{"id":4614,"date":"2009-07-07T22:41:14","date_gmt":"2009-07-07T22:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=4614"},"modified":"2009-07-07T22:41:14","modified_gmt":"2009-07-07T22:41:14","slug":"weatherizing-the-nation-states-to-receive-recovery-act-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/weatherizing-the-nation-states-to-receive-recovery-act-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Weatherizing the Nation: States to Receive Recovery Act Funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>[social_buttons]<\/p>\n

Oh! The weather outside [can be] frightful, which is why Stephen Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that 7 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) will be the recipients of more than $288 million dollars, which will be put toward weatherization projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The funds will go toward weatherization projects benefiting more than 91,000 homes. And with the money and subsequent weatherization comes\u00a0lower energy costs<\/a> for low-income families that need it, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and creation of green jobs across the country – all part of the Obama administration’s green vision.<\/p>\n

The Weatherization Assistance Program <\/a>will be available to families<\/a> who make around $44,000 for a family of four (or 200 percent of the federal poverty level). The goal of the weatherization efforts are to make houses of low-income families more energy efficient<\/a>, which will reduce overall energy bills by hundreds of dollars each year. The results will be an average savings of 32 percent for heating costs alone. States will spend an average of $6,500 per home in order to weatherize.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese awards demonstrate the Obama Administration\u2019s strong commitment to moving quickly as part of the country\u2019s economic recovery – creating jobs and doing important work for the American people – while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly,” said Secretary Chu. \u00a0“Today\u2019s investments will save money for hard working families, reduce pollution, strengthen local economies, and help move America toward a clean energy future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recipients of the nearly $300 million will be receiving 40 percent of their allotted Recovery Act funding. This comes on top of the initial 10 percent that was awarded for training and ramp-up activities. In all, the states are allowed to spend 20 percent of their funding on training and hiring workers.<\/p>\n

The additional 50 percent of the allotted Recovery Act funding will be made available when states meet reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act.<\/p>\n

Here are the plans of action by each of the 7 awarded states:<\/p>\n

ARKANSAS \u2013 $19. 2 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arkansas will use its Recovery Act funding to weatherize more than 6,000 homes over the next three years. The Arkansas Office of Community Services (OCS) will administer the program with 15 local organizations to provide weatherization assistance to all 75 counties across the state. These organizations, consisting of community action groups, development councils and other nonprofits, will also conduct energy audits and re-weatherization services for 500 additional housing units. This program will help to reduce energy consumption and energy bills for low-income households, while creating jobs within the state.<\/p>\n

The Recovery Act funding will also provide training and technical assistance to the community organizations. Through the state’s training and technical assistance program, these organizations will be kept abreast of new weatherization techniques and methods.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive over $24 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $48 million.<\/p>\n

IOWA \u2013 $32.3 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iowa will use its Recovery Act funds to weatherize more than 7,200 homes over the next three years. Approximately 18 agencies are involved in carrying out the weatherization work, including the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Mid-Iowa Community Action, and the Polk County Board of Supervisors. \u00a0The community action agencies will submit monthly reports to ensure transparency and accountability. \u00a0In order to increase public awareness of the weatherization program and the savings that go with reduced energy use, Clean Energy Education Savings Guides developed by the Iowa Weatherization Program will be distributed to clients\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $40 million, for a total of more than $80 million.<\/p>\n

KENTUCKY \u2013 $28.3 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kentucky will use its Recovery Act funds to weatherize more than 8,900 homes over the next three years. \u00a0The state will give priority to households with children under six years of age, and those homes where the housing conditions are substandard and the children are at a risk of being removed from the family. \u00a0The state will also prioritize homes with elderly and disabled family members and low income households that spend a disproportionate amount of their income on energy costs, along with those households that use the highest cost fuels for the amount of energy provided. The program will also analyze the primary fuel type used in the household, with homes heated with electricity receiving a higher priority than those that use coal.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $35 million, for a total of more than $70 million.
\n<\/p>\n

MASSACHUSETTS \u2013 $48.8 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Massachusetts will use its Recovery Act funds to weatherize more than 16,900 homes over the next three years, while ramping up a Clean Energy Center to train and support a growing energy-efficiency workforce in the state. \u00a0Under the program, Massachusetts is increasing the number of auditors and other professionals that will be needed to meet the increased demand for weatherization activities. More than 25 additional auditors have already been hired, along with new private-sector employees that will work with local organizations responsible for weatherization work.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $61 million, for a total of more than $122 million.<\/p>\n

MICHIGAN \u2013$97.3 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michigan will use funding from the Recovery Act to provide weatherization assistance to more than 33,000 homes over the next three years. The Michigan weatherization program, administered by the Department of Human Services, will provide home energy audits and weatherization activities that will lower energy consumption and utility bills in low-income homes across the state. Each home will receive a unique audit to determine which activities are the most cost effective. \u00a0Some of the most common weatherization procedures include the repair, insulation, and sealing of ducts and the installation of insulation in walls and attics. Weatherization funds can also be used to install energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and replace energy consuming refrigerators and water heaters.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive over $121 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $243 million.<\/p>\n

MINNESOTA \u2013 $52.7 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minnesota will use its Recovery Act funding to weatherize more than 16,800 households over the next three years. Weatherization is a strong tool to minimize the effects of the state\u2019s climate for residents, who face harsh polar air and extreme temperatures throughout the year. \u00a0The state\u2019s Department of Commerce will administer the program and over thirty community action groups throughout the state will provide weatherization services in local areas with the largest groups located in Minneapolis and in Ramsey and Washington Counties. All organizations that implement the work are provided training and technical assistance workshops and conferences focused on maximizing energy savings and minimizing program costs. \u00a0The funding will also be used to support the state\u2019s energy crisis plan that assists low-income households with weatherization services in the event of a disaster.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $65 million, for a total of almost $132 million.<\/p>\n

NEW HAMPSHIRE – $9.3 Million Awarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Hampshire will utilize Recovery Act funding to help create new job opportunities and workforce development through the implementation of its weatherization assistance program and increased demand for weatherization professionals. The New Hampshire program will provide weatherization assistance to over 2,600 low-income households over the next three years. The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning will administer the program, and subcontract to six community action agencies that will deliver weatherization services at the local level.<\/p>\n

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive over $11.5 million in additional funding, for a total of over $23 million.<\/p>\n

More:<\/strong> How can you lower energy costs without using stimulus money?<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo Credit: <\/em>jps246<\/em><\/a> via flickr under Creative Commons License<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh! The weather outside [can be] frightful, which is why Stephen Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that 7 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) will be the recipients of more than $288 million dollars, which will be put toward weatherization projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1949,1950,2938,9956,10481,11970,11980,11993,18950,19858,22010,22699,22955,24517,25423,36046,37822,37841],"spectra_custom_meta":{"social_buttons":["tweetmeme, digg"],"post_thumbnail":["http:\/\/planetsave.com\/files\/2009\/07\/weatherization2.jpg"],"tweet_this_url":["getnew"],"dsq_thread_id":["145151877"],"penci_post_views_count":["636"],"penci_post_week_views_count":["11"],"penci_post_month_views_count":["29"],"dpsp_networks_shares":["a:3:{s:8:\"facebook\";i:0;s:9:\"pinterest\";i:0;s:8:\"linkedin\";i:0;}"],"dpsp_networks_shares_total":["0"],"dpsp_networks_shares_last_updated":["1567125032"],"rank_math_news_sitemap_robots":["index"],"rank_math_robots":["a:1:{i:0;s:5:\"index\";}"],"rank_math_og_content_image":["a:2:{s:5:\"check\";s:32:\"a861b2b6522cd4c3f3380c065a1d0e7b\";s:6:\"images\";a:0:{}}"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:263:\".uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-desktop) !important}@media (max-width: 976px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-tablet) !important}}@media (max-width: 767px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-mobile) !important}}\n\";s:2:\"js\";s:0:\"\";s:18:\"current_block_list\";a:4:{i:0;s:10:\"core\/image\";i:1;s:14:\"core\/paragraph\";i:2;s:12:\"core\/heading\";i:3;s:17:\"core\/latest-posts\";}s:8:\"uag_flag\";b:0;s:11:\"uag_version\";i:1714003340;s:6:\"gfonts\";a:0:{}s:10:\"gfonts_url\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"gfonts_files\";a:0:{}s:14:\"uag_faq_layout\";b:0;}"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-4614.css"]},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Ruedigar Matthes","author_link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/author\/ruedigar\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Oh! The weather outside [can be] frightful, which is why Stephen Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that 7 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) will be the recipients of more than $288 million dollars, which will be put toward weatherization projects.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}