
Shirley beaumont
Shirley Beaumont never used to worry much about paying her utility bills.
That
was before her husband, Russell, of almost 50 years died six years ago.
Back when the retired couple was receiving both of their social
security checks, as well as his pension from Indiana Bell, they could
live reasonably comfortably in the home they'd bought in November 1960.
But
these days, with just Shirley's fixed income from social security
paying the bills, there's less of a cushion for unexpected expenses.
Last winter, Shirley faced rising expenses that would be a problem even
for a wealthier person when the cost of heating her home just west of
Bloomington skyrocketed. In an all-electric house, she received an
electric bill of $345 one month and $430 the next. She was still reeling
from those bills when the next month's bill arrived - $745.
"Oh my God," she recalled. "I cried."
Beaumont
quickly did what she could to reduce her heating bills. A grandmother
with three daughters and one son living in the area, she got their help
in putting plastic over her windows and closing off a room at one end of
the house. Her family also helped with her heating expenses, just as
Shirley still helps them in other ways. One daughter, Rhea Kutche, lives
at Shirley's house some of the time as Rhea recovers from bone cancer.
Shirley
hopes the biggest help with her utility bills, though, will come from
the South Central Community Action Program providing energy efficiency
improvements to her home this month. Shirley was identified as having
high bills by her electric company and was referred to SCCAP's
Weatherization Program.
SCCAP
Weatherization Auditor Terry Crowe came to Shirley's home to do an
energy audit has determined the most effective ways to cut her energy
use while also making the more than 100-year-old home more comfortable
in the winter. Using a visual inspection and sophisticated equipment to
locate and measure energy loss, Crowe found areas where the home's heat
is escaping during the winter. A ceiling in one bedroom, for instance,
has a hole that's about eight feet by eight feet that has been concealed
by a false or dropped ceiling. There are similar holes, allowing heat
to escape into the attic, over a stairwell and in a bedroom closet.
"I can't imagine how cold this closet is in the winter," Crowe said. "We're going to make a big difference in this house."
As
Terry inspected the home using a blower door and an infrared camera,
Shirley said she's thrilled at the improvements to be made.
"I'm just so grateful," she said. "I really didn't know what I was going to do."