The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 14 state and territorial weatherization offices for potential awards of $53.6 million in Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) grants.
The grants help low-income households with energy-saving measures and materials not traditionally included in the DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), the DOE said in a media release.
Beyond standard weatherization efforts like enhancing insulation and sealing gaps, SERC grantees avail of extensive retrofits, incorporating various technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels, cold climate air-source heat pumps, and triple-pane windows.
The DOE said it anticipates that these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities through new collaborations with public and private sectors, aiming to reduce the energy burden on low-income families and foster well-paying clean energy jobs.
“We are infusing new technology and flexibility into the Department’s long-standing Weatherization Assistance Program, investing in more low-income households and creating more clean energy jobs”, said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm.
Since 1976, the WAP has served seven million households, which enjoy saving an average of 30 percent on their energy bills, the DOE said. SERC grants are designed to implement a broader government-wide approach and deploy demonstration projects that maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition.
The selected grantees include New York, provisionally awarded $25.1 million for its project titled “New York State-Housing and Community Renewal BIL SERC Subgrantee Applications”. Georgia has been allocated $7.5 million for its initiative “Optimized Climate Control in Humid Regions”. Ohio is set to receive $4.3 for its project “Solar for Ohio’s Appalachian Region and Toledo Green & Healthy Homes Program”.
Other selected grantees include Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The DOE previously completed two rounds of SERC funding, totaling $20.8 million and benefiting 15 grantees.
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