Family gets "green" home makeover

FOLEY, Ala. - You've heard of makeovers, but most of them involve make up or clothes. But one family was the winner of a makeover that will help them save money in the long run.

The electric meter at Joanne Thompson's home isn't working as hard these days. That's because her home got a makeover. An energy makeover, that is.

"The house feels better, along with the savings," said Thompson.

Baldwin EMC turned her home inside out.

"The highest bill we have had was $455," she added.

Now it's about $200.

"I think its great because we can do other things with that instead of utility bills."

A lot of work went into lowering those bills.

"We redid all the glass panes with a low-heat glass. We redid all the appliances with Energy Star appliances. We got a brand new water heater. We also replaced the weather stripping and caulking. The point was to makeover the entire house," said Melissa Vaughn, of Baldwin EMC.

The makeover also changed the 30-year-old insulation in the attic. It is now replaced with new foam insulation.

Supplies for the makeover cost about $25,000. It's a lot of money for those on a tight budget. But smaller things, like replacing appliances, can bring instant savings.

"So if you have a 20-year-old refrigerator, a great thing would be to replace that. And its fairly simple and inexpensive," said Vaughn.

"Little things that, you notice makes a big difference," said Thompson.

Baldwin EMC says it will host another contest next year. Customers should be on the lookout for application deadlines soon.