NORTH HAVEN

The Income Eligible population of North Haven residents have the opportunity to learn about cost-saving measures to make their homes more energy efficient thanks to a new collaborative campaign between the Town Hall, HeatSmart North Haven, and the Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAA).

“The overall idea is to reach out to the low-income people in North Haven,” said Kenny Fosuce, the head of the town’s Clean Energy Task Force.

The campaign builds upon the work the task force has performed in town, specifically with promoting Home Energy Solutions (HES) campaigns for households, local congregations and business, and public buildings to be more energy efficient and reduce their carbon footprint. The time has now come to reach out to North Haven residents in the lower socio-economic standings through this new campaign with the CAA, said Foscue.

“It is a great way to make their house more energy efficient and, in some cases, even healthier,” said Foscue. “One of my interests in seeing this happen is making sure people have safe and healthy homes. Part of that is having energy efficient homes.”

Households are determined as Income Eligible if the occupants’ combined gross annual income is at or below Connecticut's 60% income median, as defined by the state. For example, a household of four people with an annual income of $75,052 qualifies as Income Eligible, as does a household of two people with an annual income of $51,035. Those households would then qualify for a HES evaluation at no cost.

As part of an HES evaluation, one of the authorized contractors involved in the campaign, namely New England Smart Energy Group and Comfort Home Practice, will assess the performance of a homeowner’s utilities—from heating and cooling systems, lighting, to the condition of windows—and may make recommendations on how to improve those parts of the home.

For reasons of energy efficiency, cost savings, and public health, this type of evaluation may be very beneficial for North Haven residents of lower economic status, according to Amos Smith, president and CEO of the CAA.

“Oftentimes, you're dealing with issues around landlords or you’re dealing with people who pay 40 [to] 50% of their income to get into a house—if they own the house—and therefore don't have the money to do upkeep,” said Smith. “The retrofitting benefits [are] they save money, and they can use that money to do other things that are necessary.”

“If you're losing heat because you don't have insulation, either in your walls or your ceiling, whether it's summer or winter, then you're spending that money on something that has no real value to return to you,” Smith continued. “That’s really what the benefit is, that to the extent that their homes can be improved saves them money and gives them greater options to use money that might have been flowing differently.”

According to the letter sent out to Income Eligible households in North Haven, “There is absolutely no obligations” for further steps to be taken after an HES assessment.

“Additionally,” reads the letter, “our partners…will contribute $25 to the North Haven Fuel Bank for each completed HES or HES-Income Eligible assessment.”

Foscue said he anticipates the dollars coming back to the state via the Inflation Reduction Act should also play a significant role in accelerating energy efficient programs like the North Haven-CAA one, specifically for the Income Eligible population.

For more information, visit, www.heatsmartct.org/northhaven or call 203-292-8088.