The Beacon helps keep homes warm

The Beacon is doing its part to help keep low-income residents in the area a little more comfortable this winter.

Through the Kansas Warm Homes project, volunteer organizations in about 50 Kansas counties, including Bourbon County, will provide more than 6,000 energy conservation kits to low-income Kansas residents statewide. The kits can be easily installed and will allow those residents to save money on energy use while also creating a more comfortable living environment for them.

The Beacon, a local food pantry and community assistance agency, has 86 of the energy conservation kits available, but they are expected to be snatched up fast, The Beacon Director Bob Eckles said.

"I'm sure they'll go like hotcakes," Eckles said.

This year, the Kansas Corporation Commission, through its Kansas Energy Office, is continuing the project, which provides assistance for the most marginalized citizens in the state. Those residents are then able to make some changes to their homes that help to conserve energy and make them a little more comfortable this winter.

The program also increases awareness of the need for the efficient use of energy and energy conservation, while providing simple, low-cost energy-saving measures that all citizens can use, a KCC statement said.

Volunteer organizations like The Beacon, including civic organizations, churches, and other community assistance agencies, are joining together to deliver the energy conservation kits.

Target qualifications for eligibility to obtain a kit are households that fall under 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, the statement said. Income guidelines range from an annual income of less than $14,000 for eligible participants, to $48,000 a year for a qualifying family of eight people, Eckles said.

The kits include plastic sheeting to cover windows and doors, weather stripping for doors, rope caulking to seal cracks, switch plate insulators to stop drafts and improve the comfort level in older and substandard homes. The custom designed kits also include energy-saving devices such as door sweeps and four compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The kits can be installed by residents with minimal instruction, and volunteers are available for those who are unable to install them, the statement said.

The Kansas Energy Office and the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation at the Kansas Development Finance Authority have teamed up to provide necessary funds to purchase the kits.

For more information about the project and how to obtain a kit, contact The Beacon at (620) 223-6869. Residents in other Kansas counties may call their local participating organization, or the Kansas Energy Office at (785) 271-3170, or by e-mail at kswarmhomes@kcc.state.ks.us.