In collaboration with Duke Energy, the North Carolina Community Action Association, and I-Care (a community action agency in Statesville, NC), we asked North Carolina low-income families with electric heat in four neighborhoods to participate in our pilot program. Thirty-three families, or 40 percent of our target market, said yes. What does that mean?

First of all, it means they’ll receive a free Heat Smart kit. The kits include a warm woolen blanket for each occupied bed, weatherstripping for drafty windows and doors, and energy saving tips. For our 33 families, we’re distributing 110 blankets! And we’ve teamed up with Boy Scout troops in each area to distribute the kits as part of their community service. Secondly, participating in the program means each family pledged to turn their heat down at least seven to eight degrees overnight, from today through the end of the program on March 1.

Experience has shown this can save an average of $400 per year in households nationwide. We expect this pilot program to give us the hard data to prove it. Working with Duke Energy, we’ll be compiling results of the pilot in both energy and dollars saved, and we’ll update this post as we move forward. Advanced Energy will monitor energy use among a control group to ensure statistical accuracy. In addition, each family will complete two surveys to measure attitudes and energy awareness.

You know what else we’re super-excited about? Having the results to this pilot will enable us to expand the program to help even more low income families in the future. Our work also helps utilities and community agencies: by reducing energy demand, maximizing resources, and helping them meet federal or organizational mandates. If you’d like more information about how we can help you, just email us!