(Source: Business Wire)Habitat for Humanity International and Exelon Corporationtoday launched a pilot program to weatherize 70 low-income households, helping to reduce energy use and utility bills for homeowners. The partnership is the first Habitat for Humanity International program to improve the energy efficiency of existing houses belonging to low-income homeowners. Exelon and Habitat volunteers kicked off the program today with the weatherization of a Chicago Heights home.

In addition to donating $300,000 to fund the program, Exelon is providing technical expertise and will donate an estimated 7,000 Exelon employee volunteer hours for the program. Over the next 10 months, Habitat and Exelon will design the projects and develop training programs for volunteers and Habitat partner families across Exelon's service territories of northern Illinois, southeastern Pennsylvania and Texas.

Weatherization projects will cost $2,000 to $8,000 per home and include improvements such as weather stripping, caulking, adding or replacing door seals, installing water-saving toilets, replacing showerheads, replacing water heaters and furnace filters, installing CFL bulbs, and insulating attics, basements and outer walls. The advisory committee for the program, which includes representatives from Exelon, Habitat and the Dow Chemical Co., estimates that participating homeowners could save between 12 percent and 25 percent on their utility bills.

"This partnership allows us to make houses more sustainable through energy efficiency," said Mark Andrews, senior director of U.S. programs at Habitat for Humanity International. "Through our work with Exelon, we have identified affordable, sustainable improvements that homeowners can make today to use less energy."

"Exelon is committed to helping customers and communities reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs through easy, low-cost solutions," said Joseph Dominguez, Exelon senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs. "Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity supports both Habitat's mission of affordable home ownership and Exelon's plan to eliminate the equivalent of our carbon footprint by 2020."

Of the more than 70 projects, 35 to 40 projects will be in northern Illinois, approximately 30 will be in southeastern Pennsylvania, and five will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Homeowners will be identified by participating Habitat affiliates and must demonstrate need and a willingness to partner with Habitat as well as invest sweat equity hours to qualify for the program.