Thursday, August 26, 2010

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Washington, DC – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that Virginia has been selected to receive nearly $7.5 million in additional funding to continue the state’s success and innovation under the Weatherization Assistance Program.  Virginia is increasing its efforts under the Recovery Act’s weatherization program and is continuing to accelerate the pace of weatherization in the state.  As of June 30, Virginia has already weatherized more than 3,200 homes under the Recovery Act.

Virginia’s efforts are contributing to the success of the program nationwide. Vice President Biden announced at a weatherization event today that more than 200,000 low-income homes have been weatherized across the country. After ramping up last year, the Weatherization Assistance Program is now weatherizing homes at its optimal rate – approximately 25,000 homes per month.  In June, states reported that nearly 31,800 homes were weatherized with Recovery Act funding – the most ever in a month.  This summer alone, more than 80,000 homes will be weatherized across the country.  A state-by-state breakdown of homes weatherized in the second quarter of 2010 is available HERE.

“Thanks to the Recovery Act, thousands of construction workers across the country are now on the job making energy-saving home improvements that will save working families hundreds of dollars a year on their utility bills,” said Vice President Biden.  “From replacing windows and doors to adding insulation, these are small changes that are making a big difference for American workers, manufacturer and consumers.  We’ve hit the accelerator on the weatherization program, making over 200,000 homes more energy-efficient already, and are now full-speed ahead to meet our original target of weatherizing 600,000 homes nationwide. ”

“The weatherization program is successfully delivering energy and cost savings for American families while helping to rebuild our economy,” said Secretary Chu.  “These investments in energy efficiency under the Recovery Act are putting thousands of people to work in Virginia and across the country as part of our clean energy future.”

Three high-performing local weatherization agencies in Richmond, Abingdon, and Roanoke have been selected to receive $4.5 million in Recovery Act funding to install various energy efficiency technologies, such as high-performance hot water systems, geothermal heating and cooling systems and cool roofs, in low-income homes.  The award selections were part of nearly $90 million in awards announced nationally to complement and expand existing weatherization programs and deliver even greater energy bill savings for local families.  More information about the awards is available HERE.

In addition to the $4.5 million Recovery Act award, the City of Danville’s Weatherization Pilot Program has been selected to receive more than $1 million to partner with Vermont Energy Investment Corporation to combine public education, community outreach, and mobilization with financing through a municipal loan program for rental property owners, and training for contractors.  The Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), based in Charlottesville, has also been selected to receive nearly $1.9 million to demonstrate energy efficiency and water conservation improvements in low-income multifamily housing, and how additional efficiency gains can be achieved through a comprehensive tenant engagement program.  These two awards are part of nearly $30 million in awards to forge a new range of weatherization partnerships and implement groundbreaking, innovative delivery and financing models, technologies, and services, further accelerating DOE’s effort to build a sustainable, residential energy efficiency industry.

The weatherization program is also creating thousands of jobs locally – putting carpenters, electricians, and factory workers back to work installing insulation, upgrading appliances, and improving heating and cooling systems.  According to state reports, the Recovery Act Weatherization Assistance Program supported more than 13,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2010, including approximately 150 jobs in Virginia. These workers are receiving training in energy upgrades that will help form the foundation for a sustainable energy efficiency industry in America that can extend to the more than 100 million middle-class homes that stand to benefit from weatherization.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income families save energy and money by improving the energy efficiency of their homes.  According to a recent study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, weatherization services save families an average of more than $400 in energy costs during the first year after home retrofits are installed.