Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 9 hrs ago
Baltimore nonprofit helps retiree replace gas appliances with electric systems
Baltimore retiree Sherry Frazier’s home became all-electric after a nonprofit arranged a major retrofit.
A few years earlier, a gas leak from her furnace gave Frazier and her daughter headaches and dizziness, forcing them to leave the house.
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative covered the work after Frazier was referred for help getting a new refrigerator.
The nonprofit repaired her roof, improved insulation and replaced her gas appliances with electric ones, including a heat pump system, stove, dryer and water heater; it also installed solar panels.
The changes made her home feel safer and lowered her utility bill for heating and air conditioning, she said.
Gas appliances can expose residents to harmful pollution, while older homes may also have hazards such as mold, lead and asbestos.
For eligible low-income households, the nonprofit pays the full cost using public, local and private funding, and says it has worked on thousands of homes.
A Baltimore nonprofit helped retiree Sherry Frazier replace her gas appliances with electric systems and install solar panels.
The work followed a gas leak from her furnace that had made Frazier and her daughter ill and forced them to leave their home.
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative also repaired the roof, improved insulation and addressed other home hazards.
The nonprofit covered the full cost for eligible low-income households, using public and private funding.
- Who
- Sherry Frazier, a retired educator and Baltimore homeowner, received help from Green & Healthy Homes Initiative.
- What
- The nonprofit replaced her gas appliances with electric systems, installed solar panels and completed other home repairs.
- When
- The home assessment took place in November 2022, and the improvements were completed by the end of March 2023.
- Where
- Frazier’s home in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Why
- A gas leak from her furnace had made Frazier and her daughter ill. She had sought help getting a new refrigerator.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A gas leak from Frazier’s furnace forced her and her daughter out of their home.
GHHI assessed the home and found a leaky roof, poor insulation and other hazards.
The nonprofit had arranged home repairs, insulation work and replacement of the gas appliances with electric ones.
- Homeowner
- Sherry Frazier
- Nonprofit
- Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI)
- Assessment
- November 2022
- Improvements completed
- By the end of March 2023
- New electric appliances
- Heat pump system, induction stove, electric-resistance dryer and heat-pump water heater
What people are saying
I feel a lot safer in the home [and] my utility bill for heat and air conditioning is much lower.
We had bad headaches and were kind of dizzy, wobbly on our feet.
We want to address the same things that we … originally saw in lead [pipes and paint], in carbon-emitting appliances and homes