Remember this?  Snow and cold?  An article in the Post-Gazette today reported that AccuWeather is predicting a colder-than-average winter, especially through the early months of the season, November through December through about early January.  Although we are currently enjoying beautiful, mild weather, it’s not too soon to start thinking about weatherizing your home for the winter months.

For low income residents, there are a few good resources for help in making your home cozy and safe for the winter.  Action Housing provides weatherization assistance for low income residents (the income ceiling is 21,660 for a single person, $29,410 for two, and $44,100 for a family of four.  These services are for anyone who qualifies and applies in time — you don’t have to own the home.  After an assessment, approved contractors do the necessary weatherization repairs to make your home energy efficient.  Services include:

— Replace cracked or broken glass in windows
— Caulk/Weather-strip around windows
— Weather-strip around outside doors
— Re-glaze windows
— Replace or install threshold and door sweeps
— Insulation blanket around hot water tank
— Insulation wrap around exposed pipes
— Insulation/attic area (where applicable)
— Safety Check on Heating Plant and Hot Water Tank

Check Action Housing’s program page for more information.  The information on the weatherization is about three-quarters of the way down the page.

Another resource is the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is administered through your energy provider.  If accepted, a grant is directly applied to your account as a credit.  The LIHEAP program hasn’t yet opened up the application process for this winter; typically, the application become available in early November.  We’ll do a post here when that goes up.

(photo from February 2010 by Leslie Clague)