News Release
Dallas County Health and Human Services, Reliant Energy Announce Major Funding Commitment to Provide Energy Efficiency Improvements for Low-Income Homes
December 10, 2008 -Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) and Reliant Energy today announced a $50,000 commitment in new funding for energy efficiency improvements for low-income homes through the DCHHS Weatherization Assistance Program. The new initiative kicked-off earlier today with $5,000 in energy efficiency improvements being made to the first recipient's home.

Through the partnership with Reliant Energy, DCHHS will weatherize the homes of 10 Reliant Energy customers who either qualify for assistance from the county or were former recipients of the Low-Income Discount Assistance Program, also known as "LITE-UP." Each customer will receive $5,000 in energy efficiency improvements, courtesy of Reliant Energy, including:
  • Installing attic insulation
  • Checking and servicing heater/air conditioner
  • Sealing ducts, caulking and weather-stripping
  • Installing energy-efficient refrigerator
  • Installing water-saving devices and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
  • Repairing and/or replacing windows/doors

The DCHHS Weatherization program has helped hundreds of families in Dallas County to conserve energy and reduce their costs for heat, cooling, and electricity and while leaving our community a little greener in the process," said Zachary Thompson, DCHHS Director. "Thanks to Reliant Energy's commitment we will be able to boost the number of people we serve."

"We're committed to helping our customers use less energy, and working with Dallas County Health and Human Services is a great way for us to reach out to those in need," said Tracy Carmen-Jones, Reliant Energy vice president, Community Marketing. "We are truly pleased to be able to extend the outreach of Dallas County Health and Human Service's existing weatherization program by providing additional financial support for the program during tough economic times."
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The Dallas County Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provides assistance to an average of 350 income eligible households by weatherizing their homes to promote energy conservation and reduce the impact of high utility cost. The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) offers clients a review of their home's energy efficiency, by identifying possible air leaks, inefficient appliances and installing weatherization measures to increase energy efficiency in the home. For more information or for an application, please call (214) 819-1909 for WAP applications or visit www.dallascounty.org

About Reliant Energy
Reliant Energy, Inc. (NYSE: RRI) based in Houston, provides electricity and energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. The company provides service to approximately 1.8 million retail electricity customers primarily in Texas, including residential and small business customers. Reliant also serves commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across the United States. These strategically located generating assets use natural gas, fuel oil and coal. For more information, visit http://www.reliant.com. Reliant routinely posts all important information on its Web site.