Doe Announces $4.9 Million To Weatherize Low-Income Homes In Iowa
An award of $4,989,424 to the state of Iowa to improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families has been announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Low-income families spend an average of 14 percent of their income on energy, compared with 3.5 percent for the average American. Weatherization reduces an average home’s energy costs by $218 a year. The program gives a priority to low-income households with elderly members, people with disabilities and children.
The program is delivered through the states and 970 local agencies. Every state, the District of Columbia, the Navajo Nation and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona will receive weatherization grants this year.
The 2004 award initiates Iowa’s Weatherization Program which runs from April 1 to March 31. The grant is being given to the Iowa Department of Human Rights, Division of Community Action Agencies, to be distributed to 18 local agencies.
The congressional appropriation for the DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program is $227.166 million in FY 2004 which is expected to cover approximately 94,750 homes. The funding this year is up from the $223.5 million in FY 2003.
This year, DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program will reduce the energy bills of approximately 126,000 low-income families nationwide–3,000 more than 2003 and a 20 percent increase over 2002.
DOE’s weatherization program performs energy audits to identify the most cost-effective measures for each home, which typically include adding insulation, reducing air infiltration, servicing the heating and cooling systems, and providing health and safety diagnostic services.
For every dollar spent, weatherization returns $1.40 in energy savings over the life of the measures. Other benefits include increased housing affordability, increased property values, job creation, lower owner and renter turnover and reduced fire risks.
DOE funds provide training and technical assistance for additional weatherization investments from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program of the Department of Health and Human Services, from utility public benefit funds and from other state and local sources.