Western South Dakota community saves money and lives with home insulation

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A Western South Dakota community event invited the community to watch a demonstration of weatherization processes to celebrate the 48th anniversary of weatherization programs with the Department of Energy on Wednesday.

Demonstrations included moving carbon monoxide through a home, blowing insulation, and how to prevent catastrophic events such as house fires.

WSDCA has many programs for those trying to get out of poverty, home insulation is just one of them. Auditors will check doors, windows, insulation, HVAC systems and more. Once the audit is completed, auditors put all the information obtained from the audit into a computer software system created by the Department of Energy to find the most cost-effective way to improve the home if necessary. They will complete the material installation and final inspection.

Insulation is designed not only to save money, but also to preserve people’s health.

“Low-income people survive by making things happen, and sometimes it’s substandard. In other words, they end up in dangerous situations. Part of the final inspection is making sure everything is working as it should be, including the HVAC system, and that there is no carbon monoxide in that home,” William Thompson, energy auditor with Western South Dakota Community Action. , said.

Thompson added that energy savings are important to people on low incomes, so the organization tries to save homeowners at least 15 percent in the first year of weatherization.

WSDCA operations manager Laura Fletcher said insulating homes not only benefits current residents, but also the community.

“Rapid City has an increasing aging housing stock, and the more we can keep these older homes livable, the longer they can be lived in,” Fletcher said.

Thompson said he knows many people whose lives have been saved by weatherization work carried out by the WSDCA.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things you can do, especially when you find life safety issues and actually save people’s lives. Personally, I know at least five to ten people whose lives we actually saved. From a medical standpoint, they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, and through our process, we made their homes safe afterward. It’s a very rewarding job,” Thompson said.

Fletcher hopes to hold another day of demonstrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Western South Dakota Community Action.

For more information about Western South Dakota Community Action and their programs such as weatherization, visit the WSDCA website. website.

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