George Voit, of the Comprehensive Community Action Program, in Cranston, checks the blower door during a reinspection at a home participating in the state’s weatherization program. The airflow is checked to verify the tightness of the house.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

Outside, two workers are drilling holes into a 100-year-old house on Bouvier Avenue and pumping insulation made of recycled newspapers into the walls.

On the third floor of the Lincoln triple-decker, tenant Roger Soule, 56, has a temperature problem. Soule, a graphic artist and photo designer, said his one-bedroom apartment can feel like an oven.

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“Summer’s brutal,” he said in June. “On a 70-degree day, with no cloud cover, it roasts here. It’s a good 10, 15 degrees hotter than outside.”

Last year, he spent $600 to run two air conditioners.

The workers — with the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program, one of two free programs that audit homes and businesses and advise on energy-saving measures — are adding insulation in the walls and ceiling to stop heat from seeping into his apartment. They will also replace his drafty front door and windows.

Soule hopes the energy-efficient changes will save him money on electricity bills. Soule is trying to revive his art career and is dealing with Huntington’s disease, a degenerative neurological condition.

Soule also noted that the weatherization program is one small way he can contribute to improving the environment. “We’re all in the same boat together,” he said. “No matter if it’s changing a light bulb or saving energy. We’re all in the same boat: Make the hard choice and do the right thing.”

While there has been a lot of attention given to renewable energy — wind farms, solar panels, biofuels — many advocates say the first step to becoming more environmentally conscious is to simply cut back on energy use. It can start with just changing a light bulb.

“That’s the low-hanging fruit,” said Robert Cerio, the former energy manager for the Warwick School Department and now an energy resource manager for Hudson Ecofuel, a Providence biodiesel marketing company. “The first thing you do is an energy master plan, turning things off, changing people’s mindset.”

People can take immediate measures, such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs; turning down the water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit; turning off lights, appliances, TVs, computers, chargers and other electrical appliances when not in use; setting the thermostat to 68 degrees in winter when at home and to 55 degrees when away, or using a programmable thermostat; repairing leaking faucets and toilets; and buying energy-efficient appliances.

Beyond that, the environmentally conscious can invest in renewable energy through a National Grid program that allows customers to pay an extra charge and steer that money toward renewable energy projects, such as hydroelectricity plants or wind power. (See story, Page A12)

ACCORDING TO 2005 statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, the average monthly electric bill in a Rhode Island home is $80.82 for 620 kilowatt hours — with about two-thirds of electricity going to run appliances.

Last year, 66,000 residents and businesses in Rhode Island participated in energy-efficiency programs, according to National Grid statistics. About $8 million was saved in commercial and residential utility bills along with more than 70,000 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power the town of Richmond for one year.

Most houses weren’t built with energy efficiency in mind, and residents often waste energy without even knowing it. Small changes — such as installing insulation, upgrading appliances to more efficient models and turning down the thermostat — can have a big effect, said Omay Elphick, deputy director of People’s Power & Light, a Providence environmental nonprofit.

“These are all unsexy things, but they make a huge difference,” Elphick said. “You only see insulating once, but it’s constantly paying you back.”

For Rhode Islanders interested in professional advice on reducing energy use, there are two free home energy audit programs, both financed through a conservation charge on all National Grid utility bills. EnergyWise is open to home and apartment residents, and the Weatherization Assistance Program is available to low-income residents.

In the EnergyWise program, workers from RISE Engineering in Cranston visit homes to identify ways to improve energy efficiency, said Vincent Graziano, company president. The program also offers low-interest loans and incentives, such as rebates, to make improvements.

Depending on the changes, a customer might see a savings of $5 to $10 a month on an electric bill and 20 percent to 35 percent on a heating bill, he said.

The Weatherization Assistance Program provides a similar service and helps pay for some home improvements. The program, which also receives federal financing, is administered by the state Office of Energy Resources and seven community agencies. Last year, the annual income requirements ranged from $22,000 for one resident to $42,660 for a four-person household.

Under the weatherization program, each home is tested for carbon monoxide; insulation and the heating system are analyzed, said Ralph L. Groves, a program manager. Large household appliances are also tested and replaced if necessary. The program pays for about $3,000 in energy-efficiency improvements for the average house, Groves said, including about $500 for health and safety improvements such as railings and chimney repairs. Smoke detectors, compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads are also installed in each home.

Groves said the program has many environmental benefits and can improve home safety. During an audit, Groves said, he also offers other energy-saving tips, such as air-drying clothing, unplugging cell-phone chargers and turning off computers.

“Collectively, it’s throughout the whole house we try to have an impact,” he said.

Since the program’s inception in 1977, more than 32,000 homes have been weatherized, helping more than 84,000 Rhode Islanders, said Michael Snitzer, a weatherization program manager. Residents can see a reduction of up to 30 percent on their energy bills.

AT BOUVIER AVENUE, the weatherization program also helped Soule’s downstairs neighbor, who had the opposite problem — her apartment was too cold.

Christine McBride, a 42-year-old bus driver and mother, said her family had to wear sweatshirts, sweatpants and blankets because of the drafts coming into her second-floor apartment.

The window in her 6-year-old daughter Madison’s room was broken and had been covered with plastic. “It’s like a frozen tundra,” McBride said.

Last winter, when McBride applied for state assistance to help pay her heating bill, she also signed up for the weatherization program.

Through the program, workers from Cross Insulation in Smithfield added insulation and planned to install new windows — along with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at no cost to her.

McBride said the program was wonderful and called Ron Fortier, the weatherization program coordinator for the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program, a “godsend.”

“It’s nice to know that help is right around the corner,” she said.

HOUSES AREN’T the only buildings getting involved with conservation measures.

The state is in the midst of a $6-million project to upgrade boilers and cooling systems in the State Administration Building and Cannon Building, which holds the state Department of Health, said Bill Ferguson, deputy commissioner for energy programs.

This isn’t the first time the state has replaced old equipment with more energy-efficient models, and these new systems will allow the state to run its buildings at a lower energy cost and enable the state to do more upgrades, Ferguson said.

“As new products come along we want to be in a position to acquire those new technologies and run our facilities more efficiently and cheaper,” Ferguson said.

Upgrading the boilers and cooling systems in both buildings will help the state save $525,000 a year and reduce energy use by 27 percent at the buildings, Ferguson said. The work is being done by Siemens Building Technologies, a German engineering company with U.S. headquarters in Illinois. Other changes will include lighting and installation of low-flow water faucets, sinks and toilets. The project should be completed in December.

Other state buildings that could get energy-efficient upgrades include the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol, Zambarano Hospital in Burrillville and the John O. Pastore Complex in Cranston, Ferguson said.

Rhode Island businesses can also take advantage of energy auditing programs through National Grid. These programs, offered to businesses large and small, provide technical advice from architects and engineers as well as information on finding contractors and financing, said Michael McAteer, manager of business energy-efficiency services for National Grid.

The Design 2000 Plus program, which targets large companies building new facilities or undergoing extensive renovations, provides incentives of up to 75 percent of the cost of installing energy-efficient units or upgrading existing units. For existing buildings, businesses can get reimbursed for up to 45 percent of the project.

The Charbert Division of Narrow Fabrics America, a textile company with headquarters in Richmond, had an energy audit in 2005 and updated more than 400 lighting fixtures at its 55-worker knitting plant in South Kingstown. The upgrade cost about $50,000, with an $18,350 rebate from National Grid.

Vic Brown, the Charbert maintenance and engineering manager, said the new light bulbs were guaranteed for two years and the lighting ballasts were guaranteed for five years, which meant the company could wait longer to buy replacement lights. The upgrade helped the company save $73,450 and 699,600 kilowatt hours of electricity, Brown said.

“Compared to what we took out and what we have now, the savings are real. … There were a lot of nice features in this upgrade,” Brown said. “It was a win-win.”

Related Web sites:

•RISE Engineering offers free energy audits to Rhode Island residents:

www.riseengineering.com

•Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources Weatherization Assistance Program:

www.riseo.state.ri.us/programs/wap.html

•National Grid’s energy-efficiency programs for Rhode Island businesses:

www.nationalgridus.com/narragansett/business/energyeff/energyeff.asp

mlee@pressofac.com