Hooker was chosen by Edisto Electric Cooperative for a $10,000 home energy efficiency makeover provided by Edisto Electric and partner co-ops Coastal Electric and Santee Electric.

Those initial monthly savings show a 53 percent reduction in the home’s energy use versus the December 2008 bill.

“It’s going to save me $100 to $120 a month, so that’s fairly exciting” Hooker said in November, before this month’s even bigger savings became a reality. “I’m retired and on a fixed income, so that’s like giving myself a $120 a month raise.”

Helping homeowners learn how to save energy and money was the goal when Hooker’s home and six others across the state were selected from the more than 4,000 Help My House contest entries for seven free energy efficiency makeovers. The six other Help My House winners are seeing similar savings on their power bills since the makeovers wrapped up in October.

“We’re delighted that Mr. Hooker and his wife are already seeing a real difference in their power bill,” said David E. Felkel, Edisto Electric CEO. “Our member-owners are struggling in this economy like everybody else. By supporting the Help My House effort, we’re helping to educate them and thousands of other consumers statewide about the benefits of conservation and energy efficiency at home.”  

The state’s electric cooperatives are promoting energy efficiency as part of the solution to rising energy costs and growing concerns about climate change. Reducing energy use delays the need for build expensive new power plants. It also lowers greenhouse gas emissions with fewer fossil fuels required to produce electricity.  

For more information about Help My House home energy makeovers, visit HelpMyHouse.org.