Survey says … energy efficiency financing needed in western NC

Appalachian Voices recently conducted a Facebook survey in western North Carolina served by rural electric co-ops. Almost 90% of the respondents survey said they had trouble paying their electric bill. Tens of thousands of homes in this region are older and drafty, losing energy through windows, doors and roofs. Yet almost half the population is below the poverty line. A new financing mechanism for energy efficiency improvements could work wonders.

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Keeping energy through the generations

“We do everything we can to keep energy,” Barbara Taylor says as she heads down the stairs to the basement of the home she has shared with her husband, Paul, in New Tazewell, Tennessee since 1980. Outside it’s a humid 78 degrees, but in the narrow basement room that houses the Taylors’ heat pump it’s cool and dry.

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Reports show need for energy efficiency financing in western NC

Contacts: Rory McIlmoil, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, rory@appvoices.org Amber Moodie-Dyer, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, amber@appvoices.org Daniel Kauffman, ResiSpeak, 919-812-5657, dk@resispeak.com BOONE, N.C. — Two reports released today by Appalachian Voices show how effective home energy efficiency improvements can be for saving families money and the tremendous customer demand in western North Carolina for accessible, upfront financing to…

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Home Energy Contest Reveals Pressing Need in Western NC

Residents spend three times national average on energy bills Contact: Rory McIlmoil, Energy Policy Director, 828-262-1500, rory@appvoices.org Sarah Kellogg, North Carolina Field Organizer, 828-262-1500, sarah@appvoices.org Boone, N.C. — In announcing the three winners of its “High Country Home Energy Makeover Contest” today, Appalachian Voices said that the need for residential energy efficiency improvements in one…

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Innovating with Electric Cooperatives

By Sarah Kellogg An inspiring, forward-thinking businessman, Mike Couick works to distribute affordable electricity to rural homes. “I don’t believe it’s a sustainable business plan to try to sell electricity that a member can’t afford,” Couick says. “The bottom line is their satisfaction and well-being.” Couick is the CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South…

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