Mold – it’s a four-letter word that can stop our Energy Department in its tracks.
When mold is identified during an energy audit, homeowners need to remediate the mold before we can move forward with weatherization measures that enhance the energy efficiency of their home.
It’s an issue that was recently discovered by Housing Assistance insulation contractor Cape Save prior to adding insulation to the attic and basement of Delvashah McDaniel’s Hyannis home.
Suzanne Smith, Housing Assistance’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Coordinator, said she then called McDaniel to better understand her situation. “When she told me that she had tiles in her bathroom that were falling off the wall, that’s when I knew she had an active water leak,” Smith said.
Smith encouraged McDaniel to contact Douglas Mackie, owner of Living Water Restoration, Inc., a third party to whom Housing Assistance refers clients when mitigating mold, water damage, or flooding.
A former offensive tackle who played for the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, Mackie now focuses his time, energy, and talents to something he says is more rewarding. “When I got out of football, I was more interested in helping people,” he said. “This job allows me to do that.”
When he went to McDaniel’s home, he said, the situation was dire. “Her house was in rough shape,” he said. “She had mold everywhere. The bathroom had black mold in the shower and on the tile. She had water damage everywhere, even in the attic.”
Mackie helped McDaniel file an insurance claim that was able to cover the cost of removing the mold and repairing the damage caused by the water leak. It’s just one example of several in which Mackie’s company has been able to assist clients working with our Energy Department.
“Most agencies look at people as just a number. Your agency is one of the only ones that doesn’t do that,” Mackie said of Housing Assistance. “It amazes me how much people care. I can hear it in their voices which is kind of nice and kind of like playing on the side of a teammate that wants to win the game like you do.”
In this case, that teamwork was able to help McDaniel who has lived in her home with her four children, along with a dog, for a decade. “If we didn’t have this home, we’d all be homeless,” she said. “It keeps our family together being able to be in this home. It means a lot to me.”
Thanks to Housing Assistance’s effort, it’s a home that is not only more energy efficient, but safer. Our work included replacing a dehumidifier and washing machine, installing new energy efficient lightbulbs, insulating the attic and basement, and replacing the basement door.
“Sometimes it is hard to ask for help, but I did it to secure my home to be safe and to remove the mold and insulate it,” McDaniel said. “I’m very grateful they have agencies in our community to help people in need because none of this would have ever happened if we didn’t have support from Housing Assistance and people like Doug.”
Free Energy Audits & Weatherization Services
Our Energy Repair Department works with many service-oriented contractors on Cape Cod and the Islands and encourages partnerships with local agencies, businesses, and organizations so we can fully serve our community. Through these relationships, our clients can be served more completely.
Free energy audits are available to income-eligible households. Barnstable and Dukes County residents can call Cape Light Compact at 800-797-6699.
