KENNEBUNK — A bit of weatherization can go a long way to help make homes snug and warm during the long, cold winter, and this year, the Keep York County Warm! program is expanding to help 30 families.
Registration deadline for weatherization is Oct. 8.
Keep York County Warm! is a community-based program that brings volunteers together to assess homes for their individual weatherization needs and to install weatherization kits for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners.
Volunteers, under the guidance of team leaders with construction and home repair experience, will install simple yet effective materials such as door sweeps and storm windows, according to Cindy Richard of United Way of York County.
Last year, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco, Biddeford Regional Center of Technology and the Landing School in Arundel each had teams of volunteers build the storm window inserts. Each insert saves approximately $17 worth of heating oil, with many homeowners receiving as many as six inserts, Richard said. Overall, in 2013, 22 homes were weatherized, and volunteers built 125 window inserts, saving homeowners approximately $2,125.
The expansion of the program to 30 homes follows the new addition of Habitat for Humanity York County’s Weatherization Coordinator Ali Simpson, an AmeriCorps VISTA.
“I’m excited to be part of this project,” Simpson said. “Maine has some of the oldest housing stock in the country, which means many residents live in drafty homes and face high heating and energy bills. But with a few simple fixes, we can help vulnerable residents save money and live more comfortably.”
To register, contact your general assistance office, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging or York County Community Action.
Those in need of winter weather assistance information, contact 2-1-1 Maine at www.211maine.org or simply dial 211 to speak with a call specialist (24 hours a day, seven days a week).
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