About Energy Savers Network
ESN gets started
Co-Founders Brad and Alice patterned ESN after Brad’s previous work with Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC, which had helped cut energy bills for over 75 low-income through basic weatherization. In late 2016 we weatherized our first home and in 2017 our volunteers served 73 families. We incorporated, established a board, and worked with Green Built Alliance (GBA) as our fiscal sponsor.
ESN wins Awards!
We were serving even more clients and with a grant from Buncombe County we hired our first staff person! A grant in 2018 allowed us to engage a part time building science professional. In 2019 we served 201 families in 2019 and received awards from Sierra Club and the Energy Innovation Award from the Energy Innovation Task Force. Also in 2019, Duke Energy Progress received regulatory approval for a pilot program specifically for ESN to receive payments for weatherization.
ESN operates as part of GBA
To better serve more of the 20,000 eligible households in Buncombe County, ESN and GBA merged operations in 2020. We hired a full-time building science professional and other staff and purchased a van. We then had to weather the challenge from Covid – 19 and a temporary lapse in Duke funding as the pilot program was replaced with a much better program in 2023. Despite challenges ESN has continued to do great work. Over 1,200 families have received our basic service with savings estimated at $214 each per year. Working through other programs, our clients have also received HVAC replacements, solar energy, and critically needed home repairs.
…and Beyond
After four years working as a GBA program, Energy Savers Network is newly independent. Going forward we will be better able to serve the needs of low-income families in our community, but first we must go through this transition. We have moved the team, the information systems, the Duke contracts, and the materials we need to continue our mission. We now understand that the Duke funding alone is not enough, so we need grants, donations, and volunteers to continue our work. Join us!
Engage with us!
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CONTACT
Mailing Address
Energy Savers Network
PO Box 142
Asheville, NC 28802
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Donation Info
ESN’s application for status as a tax qualified 501c3 charity is pending. Since we do not know how long IRS approval will take, we are working through MountainTrue, a 501c3 non-profit, as our fiscal sponsor. You can donate directly through our GoFundMe page via MountainTrue but feel free to leave a message below if you have questions. We will be happy to discuss your donation with you.
The work of Energy Savers Network in the community is led by our passionate and engaged staff and board of directors.
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Brad co-founded Energy Savers Network after years of experience in energy efficiency and energy planning. As Senior VP of Energy Management Associates in the 80s and 90s, he led the development and application of tools that help utility companies create long-term, least-cost plans that included energy efficiency options. He has worked with over 100 utilities on these issues, including Duke Energy, Virginia Power, Georgia Power, Florida Power & Light, and others.
After a period of building a successful financial planning practice, Brad became extremely concerned that we were not doing enough to meet the climate challenge, and in 2012, sold his financial practice to focus 100% on climate solutions. Brad became active in low-income energy efficiency through the Green Team at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC , helping over 100 low-income d winning the 2015 Interfaith Power & Light Cool Congregations Award. This work with helped shape Energy Savers Network which he co-founded as an extension and expansion on his work in Hayesville.
In addition to working with Energy Savers Network, Brad is a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, volunteers with Citizens Climate Lobby, and works actively with Asheville’s new Energy Innovation Task Force.
Brad holds a BA in Economics from Yale and received his MBA from UNC Chapel Hill. He and his wife Karen have been married for 43 years and have two sons and one grandchild. He is an avid fan of Bruce Springsteen and a loves to go to the beach.
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As the Salesforce Admin, Marketing & IT Coordinator for Energy Savers Network, Steffi has helped to centralize their data and migrate their IT processes from manual work to more automation. She also handles all Client & Volunteer Outreach efforts for as well as Fundraising campaigns utilizing the IT Processes she has put in place. She is continually looking for ways to simplify and improve processes for Energy Savers Network that enables them to remain sustainable in a quickly changing environment.
Outside of work, Steffi enjoys being a homesteader in the farmlands of Leicester, growing beautiful gardens, hiking, and leading the WNC chapter for Citizens’ Climate Lobby over the past 10 years.
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Kelvin joined Energy Savers Network in the spring of 2020. A native of Honduras, Kelvin brings more than a decade of experience in the building-performance industry to the team.
He started his career with Green Opportunities, gaining vast experience in the field as a crew leader, mentor, and instructor in the classroom. He went on to work with Conservation Pros, a small locally owned building performance company. Kelvin has multiple professional certifications including BPI, HERS, Lead Safe Renovator, Class III Asbestos Worker, CPR instructor, and OSHA-30.
In his work with the Energy Savers Network, Kelvin wants to continue his passion working to reduce the energy consumption of homes in marginalized communities, which are often the most affected by climate change. He is truly passionate about building performance and applying triple-bottom-line principles to help affect positive change for the people in our local community who need it the most.
When he’s not trying to peek in the attic at a friend’s cookout, Kelvin enjoys giving back to the community and serves on the Board for ALAS (Asheville Latin Americans Achieving Success), a local Latinx nonprofit that strives to create Latinx leadership in Western North Carolina. He also loves exploring the outdoors with his daughters Sofia and Elizabeth, by hiking, camping, or jumping into freezing mountain water.
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Hannah Egan joined Energy Savers Network in early 2018 as an intern through GBA and was hired to work on staff later that year. She has since been learning about the nonprofit sector, green building, and energy efficiency. Hannah graduated from Appalachian State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Development concentrated in Community, Regional, and Global Development.
Originally from just outside Baltimore, Hannah moved after college to New Zealand and then back home to Maryland before returning to the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is excited to lend her skills and education to an organization that is dedicated to creating a better built environment for the entire community.
When Hannah is not connecting with people in the community through Energy Savers Network, she enjoys yoga, outdoor activities, supporting community agriculture, traveling, live music, cooking, and enjoying life with her cat Peaches.
Brad Rouse
Co-Founder
Alice Wyndham
Co-Founder
Catherine Rosjford
Board Secretary, Health Physicist Supervisor at NCDHHS
Roger Helm
Climate Science EducatorLew Gelfond
Star Volunteer