Bessemer is one of the oldest and most historic neighborhoods in Pueblo, Colorado, with longstanding ties to the area’s steel industry. The neighborhood is also one of Pueblo’s most diverse neighborhoods, and is full of historic homes. Of course, historic homes are by nature older, and as we all know, older homes aren’t always the most energy efficient. 

That’s why, on Thursday, July 31, a team made up of Black Hills Energy and Franklin Energy employees, as well as volunteers from NeighborWorks, arrived in Bessemer toting energy efficiency weatherization kits designed and assembled by AM Conservation, a company owned by Franklin Energy. 

The volunteer team went door to door in Bessemer, handing kits to residents and sharing some helpful energy efficiency tips, while NeighborWorks provided potted plants to neighborhood residents as well. 

“We had great participation from our own employees and our partners. The weather was fantastic and reception in the neighborhood was very positive — it was a great day,” said Natalie F, public affairs program manager. “We’re hoping to go bigger next year and visit even more homes.”

This event is one way that we’re working to make a positive impact on the Pueblo community. “We know we serve an economically fragile area, and we are working hard to connect people with programs and tools to help them manage their energy bills,” said John V, public affairs senior program manager.

Derrick B., energy efficiency program coordinator, was instrumental in making this event happen. He was asked about creating a weatherization event where volunteers would fully weatherize a few select houses. Another idea was to complete a door-to-door event, similar to what had been done several years ago. “I wanted to marry the two ideas, which is how we landed on a door-to-door event with a dull weatherization of one customer’s home as an addition,” Derrick said. 

The Franklin Energy team took the lead at the home of Sarah, who goes by “Shawzy.” They replaced her HVAC filter, changed all her lightbulbs to LEDs, placed air purifiers in key locations of the house and installed weather stripping and carbon monoxide detectors.

Shawzy inherited the home from her brother and has been slowly working to repair and restore the house. Black Hills Energy and Franklin Energy have been helping her find ways to save money on her utility bills — like installing a high-efficiency refrigerator and a swamp cooler air conditioner. 

“I can’t even express how grateful I am for everybody here,” Shawzy said of the weatherization efforts and the help that she has received. “The last year has been really hard, but you guys have been so great and it has made a big difference for me.”

This weatherization event is just one of the ways that Black Hills Energy strives to be a good partner for Puebloans. From providing energy efficiency programs to help residents, to leveraging solar gardens to offset bills for customers enrolled in energy assistance programs, we’re helping create a brighter energy future in Pueblo.