In an effort to improve living conditions among elderly and low-income residents in the Greater Cincinnati area, one nonprofit cooperative has implemented a weatherization program to help people save money and convert to more energy-efficient lifestyles. 

According to Cincinnati.com, People Working Cooperatively (PWC) reaches out to home owners earning around $13,000 annually, offering free home inspection services, educating them on eco-friendly living – which can be as simple as unplugging and turning off appliances – and making necessary upgrades inside their properties. 

The nonprofit helped more than 7,000 people in 2012, Nina Creech, PWC’s vice president of operations, told the source. 

Two of those people are Ernest “Charlie” Horland and his wife, Verni, who live in a mobile home in Loveland with their five children and a grandson. Charlie originally reached out to PWC in 2012 and the cooperative responded to him quickly. When asked about PWC, Charlie had only wonderful things to say about it. 

“If it wasn’t for them, I would have never been able to make these upgrades,” he said. “[PWC] installed a new furnace, duct work, thermostat, smoke detectors, light bulbs and they provide two free service calls on the furnace and air conditioning unit annually.”

Thanks to the state of Maryland’s multiple rebate offerings, including those available from Pepco and Potomac Edison, it may be easier and more cost-effective than you think to make energy-efficient upgrades to your home. To get started, contact a home inspection contractor to perform an energy audit. Additionally, as we’ve mentioned before on this blog, some key tax credits made it into the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 as part of the fiscal cliff deal, meaning that homeowners can save up to $500 on energy-efficient upgrades.