Putting Wool to Work
- October 1, 2014
- Heat Smart
Here at Heat Smart, we’re what you’d call wool experts. We know that wool raises body temperature the fastest of any material. And it’s incredibly durable and naturally fire retardant. How do we know all that? We’re a division of Northwest Woolen Mills which makes wool disaster relief blankets used to help earthquake, hurricane, fire and flood victims around the world.
Read More
We decided to use our wool expertise to help families who are struggling to stay warm as the cost of heat skyrockets and assistance programs shrink. The result is a Heat Assistance Kit that we distribute through community agencies and utilities. It includes a wool blend blanket, weatherstripping, and energy saving tips. Our three-pronged approach of warmth, conservation and education has shown success in its initial rollout. But we need hard data to convince the skeptics and expand the program, so we’re developing a pilot program in conjunction with Duke Energy, the North Carolina Community Action Association, and I-Care ( a community action agency in in Statesville, NC).
We’ve been putting all the pieces in place over the past few months. Right now we’re recruiting low-income families who have electric heat through Duke to participate in the program. The idea is that with a warm blanket for every occupied bed in the household, they’ll be able to comfortably turn the heat down at night and save money on their energy bill. Studies have shown this could save an average of $400 over a heating season! For families who are struggling to pay household bills, that could make all the difference in being warm enough to sleep. If you’ve ever shivered through a nighttime winter power outage, you know exactly what we mean.
Why are we so passionate about this? Because only a fraction of low-income families who qualify for LIHEAP assistance actually receive it. And to us, that’s just not right. With a successful pilot program we can change that equation and help more families stay warm without breaking the bank. We’ll keep you posted on the pilot’s progress, so come back and visit often.