Host a Weatherization Work Party
Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF) & Our Power are currently working together to help support teams of residents in working together to weatherize their homes. Get together a team of community members to host a work party (fun, music, and food, but also training and team-work) to air seal and weatherize your homes together. We cover the basics of heating and cooling and focus on practical fixes such as caulking, sealing windows and doors, changing a faucet aerator, installing a high-efficiency shower-head, switching a thermostat, and understanding phantom loads in appliances. This workshop offers hands-on practice, and can be held in your home to help you resolve your immediate concerns or in any community space. This is a great opportunity to bring together teams of neighbors or friends for a workshop to learn and start saving energy together.
If you wish to host a work party and live within any neighborhood bordering Lake Street, the Hennepin County Green Partners grant will cover the cost of what is normally a $50 work party and each participant gets $12 of free energy saving materials. You can choose from window kits, rope/tube caulk, CFL bulbs, high-efficiency shower-heads, and more. We will also reimburse you up to $25 for refreshments per work party. Our Power and CEF will provide all the information and materials. To learn more, you can visit www.mnourpower.org or call Lena at (612) 703-6508.
- Get together a core team of people who want to host the party, identify where (a certain block, housing development, community center, etc.), when you’d like to do it, and who you want to invite.
- Contact Lena at mnourpower@gmail.com, 612-548-1333 to talk over the details and identify what you need (trainers, caulk, window kits, equipment). CEF will allow communities to borrow basic equipment for free and will sell low-cost materials that will be consumed at bulk rates.
- Promote it, invite your friends, and prepare the festivities!
- Have everyone identify the leaks and cracks in their windows, doors, and walls and come to the work party with a sense of what they need to fix
- Host the work party with CEF & Our Power support!
We will also provide:
- Tools you can use during the work party event, particularly caulk guns and hair dryers (used for window plastic). You can also bring your own.
- Supplies at bulk prices: tube caulk, rope caulk, window plastic, weather-stripping, as well as non-air-sealing materials like low-flow shower-heads, efficient light-bulbs, etc. as desired.
- Training in how to seal air leaks and install window kits.
- Information about other energy-saving opportunities, including bulk-buying for insulation, solar, and more and education, home energy improvement, and financing programs provided by other organizations.
These work parties happen because of people like you hosting the events and inviting their friends and neighbors. We want to work with you to have a successful event and enrich our communities in the process!
Our Power 