Not many churches advertise an energy efficiency ministry on their websites, but one Amarillo congregation has found that helping low-income households find ways to save on their electric bill is an effective way to lend a hand to community members in need.
Errol Hainer, elder and lead pastor at Pray Amarillo, first got involved in helping low-income residents as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Christmas in October, and later started a home weatherization ministry when he served on the staff of another Amarillo church. After becoming lead pastor at Pray Amarillo, he reestablished the weatherization ministry in 2018 and is now a subcontractor for Frontier Energy, the coordinator of Xcel Energy’s lowincome home energy efficiency program.
“There are people connected to this and people matter. I’m not here trying to gain more people for my church, I’m here trying to help people because this is where it counts,” Hainer said.
In the past five years, Hainer and his team have completed more than 100 weatherization projects within a 100-mile radius of Amarillo. The costs of these improvements are covered by Frontier Energy through energy efficiency funds Xcel Energy makes available each year, leaving the customer nothing to pay for the upgrades. The bulk of Pray Amarillo’s work has been installing insulation, but they also seal ductwork, install weather stripping or even repair door locks – anything to stop the warm or cool air generated by a home HVAC system from escaping to the outside.
“In the winter, heat rises and escapes through the ceiling,” Hainer said. “Everyone wants to replace windows and there’s nothing wrong with that, but if a ceiling doesn’t build a barrier between attic space and living space, that heat will be lost.”
Pray Amarillo qualifies recipients for the upgrades, completes the work and then follows up with the customers to check results. In most cases, Hainer said, customers report noticeable decreases in their monthly electric bills after the improvements are made.
Ashley Simpson of Canyon is a recent recipient of an energy efficiency upgrade and has seen her electric bill drop significantly after Pray Amarillo’s team added insulation and installed solar screens to her windows.
“Before the new insulation was blown in, the AC in the house would run constantly,” Simpson said. “After the new insulation was blown in my AC actually shut off like it was supposed to because it was finally noticing that the house was not fluctuating in temperature like it had always done.”
Simpson said her house now stays warm in the winter and cold in the summer. While results vary from customer to customer, the improvements to Simpson’s home brought her highest bills down from nearly $300 to closer to $100 a month.
Xcel Energy’s low-income efficiency program targets customers whose household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, and while Pray Amarillo works mostly in the Panhandle region, other groups provide the same services in South Plains communities served by Xcel Energy. Another facet of the low-income program involves air conditioning upgrades at multifamily housing units.
More information about the lowincome program is available by contacting Eric Rinehart, senior program coordinator at Frontier Energy, at (806) 680-4060. Pray Amarillo also provides information at the weatherization program link at prayamarillo.org.
All customers, regardless of income, can access energy efficiency programs that help reduce the cost of making homes and businesses more energy efficient. The services are provided by approved energy efficiency contractors operating in the area. Customers access these services by contacting the firms listed on the Energy Efficiency Services page at xcelenergy.com.
Additional information on saving energy and money through improved efficiency can be found at xcelenergy.com on the Programs & Rebates page.