WSB went to Rainier Beach on Thursday afternoon to see Councilmember Bruce Harrell and Seattle City Light officials announce the expansion of “Powerful Neighborhoods” – the door-to-door energy-efficiency-and-safety installation/advice program first mentioned here in March. The briefing happened during a training session for program workers. They’ve been visiting homes in certain target areas, with an emphasis on low-income, senior-citizen, and primary-language-other-than-English residents, but offering service to anyone interested. Their consultations have included CFL light bulbs, faucet aerator and smoke detector installation, plus offering low-flow showerheads; now they’re adding to their repertoire – checking for toilet leaks (which can waste hundreds of dollars in water/sewer bills each year) and inefficient dryer vents, as demonstrated by program manager Andy Silber in our video clip:

If you live in 98106 or 98126, you may find one of the canvassers at your door soon. City Light contracts with two nonprofits to go door-to-door for this program. So far, the utility says, they’ve worked in almost 2,000 homes/apartments. By the end of this year, City Light hopes that number will grow to 10,000. The program has $500,000 in federal stimulus money and $1.2 million in city money, with a federal grant paying for the smoke detectors through the state Health Department.