RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA) – Western South Dakota Community Action welcomed the community to see demonstrations of their weatherization processes to celebrate the 48th anniversary of weatherization programs with the Department of Energy on Wednesday.

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

WSDCA has many programs for those coming out of poverty, home air conditioning is just one. Auditors will check doors, windows, insulation, HVAC systems and more. After the audit is complete, the auditors put all of the information 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 needed. They will finish with the installation of the material and the final inspection.

Air conditioning is not just about saving money, it’s about keeping people healthy.

“Low-income people survive by making things happen, and sometimes that doesn’t depend on code. In other words, they are done in dangerous situations. As part of the final inspection, it’s to make sure that everything is working as it should be in terms of HVAC and to make sure that carbon monoxide is not going to be produced in that house,” William Thompson, Energy Auditor at Western South Dakota Community Action. , he said.

Thompson added that energy savings are huge for low-income people, so the organization tries to save the homeowner at least 15 percent in the first year after the weather.

WSDCA operations manager Laura Fletcher said air conditioning homes not only benefits the current occupant, but also the community.

“Rapid City has a growing housing stock, and the longer we can maintain these older homes, the longer those homes are available to live in,” Fletcher said.

Thompson said he knew of many people who had their lives saved by the air conditioning work provided by the WSDCA.

“It’s one of the most gratifying things you can do, especially when you’re finding life safety issues and actually saving people’s lives. I personally know of at least five to 10 people whose lives I have saved. Medically they had carbon monoxide poisoning and through our process we ended up making their homes safe afterwards. It’s a very gratifying job,” Thompson said.

Fletcher hopes to hold another day of demonstrations for Western South Dakota Community Action’s 60th anniversary.

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

See a spelling or grammar mistake in our story? Please click here to report it.

Have a breaking news photo or video? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KOTA. All rights reserved.