Do you want to save money on your energy bills or help a neighbor who does?
Here are some great ways to do just that – mostly provided by Green Built Alliance programs!
Did you know that nearly a third of U.S. households struggle to afford their energy bills, with one in five cutting back on or foregoing necessities such as food or medicine to pay for electricity and heat, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration? So if you want to address poverty, you need to address energy sustainability for those with limited incomes, especially since the world’s temperature keeps rising due to climate. That’s why Green Built Alliance is dedicated to advancing sustainability and community education through their many programs.
With funding from the City of Asheville and Buncombe County, Duke Energy, grants, private donations, and the good work of our volunteer corps, Green Built Alliance is working to improve the lives of those who struggle with rising energy costs. Below there are several programs that provide energy-saving measures to help you and/or your neighbors! And once your neighbor sees what you are doing, they usually end up doing the same thing so feel free to share the love AND Energy Savings!
Get a free Home Energy Chat with Blue Horizons Project!
Home Energy Chats is a program offering by Blue Horizons Project. Our goal is to help you save money and energy in your home. We do this through personalized, virtual consultations. We are not here to sell you anything and our only goal is to help you find the best solutions for your budget and your home. We can help you find answers to questions regarding HVAC replacement, water heater replacement, insulation, going solar, and more!
Help a Neighbor out — Fund a solar installation for low-income residents!
Neighbor to Neighbor Solar is a new grant program that provides solar arrays to low-income homeowners in Buncombe County at no cost to the recipient. This program has limited funding from the City and County so private tax-deductible donations from businesses, organizations, and residents is needed. So far, there have been signed contracts with 11 homeowners and five systems have been installed. Low-income and families of color are disproportionately energy burdened whereas these systems permanently reduce their energy costs, freeing up funds for other critical family needs. We currently have a limited amount of funds available for the Neighbor to Neighbor Solar initiative. As more funds become available we will be able to serve more households. Make a tax-deductible donation to Green Built Alliance. Your donation will go directly towards funding solar installations for more Buncombe county residents!
Volunteer and/or get free Home energy-efficiency upgrades with Energy Savers Network!
This free service is for qualified low-income households located in Buncombe County to save them money on their energy bills by implementing simple but effective energy-efficiency upgrades to their home. The energy-efficiency upgrades include insulating water heaters, sealing air leaks and air ducts, installing low-flow water fixtures and door weatherstripping, as well as replacing light bulbs, creating reusable air filters and custom-built interior storm windows, etc. Apply for this free service below, donate/sponsor, and even volunteer with this program to help out a neighbor. If you and/or a group of you are interested in volunteering with us, we promise you will enjoy learning new skills while helping your fellow community and reducing energy consumption in the fight against climate change, not to mention the “happiness factor” that volunteering does for your soul.
Learn some simple Home Energy Saving Tips
Learn the best and easiest energy-efficiency tips that you can do at home to help reduce your energy usage and save big on your energy bills! Once you understand how energy works and that heat is the biggest energy waster, it gets easier to make a habit of these small changes. Watch the videos to learn more tips or “how to”.
Help lower peak energy demands and get paid by Duke!
Duke Energy’s EnergyWise program will pay you up to $175 a year to help lower the demand for energy in Buncombe County. They do this by reducing your home’s energy use during times of unusually high demand (only for minutes at a time and only on weekdays). This offering is only for households who use AC, a heat pump with heat strips, and/or electric water heater. Watch Video on How It Works »