Ghostly Drafts Haunt Heating Bills

IDEM brings Hoosiers Care outreach initiative to Muncie Children's Museum

MUNCIE, IN - Ghostly drafts can easily sneak through a home's cracks and crevices, along with expensive heated or cooled air. This wastes millions of Hoosier dollars every year.

October is Weatherization Month and offers the perfect opportunity to remind Hoosiers to take simple actions to seal up a house before cold winter chills set in. Representatives from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) will bring fun activities and weatherization tips to the Muncie Children's Museum from 10:30 a.m.  to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Heating and electric bills can be reduced by weatherizing homes, and weatherization is a vital component of the Hoosier's Care initiative. Five state agencies collaborated to develop the Hoosiers Care initiative. In addition to IDEM, the Office of Energy and Defense, the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor, and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority have joined forces to educate Hoosiers about conservation of resources, including energy.

"With rising utility costs we want to encourage everyone to engage in energy conservation activities around the house that also help the environment," said Commissioner Easterly. "Simple actions such as turning off lights when leaving a room, replacing furnace filters, lowering the thermostat by a few degrees, and adding insulation can make a big difference in reducing air emissions and heating expenses."

With the rising cost of natural gas and heating oil, the number of families in need of assistance will increase again this year. There is an increase in funding so the state will have more financial assistance available for more households, and the average benefit will also increase. The assistance is used to pay heating/electric bills and cannot be used for reconnect fees or deposits.  It is paid in a lump sum directly to the applicant's utility company.

While many of these activities are free or at little cost, larger measures such as new furnaces, insulation, and other repairs can be more expensive. For home owners who may benefit from weatherization activities but cannot afford to take the necessary steps, they should contact their local community action agency (CAP) by calling 800-872-0371 to apply for weatherization or energy assistance.

The cost to enter the museum is $6, however, Muncie Children's Museum has a coupon online to save a dollar on admission.  The coupon can be found at  www.munciechildrensmuseum.com/index/parents/BiMonthlyCoupon.asp. Energy-saving tips can be found at www.hoosierscare.IN.gov, and a fact sheet about Weatherization and Energy Conservation can be found at www.IN.gov/idem/files/factsheet_weatherization.pdf.

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