Project Overview
After seven years without a functional heating system, Lesbia Cardenales worked through Built to Last to coordinate renovations across three programs, addressing mold contamination, broken plumbing, and a leaking roof. These repairs qualified Ms. Cardenlaes for a mini-split heat pump and water heater upgrade, among other renovations.
$2,000
Annual electricity savings
$1,500
Annual water savings
6 metric tons
Annual avoided carbon emissions
The Challenges
When Ms. Cardenales bought her Kensington home in 2018, everything seemed perfect. That all changed the week after closing on the house. Her electric baseboard heaters stopped working. For the next seven years she lived without a central heating system.
PECO’s Free Energy Checkup PLUS+ assists income-qualifying customers who face such situations. High electricity usage and financial circumstances would have qualified Ms. Cardenales for the program if not for a leaking bathroom water fixture. The resulting mold contamination precluded Free Energy Checkup+ from installing a new heating system.
Ms. Cardenales is a cancer survivor with on-going health conditions. Prior to working with Built to Last, cold nights would exacerbate her arthritic knee and intensify respiratory symptoms. Space heaters once overheated an extension cord powering her sleep apnea machine, melting the cord.
Her reliance on space heaters and window A/C units drove up electricity bills to $300-400 per month. The leaking pipe led water usage to jump from 4 CF to 22 CCF, adding hundreds of dollars in monthly charges.
The Solution
Ms. Cardenales’ home is now “total eléctrico.” PECO installed a mini-split heat pump to replace her window air conditioners and space heaters. PEA coordinated with Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation’s Basic Systems Repair Program to fix a leaking roof. Built to Last applied program funds for a bathroom renovation, including a new shower and repairs to the leaking pipes, and installed a more energy-efficient heat pump electric water heater.
