Illinois residents invited to learn important tips to conserve energy and weatherize their homes this winter

CHICAGO – Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today urged Illinois residents to participate in the upcoming Keep Warm Illinois workshops scheduled at community colleges across Illinois.  With record natural gas prices anticipated for this winter’s heating season, Illinois households will face significantly higher utility bills, with costs up to 70 percent higher than last winter.  While every family in Illinois will be affected, higher home heating costs will create a particular hardship for senior citizens and families already struggling to get by.  These workshops will educate Illinoisans about do-it-yourself energy-saving strategies to help reduce the cost of this winter’s heating bills through conservation and weatherization techniques.

“Home heating costs are threatening to break the budget for households across Illinois and our nation, but everyone can lower monthly bills by conserving energy and weatherizing their homes.  Residents statewide should attend these important workshops designed to offer Illinois families the opportunity to learn more about cutting energy costs so their bills are much more affordable,” said Gov. Blagojevich.

The workshops broadcast to community colleges throughout Illinois will feature cost-conscious home energy efficiency subjects including: insulation, weatherization, heating, water heating, energy efficient appliances and lighting.  The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will host the workshops in partnership with Illinois’ network of community colleges.

November workshops will be conducted on Tuesday, November 15th at 7:00pm, Thursday, November 17th at 7:00pm and Saturday, November 19th at 10:00am.  The workshops will last approximately one hour and will include written materials, a video presentation and a question and answer period.  Energy professionals from throughout Illinois have volunteered to lead the workshops.

“The Keep Warm Illinois campaign will inform and educate residents in every corner of the state so they can save money by conserving energy,” said DCEO Director Jack Lavin.  “Gov. Blagojevich and I encourage all Illinoisans - especially senior citizens and those with lower incomes - to attend a workshop and learn how to keep warm while reducing your utility bill this winter.”

Times and locations of the workshops are listed below.  Additional workshops will take place in December and January.

College	Location	Tuesday November 15 7:00 pm	Thursday November 17 7:00 pm	Saturday November 19 10:00 am
Black Hawk College	6600 34th Ave. Moline, IL	X	X	X
Lake Land College	5001 Lake Land Blvd. Mattoon, IL	X	X	X
Lewis & Clark Community College	5800 Godfrey Rd. Godfrey, IL Room 141 Advanced Tech Center	X		X
Triton College	2000 Fifth Ave. River Grove, IL Robert Collins Auditorium RC218	X
	Industrial Careers I106		X	X
Rend Lake College	468 N. Ken Gray Pkwy. Ina, IL Distance Learning Room	X	X	X
Prairie State College	202 S. Halsted St. Chicago, IL BCEC Building	X	X	X
College of Lake County	19351 W. Washington St. Grayslake, IL Conference Rooms	X	X
South Suburban College	15800 S. State St. South Holland, IL Lecture Hall	X	X	X
Rock Valley College	3301 N. Mulford Rd. Rockford, IL Woodward Tech Center Room 141 & 142	X
Southwestern Illinois College	2500 Carlyle Ave. Belleville, IL Belleville Campus, Granite City Campus, Red Bud Campus	X	X
Frontier Community College	2 Frontier Dr. Fairfield, IL		X
Southeastern Illinois College	3575 College Rd. Harrisburg, IL		X
Kaskaskia College	27210 College Rd. Centralia, IL Main Campus	X
	Salem Center		X
	Nashville Center		X
	Greenville Center	X
	Vandalia Center			X
McHenry County College	8900 U.S. Highway 14 Crystal Lake, IL	X	X
Lincoln Land Community College	130 W. Mason Springfield, IL Capital City Center	X
Shawnee College	8364 Shawnee College Rd. Ullin, IL	X
Olney Central College	305 N. West St. Olney, IL		X
Harper College	1200 W. Algonquin Rd. Palatine, IL	X	X	X
Moraine Valley College	10900 S. 88th Ave. Palos Hills, IL Valley West Room 236 Bldg. D	X
Waubonsee Community College	IL Rt. 47 at Waubonsee Dr. Sugar Grove, IL Bodie 147	X
	Sugar Grove Campus, A 131		X
Illinois Valley Community College	815 Orlando Smith Ave. Oglesby, IL		X
John A. Logan College	700 Logan College Rd. Carterville, IL	X	X	X
East St. Louis Community College	601 James R. Thompson Blvd. East St. Louis, IL	X	X	X
Carl Sandburg College	2400 Tom L. Wilson Blvd. Galesburg, IL		X
Heartland Community College	1500 West Raab Road Community Commons Building Room 1407, Normal, IL	X	X
Highland Community College	2998 W. Pearl City Rd. Freeport, IL	X	X	X
Parkland College	2400 W. Bradley Ave. Champaign, L			X
Lincoln Trail College	11220 State Highway 1 Robinson, IL		X
Richland Community College	One College Park Decatur, IL		X
Oakton College	1600 East Golf Rd. Des Plaines, IL			X
Kankakee Community College	River Road Kankakee, IL		X	X
Danville Community College	2000 E. Main St. Danville, IL	X	X	X
Truman College	1145 West Wilson Ave. Chicago, IL	X	X	X
Kishwaukee Community College	21193 Malta Rd. Malta, IL	X
Elgin Community College	1700 Spartan Dr. Elgin, IL		X	X
Sauk Valley Community College	173 Illinois Route 2 Dixon, IL		X
Wabash Valley College	2200 College Dr. Mt. Carmel, IL		X

Gov. Blagojevich launched the comprehensive Keep Warm Illinois campaign in response to the spike in energy prices that is affecting consumers nationwide.  Agencies across Illinois government have teamed to coordinate resources to ensure state residents have the information and resources necessary to better manage their home energy costs.  Efforts include the Keep Warm Illinois website, www.KeepWarm.Illinois.gov, that offers energy saving tips, a web-based tool to conduct home energy audits, important information on energy assistance programs, and other resources.  A Keep Warm Illinois hotline, 1-877-411-WARM, will also soon be available as another resource as Illinois residents continue to learn how to save energy and apply for energy assistance, and the state will soon launch warming centers, clothing drives, and winter assistance days. To ensure that Illinoisans have the assistance they need with skyrocketing energy costs, Gov. Blagojevich also continues to call upon President Bush and Congressional leaders to approve additional federal funding for programs that help low-income families pay their utility bills and weatherize their homes.