ORANGE, Conn. (June 29, 2021) — Customers experiencing financial challenges and their landlords can now sign up for no-cost weatherization services and incentives offered through AVANGRID, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating (UI), Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG) and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG). The Home Energy Solutions - Income Eligible program is designed to create more energy-efficient and comfortable homes while lowering energy bills for residents that meet certain income requirements. Many impacted by COVID-19 may qualify for this program based on income.
“We understand that economic challenges continue for many, and you may be looking for ways to manage monthly energy expenses. Whether you're a homeowner, renter or even a landlord, a no-cost energy assessment is the first step in understanding how you can save money on your energy bill,” said Tanya Mulholland, Home Energy Solutions – Income Eligible program manager, United Illuminating.
The program offers on-the-spot services for immediate savings during the no-cost energy assessment, as well as incentives and additional resources to further reduce energy use. Residents have the option of selecting a virtual pre-assessment or services performed by a qualified technician in their home. For landlords, an energy expert will evaluate your tenants’ home top to bottom, provide on-the-spot fixes, make recommendations, and provide custom incentives that you can use to improve your property’s energy use. Most participants have insulation installed at little to no cost when they qualify.
Mulholland added that, “There is no better time than now to make a home more energy efficient, comfortable and less costly to cool and heat since approximately 43 percent of energy goes toward heating and cooling,” said Mulholland.
“Additionally, if you are a landlord, your tenants may be calling you because they are feeling hot in the summer and cold in the winter. An energy-inefficient home can be a big contributor to poor temperature control, but HES-IE is an easy and cost-effective way to find and fix these inefficiencies,” Mulholland added.
In addition to the virtual pre-assessment option and an onsite Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible program, UI offers resources and information through its My Account feature to help customers pay their bills, better understand their energy usage and an online Energy Analyzer that offers detailed energy use, personalized energy efficiency tips, advice and support to help customers achieve savings.
“We are offering many options and resources to support our customers during the current COVID-19 environment. For example, the virtual pre-assessment allows us to practice safe social distancing and help customers identify areas where they can see immediate savings and plan for these measures at an in-person visit,” Muholland said.
The in-home Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible visit offers $1,000 of on-the-spot weatherization and energy efficiency services to homeowners, renters and property managers, as well as incentives and additional resources to further reduce energy bill. The program has helped save customers an average of $200 annually on their energy bills. Customers will see immediate savings from air sealing and other home energy-saving measures on the day of the in-home assessment.
Muholland advised that significantly enhanced incentives are now being offered for insulation, windows, heating and cooling equipment. Customers are advised of these optional additional measures during their in-home visit and receive detailed information on the recommendations.
CNG, SCG, and UI customers also can take a free home energy efficiency quiz at GetEnergySmart to help determine how energy efficient their homes are before signing up. By answering a few simple questions, residents can easily learn to identify areas of improvement, discover opportunities to lower energy bills and begin making their homes more energy-efficient and comfortable. To sign up for the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible, please call 1-877 WISE-USE or go to GetEnergySmart.com.
About UI:
The United Illuminating Company (UI) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1899, UI operates approximately 3,500 miles of electric distribution lines and 139 miles of transmission lines. It serves approximately 339,000 customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut. UI received the Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Recovery Award recognizing the company’s response to the May 2018 storms that impacted its service territory. For more information, visit www.uinet.com.
About SCG:
The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1847, SCG operates approximately 2,500 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines, serving approximately 203,000 customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut. For more information, visit www.soconngas.com.
About CNG:
Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation (CNG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, CNG operates 2,160 miles of natural gas distribution pipeline, serving approximately 191,000 customers across 26 communities in the greater Hartford-New Britain area, and Greenwich, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.cngcorp.com.
About Energize Connecticut
Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, Eversource, UI, SCG and CNG with funding from a charge on customer energy bills.