Weatherizing 82,000 Homes This Summer
July 7, 2010
The following article was posted by Cathy Zoi on the White House Blog.
Picture a neighborhood block somewhere in your town. It might have single-story homes for 10 families—complete with front porches, sidewalks, and green lawns. Or instead that block might have a single apartment building that houses 50 families over five floors. What we know is that each of the families—whether they're living in a detached house or a mid-rise apartment—pays away some of their hard-earned dollars to pay for energy. And for many low-income Americans, these energy bills absorb a significant amount of the family income.
Now imagine that teams of trained experts come down that block and install measures to help those families save energy. Insulation, caulking, weatherstripping, windows, better furnaces, or water heaters. So families' energy bills go down and their comfort goes up. We call this "weatherization"—and it's happening in more than 82,000 homes as part of the Recovery Summer.
So picture that—what does 82,000 homes look like? That's a lot of houses. And how do the 82,000 families with lower energy bills and improved comfort feel? I'll bet given these challenging economic times they're resting a bit more easily. This could not be achieved without the determined and committed hard work of more than 900 community action agencies and state weatherization agencies nationwide. Twelve states have now weatherized more than 30% of the homes they planned to complete under the Recovery Act, marking a major milestone in this effort to make American households more energy efficient.
(more at link)
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Go here to find the resources in your state with an interactive map:
Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Projects
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/project_map/From energy efficiency initiatives - such as residential weatherization and state capitol retrofits -to renewable energy projects and financial innovations, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program projects are making a difference throughout the United States, its territories and tribes.
Use the interactive map below to learn more about the projects being developed by the Weatherization Assistance Program, the State Energy Program and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program.
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Hope this helps someone.