West side Winter Park residents are learning how to save energy – and saving money while they’re at it.

A yearlong initiative to bring energy cost savings to low-income Winter Park residents came to an end last month as 40 homes, five churches and a nursery received improvements to their air ducts and attic insulation to help save energy.

Leading the charge was the Orange Audubon Society, an organization looking to promote conservation and sustainability. Society President Deborah Green said she was inspired by similar workshops and programs she helped create through Orange County. Green later saw an opportunity to give to the Winter Park community when she heard about the Toyota TogetherGreen Grant, an amount of $64,000 that the society would go on to apply for and receive.

The west side of Winter Park was a prime candidate to receive free energy improvements, as many of the homes use up far more energy than necessary, Green said.

“Of all of Winter Park, that was the community that had the highest energy [use] per square foot,” said Green, adding that some homes use up almost three times more energy than their house should need due to leaky air ducts and old insulation in their attics.

Leaky ducts on old homes have gotten a refresh in Winter Park thanks to an energy-saving initiative that pays dividends to residents.

“We thought it would be very nice to help these people and it would reduce the city’s energy use.”

The process began with residents attending an energy efficiency workshop, where they learned the best ways to save watts. Residents signed pledges to use what they learned moving forward, had their homes’ energy usage evaluated and were then given upgrades and improvements free of charge.

Winter Park resident Laverne Woodard went through the process last summer. The team placed new insulation inside the air ducts of her home off of Pennsylvania Avenue, which helps keep the house cooler while using less power.

Woodard has already seen an average savings of 13 percent on her utility bills, said Winter Park Spokesperson Clarissa Howard.

“Sometimes [electric bills] get almost unaffordable, but with the insulation and the work that was done, it helped us tremendously,” Woodard said. “That’s what we’re looking for: to save whenever we can.”

But homeowners weren’t the only one to benefit. Five churches also received various improvements, including LED lights to replace their incandescent bulbs – another way to save.

Churches that were helped include Bethel Baptist Church, Flowers Temple and Annex, New Fellowship Church of God, Ward Chapel and Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. Welbourne Avenue Nursery was also given improvements of their own.

Winter Park and the Orange Audubon Society plan to monitor money and energy savings over the next year to see how much the improvements have made a difference.

Winter Park/Maitland Observer