Community volunteers will prepare homes for winter to help residents save energy.
As the leaves fall and colder temperatures approach, many in our community are helping the area's low-income elderly and disabled get an early upper hand on winter by weatherizing homes as part of the 29th annual Project Warm Blitz.
Sponsored by Kentucky's largest energy company, the volunteer effort will provide weatherization services to about 300 households in Louisville on November 3 and 10. Volunteers use simple techniques such as sealing cracks with caulk and taping plastic over windows to keep cold air out of homes. These small steps keep homes warmer and conserve energy, which helps some of the community's most vulnerable residents save on monthly heating bills.
"The weatherization work performed by our volunteers can reduce energy costs by an average of 11%," said Matthew Hudson, executive director of Project Warm, the local nonprofit that organizes the Blitz and provides year-round weatherization services and education workshops to low-income, elderly and disabled residents, as well as veterans.
Last year, more than 225 homes were served in the Blitz. This year, the organization's goal is to service at least 300 households and weatherize 1,400 windows. The Blitz brings out hundreds of volunteers each year, including companies, high school and college students, church groups and families.
Gather a team and sign up at www.projectwarm.org/blitz-volunteer-page or call 502-636-9276. Individuals interested in volunteering can also ask to be assigned to a team.
If you're unable to volunteer on a Blitz day, you can still help by making a monetary donation to Project Warm. Donations will pay for weatherization supplies like caulk, plastic and weather stripping.