KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Over the last few years, Karen Ray struggled when battling the ups and downs of East Tennessee weather. She said she finally doesn't have to suffer anymore because the Home Uplift program had replaced her heating and air system.
"It was uncomfortable, [in the winter]. I stayed cold, and in the summer I burned up because of the irregularities," Ray said.
KUB said the program is meant to help homes save energy and money. It is possible through a partnership with the TVA, helping them serve more homes across the region. It used to take on around 30 homes per year, and now the can support that many homes in a month.
KUB said their partnership with TVA started last year. Before then, people were on a waiting list for years to get into the program. It upgrades heating and air conditioning units, detects and helps fix leaks inside of a home, and ultimately aims to reduce a person's utilities bill.
"It definitely ranges, depending on the home and the way the customer uses their energy," said Chasity Hobby, an environment lead for KUB. "On average, we see around a 15% energy reduction but in some cases, it can be as high as 50%."
The program is free for people who qualify. According to the program's website, the program can also result in cleaner air throughout a home.
"The customer won't have to pay any money, at any point in time," said Hobby. "They just sign up, the approved contractor comes in and does all the work, and they never have to pay a dime for any of that."
The program starts by testing the home for any drafts or areas where cold and hot air can leak out. On average, households get around $11,000 through the program.
"We're going to find every leak in the home to make sure that the home is very efficient, which actually helps your unit not run as long, not using as much power, which saves on utilities," said Billy Worthington with Krug and Sons Mechanical, a company providing HVAC services.
He said the work to seal leaks in a house can include spraying foam, installing installation or even bringing in new appliances.
"They're just so happy because they've been heating with dangerous sources of heat — fire, kerosene, things like that," he said. "So now, they have a very safe source of heating and cooling in their home."
Ray said her two-bedroom house used to always stay cold in the winter. But now, she is able to stay warm and comfortable in her own home.
"It's very nice to be able to know that I can be warm or cold or reset it on what temperature I want, and it gets to that and then shuts off," said Ray.