LITTLE ROCK — Weatherization saved Fern January's life.
About two weeks after Arkansas' Weatherization Assistance Program was introduced to her mobile home, a newly installed alarm went off on April 7.
"I heard a woman's voice saying, 'Warning, warning, carbon monoxide,'" the 81-year-old Sheridan resident said. "It was loud enough to raise the dead."
She called 911, and firefighters showed up within minutes. Turned out she left her stove burners on in an attempt to heat her house during the unseasonably cold April weather. Levels of carbon monoxide were high enough that she most likelywould not have survived until morning, she said.
In a letter sent to the Grant County Weatherization Crew, January wrote: "I have no doubt that, without the installation of the alarm by the weatherization people, our 911 emergency service and our on-the-ball firemen, I would not be among the living today."
January and other participants in the program were invited to speak at Weatherization Day 2007, held Monday at the Little Rock River Market Pavilion. The event was sponsored by the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association and the state's Office of Community Services.
Installing carbon-monoxidedetectors is just one aspect of Arkansas' weatherization program, a local, state and federal program formed in 1976 to help low-income residents have more energy-efficient and safer homes.
Weatherization can include new windows and doors, energy-efficient light bulbs, lots of sealing and caulk, attic insulation, wrap for water heaters, and sometimes even new refrigerators, said Al West, executive director of the Office of Human Concern in Rogers.
Weatherization can reduce heating bills by 31 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The work is done free for those who meet income and other guidelines. The maximumannual income for one person is $12,762.
Mae Bishop, weatherization director for the state's Office of Community Services, said the U.S. Department of Energy has spent $94 million on about 64,500 Arkansas homes over the life of the program. Last year, the agencies improved about 1,700 homes in Arkansas, "and we're expecting to do more this year," she added. She said the program has helped the elderly, disabled and children stay more comfortable, as well as improving their health and safety.
Nationally, the program has improved 6 million homes.
In Northwest Arkansas, the average cost of weatherizinga home is $2,750, West said. Within about three years, the improvements pay for themselves, and they are usually effective for a decade.
Mayor Mark Stodola, speaking at the event, said it makes sense from both an economic and environmental standpoint to keep the program going. "Those are the kinds of littlethings, along with everything else, that make a difference," he said during his remarks.
Norma Moore, 58, said all of the little changes made to her mobile home in Jersey, in southeast Arkansas, make a big difference. This summer the program replaced her floor, fixed her door and sealed her windows, among other things.
"It's cheaper, and it's warmer," she said at the event. "Me and my husband, we're happier."
Business, Pages 21, 22 on 10/30/2007