, I’m hoping 50 per cent, cost-wise,” said Cabylis.

Since the program started in 2011, there have been a total of 36 HELP recipients.