By By MaryClaire Foster
By way of a weatherization grant awarded through Gov. Bob Riley’s office, low-income residents in Escambia and six other counties will be aided in reducing utility bills costs by making their homes more energy efficient.
The $671,900 grant was given to the Community Action Agency of Baldwin, Escambia, Clarke, Monroe and Conecuh Counties Inc. (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox) as part of $9.2 million given by Riley’s office to similar agencies throughout the state.
The Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program gives priority consideration to the elderly, those with disabilities and to low-income residents with children. Houses that qualify are modified to improve both energy efficiency and safety.
An energy audit is performed in each home that is chosen to identify the most cost-effective measures.
Improvements to the house are made depending on the audit results and can include extra insulation for the attic, walls and floor, sealing leaks in ductwork, repairs and tune-ups for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, and replacement of incandescent lights with highly efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is supplementing $4.16 million from allocation from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Families with gross income of 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less are eligible to apply. That means a family of four can have no more than $44,100 a year annually in gross income. The qualifying cap for a family of two is an annual income of no more than $29,140.
Applicants can contact the Community Action Agency at 251-626-2649.