Happy 250th Birthday to America!

Help us wish a Happy Birthday to all the staff members and Foster Grandparent volunteers with August birth dates!

Help us wish a Happy Birthday to all the staff members and Foster Grandparent volunteers with July birth dates!

CEO’s Weatherization department is one of the brightest examples of what community action looks like in practice. Every year, our team helps low-income families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities across Rensselaer County lower their energy costs, improve the comfort of their homes, and stay rooted in the places they love. From energy audits to insulation to air sealing, this work makes a real, lasting difference for the people we serve.

We’re proud to highlight Eric, our Weatherization Program Manager, who has been with the department for 16 years. In his own words, here’s his story:

I didn’t plan on ending up in this work. I had my own small construction business when I was hit by a car and was out of work for nine months. Just as I got back on my feet, the economy tanked and every customer cancelled their projects. I needed something steady. I applied for a crew position at the Commission on Economic Opportunity’s Weatherization department, and was offered a crew chief role instead. I accepted. That was April 22, 2009, and I’ve been here ever since.

Over the years, I’ve worked through nearly every position in the department, from crew chief, to Energy Auditor, to Lead Auditor, and today as the Weatherization Program Manager. My day starts at 7:00 AM, meeting with the crew before they head out and checking in with the auditor. From there it’s whatever comes up: reviewing customer folders, tracking inventory and ordering materials, managing bids and contracts with subcontractors, tracking labor and invoices on each job for state certifications, performing the final Quality Control Inspections, and answering questions for existing customers and new applicants.

I think most people don’t really understand what Weatherization is. They confuse it with winterization, things like installing plastic over a window. Weatherization isn’t a temporary band-aid. It’s a permanent solution. Every job starts with an energy audit by a BPI-certified professional, because no two houses need the same work. The crew installs the measures, and the Quality Control Inspector follows up to make sure the work meets program standards and the home is safe to occupy. Most of what we do is insulating attics and walls and sealing the home against the outside. The program serves low-income families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities to help them reduce their energy costs and stay in their homes.

There’s one client whose story has always stuck with me. I arrived to audit her home during a snowstorm in early January. She showed me a report from the utility company saying her usage was one of the highest in her area. There was no insulation in her walls or attic, and when I opened the basement door, it felt like I was stepping outside. Down there, the door to her bilco access was broken and frozen in about six inches of dirt, letting cold air pour into the rest of the house. Before I left, I sealed the opening with foam board as a temporary fix. The crew came back a couple of weeks later to insulate and air seal the home properly. When I went back to inspect the work a few months later, she greeted me at the door holding her recent energy bills, so excited to show me that her costs had been reduced by about 60%. Seeing how grateful she was, that’s a feeling I won’t forget.

That’s what keeps me showing up. The work we do relieves a real financial burden and can change someone’s quality of life. It allows people to stay in the homes they’ve built their lives in. And I’m part of a supportive work family that genuinely cares about this community.

Doing this work has shown me how many people are struggling, and how many of them could benefit from a program like this. It’s changed me, too. Made me more confident, more outgoing, and more empathetic. Part of that comes from my own experience. Before I started at CEO, I was struggling financially, living paycheck to paycheck while running a small construction company and raising two children. That experience taught me firsthand the importance of weatherizing my own home, and it’s a big part of what motivates me to help others now.

I never expected to end up in this kind of work. But I can’t imagine doing anything else.