JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company, in partnership with the Dorsey Riverbend Front Porch Council and Ft. Lauderdale City Commissioner Carlton Moore, provided free Home Energy Makeovers today for 50 low-income families in Dorsey Riverbend, a community in Broward County. FPL estimates that these families may save as much as 25 percent a year from the upgrades they receive in the free energy makeover. For these families, the savings may equate to about three months of energy use annually.
“Our goal is to make a difference in our customers’ lives, and one way we can do that is by helping them improve their home’s energy efficiency to save money year-round,” said Marlene Santos, vice president of customer service for FPL. “We are especially sensitive to those who, because of a fixed or limited income, may find it more difficult to pay an electric bill, and by offering the strengths of our company with the talent of our employees, we can improve the quality of life for those valued customers.”
Home Energy Makeover teams, composed of FPL energy experts and Dorsey Riverbend volunteers, visited the 50 homes in one day to outfit them with energy-efficient upgrades. Examples include:
- Air conditioning duct repairs
- Pipe insulation
- Ceiling insulation
- Lifetime AC filters
- FPL’s On Call program
- Compact fluorescent lights
- Caulking and weather-stripping
- Refrigerator and freezer thermometers
- Water-saving showerheads and faucets
“Partnering with FPL on a program like the Home Energy Makeover gives us the opportunity to make a genuine difference in the lives of families in this community,” said Matt Walters, Council Chair of the Dorsey Riverbend Front Porch Council. “Month after month these families will see real savings on their electric bills as a result of these upgrades.”
To complete 50 Home Energy Makeovers in one day, twelve teams of four or five volunteers each visited every home that was pre-selected by the Dorsey Riverbend Front Porch Council as a qualifying recipient of the makeovers. Each team spent between one to two hours to install the energy-efficiency upgrades, and to educate homeowners about other no-cost or low-cost measures they can take to further reduce their energy use and lower their bills.
"Community events that help as well as educate are the most successful, even more so when it’s a partnership between a company like FPL and the community,” said Commissioner Moore. “What we’re leaving behind are neighbors now who have energy-saving tools and a better understanding of what it takes to better manage their electric bills.”
While today’s Home Energy Makeover was designed to benefit a specific low-income neighborhood, all FPL customers can implement many of the same measures to save energy. FPL says customers can conduct their own Home Energy Makeover by visiting www.FPL.com and completing an Online Home Energy Survey. The service, available 24/7, offers customers a personalized analysis of a home's energy use and specific ways to save energy. The survey provides customers with an overall guide for an energy efficient home and a printable report detailing specific ideas on how to keep electric bills down. Many of the tips are as simple as controlling thermostat settings, turning off fans before leaving a room or replacing incandescent lights bulbs with compact fluorescents.
This is the second time FPL has partnered with a non-profit organization in this pilot Home Energy Makeover program, bringing free Home Energy Makeovers to families in need. In December 2006, FPL and the Newtown Front Porch Revitalization Council joined forces to provide energy-efficiency upgrades to 50 families in the Newtown neighborhood of Sarasota.
About FPL
Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of nearly $16 billion and a growing presence in 26 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves 4.4 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, FPL Group's competitive energy subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.FPL.com, www.FPLGroup.com and www.FPLEnergy.com.
About the Dorsey Riverbend Front Porch Council
The Fort Lauderdale Dorsey-Riverbend Revitalization Council is one of twenty Front Porch Florida-designated communities at work throughout the State of Florida. Front Porch Florida is a community development and revitalization initiative established by Governor Jeb Bush in 1999 to facilitate economic and social empowerment at the local level.