BIDDEFORD — Carol Bishop’s two-unit home on Clifford Street is an older building that was very expensive to heat. But the divorcee, who is unemployed and living on a fixed income, didn’t have the financial resources to make improvements to her home in order to bring down her heating costs.

Lucky for her, there are several federal, state and local programs available that can provide heating assistance for homeowners who fit within certain income guidelines.

Through these programs, at no cost to her, Bishop’s home has been insulated this winter, at a cost she estimated of $10,000; a new furnace and hot water heater were installed; and soon the windows, doors and electrical outlets in her home will be weatherized.

“I’m very fortunate there are programs like this,” said Bishop, who said she’s already noticed a big difference in her heating costs. “I couldn’t afford a new furnace or a new hot water heater. I’m unemployed and finding a job now is impossible.”

Bishop said she learned about most of the programs when she applied for heating assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, more commonly referred to as LIHEAP.

The weatherization installation program will be done by the City of Biddeford, with the assistance of the city’s Adult Education program and a local youth organization, Go Greene.

Biddeford is participating in the project under the auspices of the state program Keep Me Warm. The weatherization program is free to both the city and the recipients.

“Free, that’s what we like,” said Biddeford’s Community Development Coordinator Linda Waters, who is coordinating the program for the city.

Funds are still available to weatherize approximately a dozen or more homes in Biddeford, said Waters. She said the city can order up to $2,000 worth of materials and all the installation work is being done by volunteers. 

Earlier this month, Waters joined Janet Kalman, the director of the Biddeford Adult Education program, members of Go Greene and other volunteers in training sessions to show them how to weatherize qualifying homes.

The program provides a number of items and services, including: Six plastic windows, made by prisoners at the Maine State Prison in Warren, which can be popped in and out and reused from year-to-year; low-flow shower heads; caulking around windows and weather stripping around doors; and foam inserts for electrical outlets on exterior walls through which a lot of cold air can seep through.

On Friday, a group of four, including Water, Kalman and volunteers George Whitbread and Joe Hepp, made their first trip to three Biddeford homes to assess their needs.

The group spent an hour or two at each home filling out forms with homeowners, measuring windows to make sure the panels would fit properly, and checking out which doors and electrical units needed attention when a work crew returns in a few weeks to install it all.

The city is looking for more homes in which to provide this service. In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must be LIHEAP eligible,said Barbara Wentworth, director of Community Impact for the United Way of York County.

To apply, York County residents must call the 211 help line which is sponsored by the United Ways of Maine and Youth Alternatives Ingraham. The help line will put people in touch with the agency coordinating the effort for their community, said Wentworth.

In addition to Biddeford, there are other teams of volunteers that are providing weatherization assistance for residents throughout York County.

“The programs are out there if people want to look for them,” said Bishop.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.