Energy Efficiency
Weatherization works: Helping residents save money and energy, creating jobs
Last week, Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office announced that Minnesota will receive over $186 million from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help low income residents weatherize their homes and cut energy costs. The funds are part of the total $5 billion that last month’s stimulus package provides to state weatherization programs across the country, and will go towards helping regular Minnesota families. According to Klobuchar, those who qualify for assistance will save an average 32 percent on their heating bills.
Minnesota’s state Weatherization Assistance Program will receive over $131 million out of the package. That’s a big number compared to last year’s $10 million and will weatherize nearly nine times as many homes. The remainder of the stimulus money will go to the Minnesota State Energy Program to fund consumer rebates for home energy audits, promote Energy Star products, and make government buildings more energy efficient.
Ramona Desjarlait, weatherization director for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, expects her tribe to receive $750,000 for weatherization work, an amount that will weatherize 140 more tribal homes than last year. “This is a great opportunity for our community to lower energy costs,” said Desjarlait. “It will be great to know we can improve the lives of more people this year—there’s excitement around here.”
Families with less than 50 percent of Minnesota’s median income ($40,738 for a family of four) may qualify for weatherization assistance, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Office of Energy Security. Fifteen million households across the United States will be eligible and are good candidates for weatherization. Many homes—including those on Indian reservations—will see the funds right away. In addition to helping families directly, Desjarlait will also assist the Red Lake Housing Office in filling new jobs created by the increase in funding. Job creation was a key priority of the president’s stimulus package. According to the White House, the president’s recovery plan will create or save around 66,000 jobs in Minnesota—many will be in weatherization.