Gov. Blagojevich announces new series of statewide Keep Warm Illinois energy saving workshops         

Community workshops offer Illinoisans ways to reduce home energy costs

[JAN. 24, 2006]  CHICAGO -- On Saturday, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced new Keep Warm Illinois community workshops that will be conducted across Illinois. At these workshops, run by Community Action agencies, Illinois residents will receive information from energy conservation experts on how to reduce energy use and bring down their heating bills during the cold winter months.

"Families across Illinois are feeling the budget strain of their first winter heating bill and are looking for ways to bring down their energy costs as soon as possible," Blagojevich said. "These workshops can help people learn how to cut down on this year's bills and offer energy saving tips that can make a difference in years to come."

The Keep Warm Illinois campaign, through the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, has partnered with Community Action agencies for events in Carlyle, Centralia, Chicago, Cicero, Clinton, Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, Freeport, Greenville, Havana, Joliet, Lincoln, Marion, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Newton, Okawville, Petersburg, Princeton, Rock Falls, Salem, Springfield, Streator, Trenton, West Frankfort, Wheaton and Woodstock. [See related article on Lincoln workshops.]

"We realize that a lot of families were shocked when they received their last heating bill, and attending one of these workshops can help to lower costs," said Barry Maram, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. "Workshops are just one of the many options that Governor Blagojevich's Keep Warm Illinois campaign offers to help families keep warm and safe this winter while reducing heating costs, and I encourage families to take advantage of all the resources that are available. I encourage Illinois residents to visit the Keep Warm Illinois website, www.keepwarm.illinois.gov, and call the Keep Warm Illinois hot line, 1 (877) 411-WARM, where they can learn more about saving energy and getting energy assistance."

If residents follow the home weatherization recommendations -- which can also be found on the Keep Warm Illinois website -- such as caulking windows and doors, increasing insulation in their attics, sealing electrical outlets and purchasing energy-efficient appliances, they can save as much as 30 percent a year in energy costs. The times and locations of the workshops are listed below.

In October, Blagojevich launched the Keep Warm Illinois campaign, a multiagency, comprehensive effort to help families reduce their heating bills by conserving energy and weatherizing their homes. The Keep Warm Illinois campaign brings resources together from the Department on Aging, Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Department of Human Services, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, as well as public and private partnerships, to coordinate efforts in preparing communities across the state for higher home heating costs this winter.

This fall, the governor also announced that Illinois' major utility companies -- Ameren, Nicor Gas and Peoples Energy -- agreed to his request to waive reconnection fees and suspend deposit requirements for customers receiving benefits through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to ensure that LIHEAP funding was being used directly for heating costs, not administrative add-ons. With LIHEAP funds covering actual usage charges only, and not administrative reconnection fees and security deposits, which can add more than $400 to a bill, the state can help more low-income households with their heating costs this winter.

[News release from the governor's office]

Keep Illinois Warm community workshops
Community organization	Location and address	Date and time
BCMW Community Services Inc.	Bond County Senior Center 305 S. Third St., Greenville	Jan. 25 11 a.m.
	Bond County Housing Authority 220 E. Winter, Greenville	Jan. 27 6:30 p.m.
	Central City Lions Club South Morrison, Central City, Centralia	Jan. 27 6:30 p.m.
	Trenton Nutrition Site 520 N. Main, Trenton	Jan. 31 11 a.m.
	Okawville Senior Nutrition Center 305 N. Nashville St. Okawville	Feb. 1 12:30 p.m.
	Assembly of God 1890 Franklin St., Carlyle	Feb. 2 6:30 p.m.
	BCMW Senior Nutrition Site 26 Salem Business Center South, Salem	Feb. 2 12:30 p.m.
CEDA	Town of Cicero/CEDA Near West 5410 W. 34th St., Cicero	Jan. 26 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
	Richard Daley Public Library 3400 S. Halsted, Chicago	Jan. 28 10 a.m.
	Homan Square Community Center 3559 W. Arthington, Chicago	Feb. 3 10 a.m.
	Brighton Park Public Library 4314 S. Archer Ave., Chicago	Feb. 11 10 a.m.
	Town of Cicero/CEDA Near West 5410 W. 34th St., Cicero	Feb. 16 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation	Piatt County CAP Office 125 W. Lafayette St., Monticello	Jan. 25 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
	DeWitt County CAP Office 1700 E. Main St., Clinton	Jan. 25 1-3 p.m.
	Mason County CAP Office 532 S. Schrader, Havana	Jan. 26 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
	Menard County CAP Office 809 Old Salem Road, Petersburg	Jan. 26 1-3 p.m.
	Logan County CAP Office 800 Fifth St., Lincoln [Details]	Jan. 31 9-11 a.m. 1-3 p.m.
Crosswalk Community Action Agency	Wit & Wisdom Center 225 E. Poplar St., West Frankfort	Jan. 24 11 a.m.
	Sunshine Center 521 Perkins Ave., Mount Vernon	Feb. 7 10 a.m.
	Marion Senior Citizens Center 507 W. Main St., Marion	Feb. 10 10 a.m.
DuPage County	Peoples Resource Center 201 Naperville Road, Wheaton	Jan. 25 10 a.m.
	Senior Citizens Center 935 Maple, Downers Grove	Jan. 25 1 p.m.
	West Chicago Community Education Center Branch of the College of DuPage 930 E. Roosevelt Road, West Chicago	Jan. 28 Noon-2 p.m.
Embarras River Basin	Jasper County Senior Center 904 W. Jordan, Newton	Jan. 26 11:45 a.m.
Lake County Community	Rep. Kathleen Ryg Vernon Hills -- exact location to be determined	Feb. 7 2 p.m.
Mid Central Community	Reading Township Office 1630 S. Illinois St., South Streator	Jan. 25 10 a.m.
McHenry County Community	Continuum of Care Committee McHenry County Government Administration Building Conference Room C 620 Ware, Woodstock	Jan. 26 9 a.m.
	McHenry County Community College Conference Center Annual forum 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake	Feb. 4 11 a.m.
	AAUW Basement of Amcore Bank 5100 Northwest Highway Crystal Lake	Feb. 6 8 p.m.
Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency	Stephenson County Farm Bureau 210 West Spring St., Freeport	Feb. 16 9:30 a.m.
Sangamon County Department of Community Services	Illinois Employment & Training Center 1300 S. Ninth St., Springfield	Jan. 26 10 a.m.
Tri-Co Opportunities Council	Bureau County Senior Center 16 W. Marion St., Princeton	Jan. 27 12:30 p.m.
	Tri-Co Opportunities Council 405 Emmons Ave., Rock Falls	Feb. 2 10 a.m.-noon 1-3 p.m.
	Tri-Co Opportunities Council 405 Emmons Ave., Rock Falls	Feb. 9 10 a.m.-noon 1-3 p.m.
Will County Center for Community Concerns	Monee Township Office 22 Towne Center Drive, University Park	Jan. 24 9 a.m.
	Joliet Senior Service Center 251 N Center St., Joliet	Feb. 8 9 a.m.