LOVELAND, Colo.—Donna Sisson was ecstatic about compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Devices that reduced the water flowing into her sink and the amount used with each toilet flush thrilled the Loveland woman.
Weatherstripping brought a smile to her face.
“I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” said Sisson, who lives in a Loveland Housing Authority complex.
And the energy-efficient upgrades installed Feb. 18 were absolutely free.
Sisson is one of a handful of residents who, each day, benefit from the work of the Larimer County Youth Conservation Corps.
The team of young adults examines appliances, water flow, temperatures and more in the homes of low-income residents for efficiencies to save money and energy.
Then they outfit those homes with simple fixes at no cost to the residents.
“House by house, they show saving energy can be simple,” said Bradie Kiefer, coordinator of the Conservation Corps.
The program is three years old, but this is the first time it has reached into Loveland.
The city allocated $32,000 in 2011 for supplies such as indoor clotheslines, compact fluorescent light bulbs, caulking and low-flow shower heads, said Gretchen Stanford, the city’s conservation expert.
Fort Collins does the same for its customers, and other partners such as the Platte River Power Authority and Ace Hardware share the costs.
Those costs are small compared with the benefit, according to county officials.
The more efficient light bulbs installed last year alone, before the program spread to Loveland, will save 2.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy and 3.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetimes, Kiefer said.
That computes to $350,000 in direct savings on residents’ utility bills and the equivalent of 327 fewer vehicles on the road, she said.
“Just by screwing in some light bulbs, you can make a big difference,” Kiefer said.
The program also makes a difference in the lives of low-income residents and of the young adults in the corps.
The Larimer County Workforce Center this year hired eight corps members, who gain work skills and experience while helping others change their energy use.
“I’m enjoying it,” said Cassandra Leverette, a 19-year-old who just finished her first week of assessing homes.
“We’re always meeting people.”
“And you’re helping,” added Cliff Carlstrom, Sisson’s brother.
Leverette and Will Wright, 20, both of Fort Collins, spent more than an hour going over Sisson’s appliances, windows and more and making changes Feb. 18.
Leverette installed a clothesline to cut back on drier use, replaced a sink nozzle to reduce water flow and caulked two windows to keep heat from escaping.
Wright replaced 15 light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones and installed a device in the toilet tank to save one gallon of water for every four flushes.
“It’s wonderful,” Sisson said. “Anything to save on heating bills. … Anything you can change out, I’d love it. I don’t take anything for granted.
“I’m so blessed.”
