Last week I exalted the virtues of getting stuff without asking for it (while direly needing it), in regard to an EnergyWorks flier placed on my door.

This past Saturday, an EnergyWorks crew of three showed up at my door as promised. After handing me a power cord and two boxes of compact fluorescent light bulbs (I had to do some work, I guess), each crew member set out to a different task—insulating my water heater, changing faucet heads to the low-flow variety (I can't tell the difference, so low-flow is fine by me), installing weatherstripping on my doors (the outside doors now make a satisfying suction sound upon entering the house).

Sadly, I was informed that my large, drafty single-pained windows—er, historic adobe house windows—are not the kind to be caulked. The group's leader, Javier Gonzales, did, however, offer me an application to have newer and efficient windows installed at a discount.



Like another Housing Trust program, YouthWorks, of which many of the EarthWorks members are part, EnergyWorks fosters a symbiotic relationship. Therein, disadvantaged young adults acquire skills in the ever-more-necessary field of green construction, while homeowners have their homes modified to save on energy costs. There're also the benefits to the environment that come from curbing the destruction an inefficient home wreaks.

EnergyWorks requires that you sign a release, which gives the group permission to compare your energy costs, before and after the modifications. In that way, EnergyWorks can prove its viability when it seeks more funding. With my windows a no-go, the EnergyWorks crew zipped through its procedures and was in and out in little over a half-hour. The energy-cost results aren't in yet but, as far as I can tell, the crew did a great job.

According to the crew, last Saturday they had completed updates on 160 houses. According Housing Trust Resource Development Manager Daniel Werwath, EnergyWorks plans to do work on 250 homes and, with the results from the energy releases, will seek funding for more.

Call  470-5892 to set up your own appointment.