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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2009

Stimulus money to help make homes more energy efficient

Taxpayer weatherization programs that provide better home insulation and more energy-efficient appliances to the poor are about to get a massive shot in the arm from federal stimulus dollars.

Georgia alone expects to get about $125 million over the next few years, and that will be passed down through various agencies that come into people’s homes and handle repairs.

Compare that to the usual federal funding for these programs, which has been about $3 million a year statewide, said Shane Hix, a spokesman for the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.

To qualify for the help, families must make less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level in annual income. For a family of four, that’s about $44,000 a year, Hix said.

You apply by contacting one of the community agencies that the authority will pass the funding down to. In much of the Middle Georgia area, including Bibb and Houston counties, that’s the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency, which can be reached at (478) 922-4464.

Many services and products, all aimed at reducing energy costs and emissions, are available: new insulation, new heating units, new water heaters, weather stripping, energy-efficient light bulbs and energy efficient appliances, to name some of them.

Renters are eligible for the program as well as homeowners, provided that their landlord agrees not to raise their rent because of the additions, said Robin Doster, a program operations director for the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency.

“It’s a grant,” she said. “There’s no repayment, nothing."

State officials are working to decide how much money will flow to different parts of the state, Hix said. That process may take into August.

Doster said her agency’s program was able to help 50 to 75 homes last year, and she can’t predict how many of them this cash infusion will help.

“A lot,” she said.

The White House, in a news release announcing the first round of funding for the state, estimated that 13,600 homes will be upgraded over the next three years.

Georgia is getting 40 percent of its weatherization funding now and will get the rest after it hits various milestones.

Because various upgrades will have to be installed, the program is expected to create jobs.

To contact writer Travis Fain, call 744-4213.