Colman Homeowner to Receive Extreme Energy Makeover

MADISON, S.D. – Heartland Consumers Power District announced that one resident of the city of Colman, S.D., will receive an extreme energy home makeover. Heartland is providing the energy makeover as part of their energy efficiency program, Power Forward.  

Colman Mayor Brent Nelson, city council members and city employees were present for the announcement.  

Heartland is a public power utility located in Madison, S.D. Heartland provides low-cost, reliable power, energy services and community development programs to the city of Colman as well as other communities and state agencies in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

Each of the communities Heartland serves was encouraged to apply for the makeover to be performed in their community. They were asked to provide information about their community such as the average residential utility bill, population as well as a brief statement describing how their town would benefit from the makeover.

Fifteen Heartland customers applied. After reviewing applications, Heartland staff decided Colman was a good fit for the makeover. Like most of Heartland's customer communities, Colman has several homes with higher-than-average utility bills that would benefit from efficiency upgrades.

"The goal of the  Extreme Energy Home Makeover is to educate everyone of the benefits of energy efficiency," said Ann Hyland, director of energy programs for Heartland. "What better way than to make improvements to an existing home and showcase the results."

Heartland conceptualized the idea of the Extreme Energy Home Makeover based on the idea that most residents of their customer communities live in older homes with older windows, appliances, heating and cooling systems and lack proper insulation. In fact, according to the  U.S. Census bureau, the majority of housing units in the region were built before 1980 – 72 percent in South Dakota, 69 percent in Minnesota and 79 percent in Iowa. According to the Department of Energy, the average homeowner spends $1,900 per year on utility bills. Based on this information, the makeover seemed liked the perfect start to Heartland's efficiency efforts.

Heartland will take a whole-house approach when making upgrades to the home selected. Research shows that a whole-house approach can trim up to 30 percent from a home's energy use. Making only one improvement, such as installing an energy-efficient heat pump, will help, but the best results come from looking at the house as a system. Each part must function properly for maximum efficiency.

"Not only will the lucky homeowner see lower bills, use less energy and feel less drafts, everyone in the city of Colman and in the region will see the results of the improvements," said Hyland. "We'll be able to show the payback period of efficiency improvements and demonstrate that the upfront costs are worth the long-term benefit."

Heartland also announced they will be partnering with Inter-lakes Community Action Partnership for the makeover. ICAP runs a Weatherization Assistance Program for income-eligible residents across a 12-county area. After receiving stimulus funding for the program, ICAP will be able to weatherize more than twice as many homes.

Heartland hopes to help ICAP promote their weatherization program and entice more applicants.

Residents of Colman interested in having the extreme energy makeover performed on their home will be required to submit an application and provide proof of home ownership. More information will be available to residents soon.  

Information provided by Heartland Consumers Power District.
June 2009