Image Credit: Dennis Schroeder, courtesy of NREL.

$53.6 Million to Expand Weatherization Assistance Program & Lower Costs for More American Households

August 21, 20244 weeks ago US Department of Energy 0 Comments

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The Investing in America Agenda is Supporting Innovative Demonstration Projects That Will Enhance the Weatherization Assistance Program and Expand Public and Private Partnerships to Support Clean Energy Jobs

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that it has selected fourteen state and territorial weatherization offices to receive $53.6 million in Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) grants, which provide low-income households with energy saving measures and materials not traditionally included in DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). In addition to standard weatherization measures, such as improving insulation and sealing cracks and gaps, SERC grantees will conduct expanded retrofits of low-income residential buildings and utilize a wide range of technologies, such as solar photovoltaic panels, cold climate air source heat pumps, and triple-pane windows. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these projects help meet the Biden-Harris Administrations vision of creating clean energy access to all Americans. DOE expects the projects to provide targeted benefits to disadvantaged communities though new partnerships with public and private entities that will reduce energy burden low-income families and support great-paying clean energy jobs.

“As the nation wrestles with extreme weather intensified by climate change, the Biden–Harris Administration is ensuring that Americans in every pocket of the country, regardless of income, have access to the clean energy tools that make their homes more resilient and efficient,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “We are infusing new technology and flexibility into the Department’s long-standing Weatherization Assistance Program, investing in more low-income households and creating more clean energy jobs.”

Since 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has served seven million households, which enjoy saving an average of 30% on their energy bills. SERC grants—funded through the historic $3.5 billion the Biden–Harris Administration has invested in the Weatherization Assistance Program — are designed to implement a broader government-wide approach and deploy demonstration projects that maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition. These cost-cutting investments align with and advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

The selected grantees are:

Delaware, which received $1,500,000 for its project, “Decarbonization of low-income communities via electrification in Delaware.”
Georgia, which received $7,500,000 for its project, “Optimized Climate Control in Humid Regions.”
Indiana, which received $2,000,000 for its project, “Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority WAP SERC Application.”
Kentucky, which received $3,222,300 for its project, “Kentucky SERC Project 2024.”
Massachusetts, which received $1,300,000 for its project, “Smartflower Ground-Mounted Community Solar and 1-4 Unit Solar Installations.”
Michigan, which received $900,000 for its project, “SERC Application – Michigan Department of Health and Human Services- Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity and Washtenaw Office of Community and Economic Development.”
New Jersey, which received $1,000,000 for its project, “Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers.”
New Mexico, which received $2,000,000 for its project, “SERC Measures for Northern New Mexico.”
New York, which received $25,136,550 for its project, “New York State- Housing and Community Renewal BIL SERC Subgrantee Applications.”
Ohio, which received $4,301,375 for its project, “Solar for Ohio’s Appalachian Region (SOAR) and Toledo Green & Healthy Homes Program.”
Pennsylvania, which received $500,000 for its project, “Lawrence County Social Services, Inc. Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) Grant Application.”
Tennessee, which received $1,500,000 for its project, “Solar Photovoltaic Energy Reduction Initiative.”
Utah, which received $1,307,271 for its project, “Increasing Energy Efficiency and Reaching Electrification.”
U.S. Virgin Islands, which received $1,500,000 for its project, “Virgin Islands Energy Office SERC BIL.”