SAN ANTONIO – Despite have an air conditioner, fans and blinds, Adolph Zimmerman used to live in a miserably hot home.
But the 88-year-old man’s home is a lot cooler these days, thanks to a free weatherization assistance program provided by the Alamo Area Council Of Governments (ACOG).
“Heat used to come so real strong. But now the heat doesn’t come through the wall at all,” Zimmerman said.
In addition to helping bring down the temperature in a home, the program helps low-income residents overcome high energy costs.
Zimmerman’s electric bill was cut in half and his house feels like home again.
“It’s fabulous,” he said.
AACOG inspector Andre Fuhrman said his goal is to reduce air infiltration or stop outside air from coming inside by 50 to 75%. He accomplishes this by installing an energy-efficient air conditioner and adding insulation throughout the house, especially in the attic.
“The temperature was 180 degrees up there. So if you have 180 degrees up there and you’re trying to get it down to 78 here, the AC is going to work way too hard and probably never satisfy the temperature,” Fuhrman said.
AACOG just received additional funding from the Department of Energy so they can put in more energy-saving resources like these solar screens.
“The brightness coming in, it just shuts it all out and goes the other way. It helps a lot with those fancy screens or whatever you want to call them,” Zimmerman said.
To see if you qualify for the program, apply here.