FARMINGTON — Nights are getting cooler; leaves are starting to change…it is time to start planning for winter. United Way of the Tri-Valley Area is honored to once again offer the Community Energy Challenge. The Community Energy Challenge (CEC) is a Franklin and Northern Androscoggin County volunteer-led winterization initiative designed to help families save money on heating costs.

A simple, low-cost strategy of interior window panels keeps heat inside homes during the harsh winter months and encourages homeowners to make positive changes in their energy consumption. The CEC encourages the homeowners or renters to participate in workshops when possible and become more proactive in their homes and lives. United Way will once again be following CDC guidelines for our volunteers who visit homes to measure or install as well as at the workshops. The traditional potluck lunch will be a takeout lunch option again this year to minimize risk.

Any interested volunteers are encouraged to attend a Community Energy Challenge window panel workshop this year:
•  Location: Henderson Memorial Baptist Church, Academy Street, Farmington
•  When: Saturdays, September 25 – December 11 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
•  Need to know: No previous experience is required, and all are welcome.

Families who receive fuel assistance qualify for up to six FREE interior window panels that are measured and built especially for their windows. To sign up or get additional information, call the United Way office at 778-5048.
For those who do not qualify for heating assistance, panels are very affordable at $1.50 linear/ft. These panels will pay for themselves in energy saved within the first heating season. Interior window panels are available to householders living in Franklin County, Livermore, and Livermore Falls.

Since the program’s inception, more than 1,225 volunteers have served over 18,900 hours building and installing 2,851 interior storm window panels for 500 households and 25 community buildings for an estimated energy savings now of more than $82,000 annually. This number continues to grow each season as panels are used again and again.
The Community Energy Challenge is made possible by the generous support of United Way volunteers and the Susan and Fritz Onion Component Fund of the Maine Community Foundation.

For additional information about United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, visit www.uwtva.org or call 778-5048. Follow United Way on Facebook, too (www.facebook.com/uwtva) to be kept up to speed on up-coming programs and initiatives.

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