The temperature drops lower every week, which means that more and more money is flowing out of the family purse and into the home heating budget. Many of us in the Twin Cities live in older construction, and homes built decades ago often suffer from air leaks and inadequate insulation in the walls or attic. The good news is that there are programs available to help residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul get financial assistance when it comes to weatherizing their homes.
If you heat your home with natural gas from Centerpoint Energy....you could get a rebate of up to $350 for money you spend to weatherize your home.
Start by hiring a certified energy auditor to evaluate your home. You can choose your own auditor, or you can hire an auditor for $100 through Centerpoint. The auditor will measure energy loss and give you a plan for improvements in air sealing and insulation that will keep the heat you paid for from escaping your house. The auditor must perform a blower door test and fill out Centerpoint's Home Assessment Form.
Only some weatherization improvements qualify for a rebate. They are: expenses for air sealing in the attic; expenses for raising attic insulation with an R value of R-30 or less to an R value of R-49 or more; and expenses for insulating a formerly uninsulated wall.
Next, hire a contractor to provide the materials and do the labor of air sealing and installing insulation--you can't qualify for the rebate if you do the work yourself.
Finally, fill out the rebate form and have it signed by your contractor. Send the rebate form in with copies of the auditor's Home Assessment Form and the contractor's bill.
Your rebate will cover:
50% of the air sealing costs, up to $200.
50% of the insulation costs, up to $150.
Deadline: December 30, 2011.
If you heat your home with natural gas or electricity from Xcel Energy...you could get a rebate of up to $300 for money you spend to weatherize your home.You don't need to get a certified auditor's report to qualify for this rebate.
Only some weatherization improvements qualify for a rebate. They are: expenses for raising attic insulation with an R value of R-20 or less to an R value of R-40 or more; expenses for insulating an uninsulated wall; and air sealing and weather stripping.
First, hire one of
Xcel's registered contractors to perform the work.
Then, have your contractor complete the 2011 Insulation Rebate Form. Send it to Xcel with a copy of the contractor's bill.
Your rebate will cover:
20% of the qualifying costs, up to $300.
Deadline: the work must be completed by December 31, 2011, but you have until July 31, 2012, to submit your rebate form.
If your household makes less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, ...you can get your home weatherized for free.
Start by getting the 2011-2012 Minnesota Energy Programs Application. It's available from the Community Action organization that covers your area. In Minneapolis, contact
Community Action Minneapolis. In other areas of Hennepin county, contact
Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin. In St. Paul, contact
Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties.
Fill out the application and return it to your local Community Action agency with your proof of income for the last three months and copies of your most recent home heating and electric bills. If you qualify--and a family of four earning as much as $44,700 a year qualifies for weatherization help--you will be contacted by your local agency. They will send out an auditor to perform a free energy audit and propose a workplan. At no cost to you, they will arrange for contractors to provide the labor and materials for sealing leaks and adding insulation to needed areas. And your free weatherization will continue to pay off in the form of lower heating bills all winter long!
Deadline: There are limited funds available for the program, so it's best to apply as early as possible.