The cost of energy keeps rising. Some of us notice. It gets harder and harder for homeowners on fixed incomes to pay utility bills. Some of us notice.

And for that, Juanita Wilson says, thank heaven.

In Wilson's case, those who noticed most were Rebuilding Together Long Island, a nonprofit that helps income-challenged homeowners on Long Island, N.Y., with repairs and maintenance, and the nation's oil and natural gas industry. The two have formed a national partnership called the Energy Efficient Homes Initiative. The idea of the partnership is to reduce energy consumption through new products, installations and techniques in remodeling and renovation projects nationwide.

Recently, Rebuilding Together Long Island and the New York State Petroleum Council, another partner in the initiative, installed a new gas-fired boiler in Wilson's 73-year-old Hempstead home. The boiler was part of an energy-efficiency upgrade that includes a new roof, complete with new insulation and ventilation redesign, the installation of compact fluorescent bulbs in all lighting fixtures, and weatherstripping and caulking of windows and doors.

"When it's all said and done, we think we can reduce the energy consumption considerably," says Harold Feldman, executive director of Rebuilding Together Long Island. "As for the heating bill, we think we can get it down about 30 percent."

That's great news for Wilson, 61, who has lived in the same three-bedroom Tudor since 1979. And until 2002, when her husband died, she didn't worry much about home repairs and utility bills. But over the past five years, she admits things have gotten rough.

"I'm on a fixed income now and some disability," says the retired Verizon operator who suffered a stroke about the same time her husband passed away. "It's not easy to make ends meet, you know."

When Wilson's furnace started to show signs of breaking down early this winter, she contacted Rebuilding Together Long Island. After an occupational therapist evaluated her living conditions, Wilson was the perfect candidate to be Long Island's first recipient of a new furnace from the Energy Efficient Homes Initiative.

"We have a fixed budget on many of our projects," says Sol Goldstein, president of Rebuilding Together Long Island, "so the real hero here is the New York State Petroleum Council, which put up the money for the new boiler." Wilson's new boiler, including installation, runs upward of $5,000, he says.

Cathy Ann Kenny, the petroleum council's associate director, says Wilson's case is not uncommon among elderly Americans who have lived in their homes for many, many years. Because replacing outdated heating and cooling equipment often is expensive, Americans who are older or whose incomes are limited often put off such upgrades. That's one reason her group's parent organization, the American Petroleum Institute, is pushing the Energy Efficient Homes Initiative in 13 states. By the end of this year, the program is likely to be in place in nearly 30 states, she says.

The initiative's expected savings this year, Kenny says, is to be the equivalent of eliminating heating and cooling bills for approximately 450,000 homes.

When you consider the old equipment in Wilson's home, it's easy to see how the savings are realized. She's paying about $250 a month for natural gas, and her furnace is an antiquated American Standard boiler. He monthly electricity bill is about $110. If the estimate of a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption is met, her combined monthly gas and electric costs should fall by about $108.

"Originally, this furnace was burning coal," says Sid Leader, owner of Centigrade Heating & Cooling Corp. in Bellmore, whose company removed the old equipment and installed the new boiler, a Dunkirk model. "Some time after the home was built, I suspect the old boiler was converted from coal to natural gas."

The new Dunkirk model boiler is rated at about 80 percent efficiency, according to its Energy Star labels. While some gas-fired furnaces are rated as high as 95 percent efficient, Leader says the 80 percent efficient model is the best fit for Wilson's steam system.

For Wilson, being the first to get a new furnace in the program and the potential savings are more than enough.

"I'm so grateful," she says, "so thankful."