By Staff
Persons with disabilities, the elderly and low-income residents experiencing difficulty paying high utility bills may be eligible to receive assistance thanks to a grant announced by Gov. Bob Riley.
Riley has awarded $99,271 for home weatherization to the Community Action Agency of Baldwin, Escambia, Clarke, Monroe and Conecuh Counties, Inc.
The organization will use the funds to make home energy efficiency improvements on 28 homes in the five-county area. On average, weatherization can reduce a home's energy costs by $358 a year.
The weatherization program performs energy audits to identify the most cost-effective measures for each home, which typically include adding attic and wall insulation, reducing air infiltration, servicing the heating and cooling systems, and providing health and safety diagnostic services.
In 2006 over 1,000 Alabama homeowners benefited from the weatherization program. Americans spend 3.5 percent of their income on energy bills, but for lower-income households the costs average 14 percent.
Riley awarded the grant from funds made available to the state through the U.S. Department of Energy. He designated the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to administer the grant.
ADECA Director Bill Johnson notified Cassandra Boykin, executive director with the Community Action Agency of Baldwin, Escambia, Clarke, Monroe and Conecuh Counties, Inc., that the grant has been approved.