Orchard Acres Residents Get a Hand with Home Repairs & Energy Upgrades

0
1470

By Jennifer Jacobs

This one ‘s fixed.
This one ‘s fixed.

Qualified homeowners in Crozet’s Orchard Acres neighborhood are getting help on major home repair needs and energy efficiency upgrades through a state grant to the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program, a local non-profit.

“Homeowners often struggle to cover the cost of big-ticket repairs, and it can be very stressful,” said Joyce Dudek, AHIP’s associate director who is managing the Orchard Acres project. “AHIP is a non-profit Class A Contractor, and our job is to help families get these repairs taken care of.”

AHIP’s crews are addressing heating, cooling, insulation, electrical, plumbing, accessibility, and structural issues.

“I was very happy with AHIP’s services,” said Nina Brackett, a mother of two, whose house has been repaired. “AHIP was very respectful of my home and property, and they were polite and addressed my concerns right away.

“They put on a new roof, replaced floors in two rooms with laminate, repaired electrical issues in my panel box, and repaired outlets that were brought up to code. They installed a more water-efficient commode and added installation in the attic. During the time that they were doing the work, my HVAC broke and needed to be replaced, and AHIP was able to install a new energy-efficient system, which improved my electric bill by $75 the first month! They made my house more energy efficient and my water bill decreased by $7 the first month.”

AHIP is accepting applications from Orchard Acres homeowners for the two-year grant, which aims to help at least 20 families.

Families must own their home and income restrictions apply. For more information, homeowners can contact Dudek at AHIP at 434.817.2447 x23 or at [email protected].