“I’m very impressed with Duke”
The brainchild and passion project of former financial and utility consultant Brad Rouse, Energy Savers has undergone a few iterations over its nine years of existence. Its throughline is providing energy-efficiency retrofits, usually in a day’s time, via a team of volunteers guided by a professional.
When everything is running smoothly, that means the group can perform upgrades — such as adding insulation and sealing air leaks — for at least three homes a week, according to Rouse. But in its early years, Energy Savers sometimes struggled to meet that mark.
“The problem is we had a lot of client cancellations,” said Rouse, who today serves as Energy Savers’ executive director. If they were last-minute, the group didn’t always have a backup client ready to take advantage of assembled volunteers and staff. In that case, Rouse said, “we lose the day.”
But now, the organization has almost eliminated that problem. “The Duke Customer Assistance referral is one big reason why,” he said.
That’s because the utility sends so many referrals that it’s easier to find clients who will be ready by the time the Energy Savers team arrives, reducing the likelihood of cancellations. And when a client does fall through, there’s a waiting list ready to be tapped.
The group identifies households in need through multiple channels, including farmers markets, community events, and word of mouth. But its largest source of referrals these days is the Customer Assistance Program, said Steffi Rausch, director of operations.
“We send out a bulk mailing to [potential clients] first and then we try to follow up with phone calls to get them scheduled,” Rausch said.
Boyd, for instance, first got help paying her utility bills through Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, which accessed one of the federal crisis assistance funds for her. She was soon enrolled in Duke’s $42 bill-credit program and then referred to Energy Savers. “They popped up at my doorstep,” Boyd said.
In the last 11 months, 26% of Energy Savers’ referrals have come from the Duke Customer Assistance Program, according to Rausch. So far, 36 of those referred families have made it through the weatherization process.
“I’m very impressed with Duke at this point,” Rausch said. The utility, which funds the majority of the services provided by Energy Savers, always makes sure the group gets reimbursed, she said. “We’ve never been stuck with the bill.”
To be sure, Duke and advocates for low-income customers are still working out kinks in the bill-credit scheme. One challenge is waning funding for the two federal crisis assistance initiatives that are used to automatically enroll individuals in the Customer Assistance Program. Another hurdle is connecting the dots for recipients, who often don’t realize they’re getting the bill credit or that they’re getting referred to groups like Energy Savers.
Boyd knows as well as advocates that the need for long-lasting energy savings is substantial. She’s now trying to get help for her 93-year-old Aunt Viola, whose electricity bill tops $400 a month.
“It’s only her in the house,“ Boyd said. “She could really use this program.”
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