More than 16,000 Minnesota homes will feel less drafty on brutally cold
winter days, thanks to the $66 million in Recovery Act funding. The
state will use the funds to weatherize homes and reduce the toll excessive
energy use takes on the environment.
According to
PlanetSave.com:
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’s climate for residents, who face harsh polar air and extreme temperatures throughout the year. The state’s 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. The funding will also be used to support the state’s energy crisis plan that assists low-income households with weatherization services in the event of a disaster.
After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $65 million, for a total of almost $132 million.
So who is eligible? And can you get in on the package? In April, I wrote a story for the Pioneer Press about how Minnesota will benefit from the stimulus package. Here's what I said:
So while exactly how that money will be doled out to homeowners is
still being hashed out, here's what we do know: About $134 million of
Minnesota's total stimulus money is already earmarked for a federal
program that would weatherize low-income homes and rentals. Homeowners
can receive as much as $6,500 for improvements, but must make less than
200 percent of the poverty level, or about $44,000 for a family of
four, to be eligible for the program.
The goal of this
particular energy-improvement initiative is to decrease the reliance on
state money used for paying heating bills, while also reducing the toll
on the environment of excessive gas use during winter months. It's
estimated the weatherization improvements — such as installing new
doors and windows — will cut energy bills by as much as 30 percent.
You might not be eligible for the initial funds, but there is good news for all of us in the weatherization program: If more than 16,000 homes cut back their energy use by as much as 30 percent, it will have a major impact on energy bills, state funds, and the environment. According to the nonprofit organization Alliance to Save Energy, nearly 60 percent of Minnesota's residential energy use goes to home heating. And the average Minnesota home, according to Minnesota Energy Challenge, produces about 12,736 pound of C02 every year as a result of natural-gas use. That means that a single household creates about 7,600 pounds of C02 every year in heating costs alone. Imagine how much less will be produced if more than 16,000 homes cut their emissions by nearly 30 percent?
In other words, all of Minnesota will benefit from the program in greater ways: Reduced energy use, a cleaner environment, and fewer homes being demolished and rebuilt, which is an additional burden on the environment, city, state, and local communities.
To apply for assistance, contact the
Minnesota Office of Energy Security. (Note: This is a re-post from earlier this month. We are re-posting it
because we've had lots of inquiries about Minnesota's weatherization
program.)