MONTGOMERY— Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a little more than $1 million to help low-income residents across the state cut utility bills by making energy-efficient upgrades to their homes.
The funding supports the Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program, which gives priority consideration to elderly, disabled and low-income residents with children. Houses that qualify for assistance receive upgrades that improve energy efficiency and safety.
“Making energy-efficient improvements to homes can lead to significantly lower utility bills,” Ivey said. “For a family on a small, fixed income, those savings can have a big impact, freeing up funding for food or medical necessities.”
To identify the most cost-effective measures for each home, an energy audit is performed. Depending on the results, a home weatherization project may include adding extra insulation to the attic, walls and floors; sealing leaks in ductwork; repairing and tuning heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; and replacing incandescent lights with highly efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
The funding was provided to the state by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is distributing the money to 16 regional agencies that provide local management for the weatherization program. Applications for weatherization services should be made to those agencies.
“Each year, ADECA partners with agencies across the state to implement the Weatherization Assistance Program to help some of our neediest residents,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “I am glad to see these partnerships continue to improve lives in Alabama.”
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation development.
Below is a list of grants awarded, the counties served by each recipient agency and a local telephone number that residents may call to apply for assistance:
- $93,860 to Mobile Community Action Inc. (Mobile, Choctaw and Washington) 251-457-5700
- $70,386 to Community Action Agency of South Alabama Inc. (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox) 251-626-2646
- $113,480 to Organized Community Action Program Inc. (Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes and Pike) 334-566-1712
- $36,395 to the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (Lee, Macon and Russell) 334-262-4300
- $52,906 to Montgomery County Commission (Montgomery) 334-262-4300
- $70,134 to Community Action Agency of Central Alabama Inc. (Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Elmore, Perry and Shelby) 334-567-4361 Ext. 123
- $76,684 to Community Services Program of West Alabama (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa) 205-758-4756
- $22,948 to Alabama Council on Human Relations (Lee) 334-821-8336
- $31,948 to Community Action Committee of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa (Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa) 256-825-4287
- $120,772 to Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (Jefferson) 205-327-7550
- $62,565 to Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, and Talladega) 256-362-6611
- $22,805 to Community Action of Etowah County Inc. (Etowah) 256-546-9271
- $73,456 to Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and St. Clair) 256-638-4430
- $70,054 to Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. (Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Walker and Winston) 256-355-7843
- $60,653 to Community Action Partnership of Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties Inc. (Madison and Limestone) 256-851-9803
- $32,538 to Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. (Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale) 256-766-4330
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