DAYTON, Ohio — Even in fuzzy socks and snow pants, Marcia Powell said she can still feel a chill when she curls up in her living room chair. She said her electric fireplace is no match for a Dayton winter without a furnace to keep the rest of her home heated.
With the help of the Rebuilding Together’s Heat the Town campaign, Powell has hope those cold days will be behind her, as they work on a full HVAC overhaul in her home, all for free.
A national building-based nonprofit, Rebuilding Together works with local contractors in cities like Dayton to ensure low-income homeowners can make the cost-prohibitive repairs they need to keep their houses safe and livable.
Powell watches contractors install a new water heater and furnace in her basement
For Powell, that meant a full furnace and water heater replacement as well as ventilation work. Usually, several thousand dollars, Butler Heating and Air Conditioning donated the equipment and installation services for free.
“It just feels good already,” Powell said.
Manufacturers recommend replacing your furnace every 15 to 20 years, and while she can’t remember the exact date of her last installation, Powell said it was at least twice that time frame.
“I think we got a new one in the ‘80s,” she said.
Powell said the cost has been a barrier.
Butler Heating works to install a furnace
Inheriting it from her mother in 1984, Powell said she grew up in her house, but with the building dating back more than 100 years, its come with a series of costly maintenance projects.
Retired, with kids, grandkids and great-grandkids all moved out, Powell said there’s not much wiggle room in her budget and much of her time and money goes into keeping up with home repairs.
The longer she waited though, Powell said issues just got more expensive and more labor-intensive. Even quick fixes to hold heat in proved costly.
“The reason I had to have surgery last year on my wrist, was because I was using a manual staple gun to put plastic over the windows,” she said.
When she heard about Rebuilding Together’s Heat the Town campaign, Powell applied for an inspection to see how much work her system needed.
Butler Heating determined she her urgent need qualified her for a free furnace and water heater and put in the order in early fall.
Powell said she sits in this living room with snow pants on and three space heaters in the winter
“Aren’t we blessed?” Powell said. “Luckily.”
Powell’s situation is far from unique. The National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition estimates there are 1.3 million people in Ohio who will need help getting heat this winter, either through energy assistance or help funding systems repairs.
In Dayton alone, Rebuilding Together identified 120 low-income homeowners in need of furnace or water heater repairs and replacements. To meet that need this winter, a spokesperson from the organization said Heat the Town needs more HVAC and plumbing partners willing to donate labor and services.
For Powell’s installation, supply chain delays meant the furnace didn’t arrive until December, so Butler Heating began the installation Dec. 2.
“It’s looking the best that it’s ever looked,” Powell said.
According to Rebuilding Together, Powell’s ventilation system needed more repairs than anticipated, so the installation required multiple days of work.
In the meantime, Powell is looking forward to feeling comfortable in her home again, hopeful this new furnace will offer the years of relief she needs.
“I’m just so grateful joy is just filling my soul,” she said.
In addition to HVAC repairs and replacements, Rebuilding Together also offers other services such as falls prevention work, fire safety, and exterior maintenance.
Powell said she already plans to apply for help with Rebuilding Together again to get a railing installed along her stairs.
