States will soon receive the first installment — some $780 million — of nearly $8 billion in weatherization funding and energy efficiency grants available from the
Department of Energy under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The roughly $8 billion covers $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program and $3 billion for the State Energy Program. In apportioning the money, the DOE said it will be partnering with state and local governments in investments that will, in effect, create 87,000 jobs and help households save on their energy bills.
Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steve Chu provided
funding details on Thursday.
How much is each state getting? The chart below, provided by the DOE, lists the sum each state is to receive -- provided that the first installment, and each one following, is used effectively. The top five recipients are Texas, which is on track to receive about $546 million in weatherization and energy efficiency money; New York, $518 million; California, $412 million; Ohio, $363 million; and Pennsylvania, $352 million.
Details of weatherization funds and energy grant money for the 50 states. To see the full chart, click here. Source: DOE
 |
The chart includes funding for U.S. terrorities but does not list tribal grants. The Navajo are to receive $9,068,150 in weatherization funding; the Northern Arapahoe, $956,210.
The weatherization program provides an average of $6,500 in funding per home for energy efficiency upgrades for families with earnings equivalent to as much as twice the federal poverty level. Under current guidelines, the
poverty level for a family of four is $22,050 in the District of Columbia and all states except Alaska, where it is $27,570, and Hawaii, where it is $25,360.
The state energy program grants are to be made available to consumers for home energy audits and or other energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects related to generation of clean electricity or production of alternative fuels; promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency retrofits for state and local government buildings; and other state efforts that enable households to save money on energy costs.
The DOE estimates that the weatherization program can help low-income households cut heating costs by an average of 32 percent a year. The agency did not have a figure for the projected drops in overall energy bills but said the participating households would save hundreds annually.
