Subsidized renovations cut homeowners’ fuel costs

Noia, now 86 and living on Social Security, never could afford to seal up her house. In winter, she had high fuel bills because the heat would escape through drafty windows. The rusty boiler wasn’t reliable, either.

But Silveira, an energy auditor at Action Inc., a nonprofit agency in Gloucester, has come up with a plan to button up the 1960s-era house. Federal stimulus money will be used to pay for most of the $12,000 repair job, which will include a new furnace, insulation, and windows. “The insulation is very limited because of the age of the house, Silveira said. “But we can tighten things up for her.’’

Action will receive $8.5 million in federal stimulus money over the next three years to improve energy efficiency in low-income households from Gloucester to Haverhill to Lynn. Governor Deval Patrick recently announced $48.8 million in weatherization grant money would go to 14 agencies statewide.

Community Action Programs Intercity in Chelsea received $10.2 million and the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council received $7.6 million, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

“It’s a huge amount of money,’’ said Tim Riley, interim executive director at Action Inc. “Energy conservation is a priority of the stimulus. . . . The goal is to decrease the need for energy and crank up the economy.’’

Action usually receives about $700,000 each year from the federal Department of Energy for home weatherization projects. The money usually is enough to weatherize about 280 homes each year. But with stimulus money, Action will be able to do 1,182 units, according to state estimates.

Families eligible for the program must earn 60 percent or less of the statewide median income, which is $53,608 for a family of four, with some contributing to the costs on a sliding scale, according to the state.

On most winter days, Noia sits in a recliner in her living room, wearing a house coat and wrapped in a red blanket. “She gets cold a lot,’’ said her son, Joe Noia, 44, who is unemployed and takes care of his mother. “Last year, I went to Action for help to pay the fuel bill.’’

With the stimulus money, Action hopes to winterize more homes. Silveira and other energy auditors will visit a home to check windows, furnaces, and insulation to determine how much energy a home uses. Action has hired three new staff members and added three new contractors to ramp up production.

“There is a multiplier effect of the stimulus,’’ Riley said. “We’re hiring contractors and helping people to save energy costs, so that they have more money in their pockets.’’