White House
Office of Media
Affairs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday,
March 12, 2009
Obama-Biden
Administration Announces Nearly $208 Million in Weatherization Funding and
Energy Efficiency Grants for North Carolina
Part
of nearly $8 billion in Recovery Act funding for energy
efficiency efforts nationwide that will create 100,000 jobs and cut
energy bills for families
Washington
DC -- Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Chu today announced North
Carolina will receive $207,943,536 in weatherization and energy efficiency
funding – including $131,954,536 for the Weatherization Assistance
Program and $75,989,000 for the State Energy Program. This is part of a
nationwide investment announced today of nearly $8 billion under the
President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – an investment
that will put approximately 87,000 Americans to work.
“This energy efficiency funding for
states is an important investment in making America more energy independent,
creating a cleaner economy and creating more jobs for the 21st
century that can’t be outsourced,” said Vice President Biden.
The
funding will support weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation,
sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air
conditioning equipment, which will pay for itself many times over.
“Even
as we seize the enormous potential of clean energy sources like wind and solar,
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes a major investment in energy
efficiency, which is the most cost effective route to energy
independence,” Chu said.
The
Weatherization
Assistance Program will
allow an average investment of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency
upgrades and will be available for families making up to 200% of the federal poverty level – or about $44,000 a year for a
family of four.
The State Energy
Program funding will be available for rebates to consumers for home energy
audits or other energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects
for clean electricity generation and alternative fuels; promotion of
Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government
buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on
their energy bills.
The DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program
allows low-income families to reduce their energy bills by making their homes
more energy efficient, reducing heating bills by an average of 32% and overall
energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year.
END