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Community Environmental Center Receives $3 Million DOE Grant for Innovative Weatherization Project
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Jay Ackley of CEC: A Minnesotan in Gotham
Monday, August 30th, 2010

Lack of Will on Cap & Trade Undermines Recovery and Hurts Climate, But Is There a Future for HomeStar?
Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Donna Parris: Woman of Many Lives
Monday, July 26th, 2010

Community Environmental Center and other agencies receive $12.9 million from DHCR for affordable housing weatherization
Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Community Environmental Center leads a state-of-the-art solar thermal project for the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council
Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Community Environmental Center is installing solar thermal systems in New York City
Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Community Environmental Center Welcomes JetBlue Airways to the Cool Roofs Movement
Monday, June 21st, 2010

21-year-old Spring Creek Towers resident is learning to weatherize homes
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Spring Creek Towers: A City Within The City
Monday, June 7th, 2010

Weatherization Story: Hyacintha C.

         
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010


Ms. Carol Wiggins
Community Environmental Center

Dear Ms. Wiggins,

“I had weatherization and insulation done in June 2009. I could not write to you before, since I had to wait for the cold weather, to judge how well the job was done. Well, this is winter now, and I am very happy with the warmth I am enjoying in the house….I know my gas bill will be much less this year. Thank you very much for placing me on your program.

Yours truly,
Hyacintha C.
Brooklyn

Hyacintha is a retired Registered Nurse who lives with her husband in a four-bedroom house in Brooklyn.

Born in Barbados, she first moved to Canada, then came to the United States and worked and raised a family (the children’s many net-ball and bowling trophies are proudly on display in the dining room).

Hyacintha and her husband bought the house in Brooklyn about 20 years ago. But the house itself is around 100 years old. Even though Hyacintha clearly takes excellent care of her home, it was no surprise that too much cold air was coming in during the winter. “It was very drafty,” Hyacintha said during my recent visit to her beautiful house.

She learned about the weatherization program at Community Environmental Center (CEC) through a flyer she received with her gas bill. She called CEC, and CEC’s Henderson Callender (who also happens to be from Barbados) went to Hyacintha’s house and told her that, if her income was below a certain level, she could be eligible for weatherization at no cost to her or her family.

Processing the application took a little time, but last June a CEC crew began its work. “It took about a week to do the house,” Hyacintha reports.

Of course she had to move some furniture. “But they were excellent,” Hyacintha says about the workmen and women. “Very professional. They always told me when they were going to be here, and what they were going to do. They had to break into the wall to put in some insulation. But they came and worked, and they cleaned up every time before they left.”

CEC’s crew insulated walls throughout the house and even in the attic, where they also changed the door. They checked the boiler, checked the exhaust from the clothes dryer and fixed a problem. They installed a carbon monoxide detector and gave Hyacintha new, energy-efficient light bulbs. “They gave me a new fridge, too,” says Hyacintha. “A nice big one.”

And the best part: “It did not cost me anything,” says Hyacintha.

Now, even during the coldest days in January, her home is comfortable and warm. “It is fantastic,” says Hyacintha.

–A. Greene