Program That Reduces Seniors’ Energy Bills Celebrates Milestone

The Governor's Office of Energy (GOE) recently celebrated a Home Energy Retrofit Opportunity for Seniors (H.E.R.O.S.) program milestone when the 300th home owned by an eligible Nevada senior received weatherization improvements.

“The H.E.R.O.S program is both a cost saver and a life saver for eligible Nevada seniors,” GOE Director Angie Dykema said. “By improving the energy efficiency of their homes, H.E.R.O.S. lowers the energy bills for low income citizens and improves the health and safety of their living environment.”

The H.E.R.O.S. program pays for an energy assessment of a qualifying senior's home and the installation of up to $6,000 worth of recommended weatherization measures at no cost. Nevada Housing Division administers the program through a network of non-profit service provider agencies that employ local contractors.

"This great state program empowers people like me with disabilities," said Michael Jones during a tour of the weatherization improvements made to his Carson City home. "My energy bill was $120 and that was with me barely running my heater during the winter. Now, my energy bill is $90 and I can run the heater more often."

The Governor's Office of Energy oversees energy programs required through statute and those that help to meet the mission of the office, which is to ensure the wise development of Nevada's energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada natural resources. For more information about GOE, please visit ww.energy.nv.gov .

Since the program's inception, approximately 309 homes have received weatherization improvements through the program. This helped seniors like Jones take advantage of the program. In addition, the H.E.R.O.S. program has generated other benefits as well:

• Each participating senior annually saves an average of 5,143 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 266 Therms of natural gas in their home. This represents a savings of 48% compared to an average Nevada home, which uses approximately 10,728 kWh annually.
• Each participating senior has seen an average annual savings of $927 on their utility bills.
• The program supports Nevada contractors who perform energy efficiency assessments and upgrades.
• The program supports Nevada businesses that manufacture and distribute weatherization products, such as insulation, new high-efficiency furnaces, air and duct sealing, hot water heaters, LED light bulbs, low-flow faucet aerators, and showerheads.

In addition to a new water heater, Jones said the energy contractor that worked on his home replaced his old refrigerator with a more energy efficient one, insulated his doors and windows to reduce drafts, wrapped his water pipes to reduce heat loss, and put in new light emitting diode (LED) lights.

"I appreciate the energy savings, but the quality of life improvement is just as good," Jones continued. "My doors and windows weren't properly sealed, and the wind would whistle and keep me up at night. Now my house is quiet when it's windy, and I don't have to deal with drafts when I sleep at night."

HEROS has four general requirements. The senior must:

1. Be age 60 or older.
2. Be a NV Energy customer.
3. Have an income at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
4. Own and reside in their home.

Seniors who meet these qualifications should contact one of the following agencies: 

• HELP of Southern Nevada, serving City of Las Vegas and southern rural Clark County at (702) 369-4357.
• City of Henderson Neighborhood Services, serving City of Henderson at (702) 267-2000.
• Las Vegas Clark County Urban League, serving City of North Las Vegas and northern rural Clark County at (702) 636-3949.
• Community Services Agency, serving Washoe County at (775) 786-6023.
• Nevada Rural Housing Authority, serving Carson, Douglas, Lyon, and Storey counties at (775) 887-1795.
• Rural Nevada Development Corporation, serving Churchill, Elko, Esmerelda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, and White Pine counties at (775) 289-8519.

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About the Governor's Office of Energy  

The Governor’s Office of Energy oversees energy programs required through statute and those that help to meet the mission of the office, which is to ensure the wise development of Nevada’s energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada natural resources. For more information about GOE, please visit www.energy.nv.gov.