Creating a Sustainable Transportation & Energy Vision for the 21^st Century

www.AltWheels.org

PETER WINGATE

AltWheels Regional Hero: Bringing energy efficiency

to low-income households

Peter Wingate displays energy-efficient light bulbs,

which the Worcester Community Action Council

distributes to low-income households in

Central Massachusetts.

· Home: Hadley, MA

· Current role: Director of Energy Resources, Worcester Community Action Council Inc.

· Current project: WCAC provides low-income households in Central Massachusetts with weatherization assistance, heating-system repair, and improved insulation and appliance replacement, among other measures. WCAC has recently added a wind generator in Sutton, MA, and a 60-panel solar-photovoltaic array in Webster, MA.

· Motivation: The satisfaction of bringing energy efficiency to people who cannot afford it but are also most in need of it.

· Impact of work: One impact, is seeing improvements occur in low-income households that upgrade old equipment to new models that are not only more energy efficient, but also improve the residents’ quality of life and health. For example, when WCAC installs a new refrigerator in a household, the resident’s food remains mold-free and fresh much longer. Another example is a new, WCAC-installed furnace that no longer puts soot into the air of the resident’s home. Another impact is a positive change in the way the federal Department of Energy views weatherization assistance. Compared to 20 years ago, DOE now willingly incorporates weatherizing as an important component of energy programs.

· Economics of work: Helping energy-efficient measures become accessible to low-income households helps reduce the carbon footprint across our society and our neighborhoods.

· Useful websites: www.wcac.net; Weatherization Assistance Program’s Technical Assistance Center, www.waptac.org