Home of Olga Ehret
Challenge
Ehret, whose family lives in a late 19th century farmhouse, said, “I never thought it could get so bad. Before we had the work done, the attic wasn’t even livable. It was terribly cold because of thin walls and poor insulation. The bills to heat the house just kept rising.” Before having upgrades through the program, the Ehrets could never get their house to heat above 50 degrees last winter.
Solution
Now, they live in a comfortable and sustained 70 degrees and no longer have to deal with cold drafts. The Ehrets were losing over $1,670 in fuel oil heating costs between November 2015 and March 2016 last winter. A year later, the Ehrets have only paid $640 in fuel oil costs from November 2016 to present. Likewise, the Ehrets are paying substantially less in heating costs this winter even amidst colder temperatures, as opposed to paying significantly more during last year’s milder winterNow, they live in a comfortable and sustained 70 degrees and no longer have to deal with cold drafts. The Ehrets were losing over $1,670 in fuel oil heating costs between November 2015 and March 2016 last winter. A year later, the Ehrets have only paid $640 in fuel oil costs from November 2016 to present. Likewise, the Ehrets are paying substantially less in heating costs this winter even amidst colder temperatures, as opposed to paying significantly more during last year’s milder winter. Ehret said, “Our heating cost dropped by $1,030 after having insulation work done through the program. This savings covers our yearly $540 loan payment and we get to keep $490 in our pocket that we would otherwise have lost to heating bills in previous years.”
