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 (MILWAUKEE) – Governor Jim Doyle today announced that Wisconsin is receiving $56,600,853 in Recovery Act funds to weatherize or re-weatherize more than 18,400 homes over the course of the next three years.
“Today’s investments will save money for hard working Wisconsin families, reduce pollution, strengthen local economies, and help us move forward on our goals of achieving energy independence,” Governor Doyle said. “Here in Wisconsin, we are moving quickly to allocate recovery funding, creating jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families, while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.”
Today’s installment adds to the $14.1 million previously awarded to Wisconsin for training and ramp-up activities. After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, Wisconsin will receive an additional $70.8 million, for a total in excess of $141 million. Under the Recovery Act, the states may spend up to 20 percent of the funds to hire and train workers. The remaining 50 percent of funds will be released when states meet reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act. Typical weatherization work includes instrumented air sealing; insulation of attics, sidewalls and other areas that define the heating envelope; refrigerator replacement; electric water heater replacement; mechanical adjustments such as cleaning and tune-up; furnace replacements when necessary; and lighting replacement with ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescents. Wisconsin will supplement these measures with leveraged funds to provide freezer replacement and expanded health and safety measures that are necessary to maintain the indoor air quality in weatherized homes. The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program will be available to families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level – or about $44,000 a year for a family of four. Weatherization projects allow low-income families to save money by making their homes more energy efficient, which results in average savings of 32 percent for heating bills and savings of hundreds of dollars per year on overall energy bills. States will spend an average of $6,500 to weatherize each home. The State of Wisconsin requires local organizations to prioritize weatherization services to elderly and handicapped residents. Of the total units completed by each agency, at least 10 percent must be households with elderly residents and 5 percent must be households with persons with disabilities. Governor Doyle is committed to a clean energy future. His plan for energy independence includes: Generating 25 percent of our electricity and 25 percent of the fuels for our cars and trucks from renewable sources by the year 2025; capturing 10 percent of the market share for renewable energy and bioproducts, and utilizing Wisconsin’s tremendous capability for research to become the country’s leader in making alternative energies more affordable and available to all. The Wisconsin Division of Energy Services provides services to Wisconsin qualified residential households with energy assistance and weatherization needs. For more information call 1- 866-HEATWIS (432-8947). |
