Stimulus funds for weatherization on way to Yuma families
Eligible low-income families in Yuma County stand to be among the first in the nation who will benefit from stimulus dollars to make their homes more energy efficient.
Gov. Jan Brewer announced this week that the state’s plan for weatherization assistance has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy to benefit Arizonans as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This means 40 percent - $22.8 million - of Arizona’s $57 million program is on its way to the state’s energy office at the Arizona Department of Commerce.
“The timing is tremendous for both the workers and the citizens that will benefit,” Brewer said in a news release. “Being among the first means we get a jump start on putting Arizonans back to work, and it comes at a time when consumers really need the help with summer cooling bills.”
In the funding announcement, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, “This investment will save money for hardworking families while creating jobs, reducing pollution and moving us toward energy independence.”
Arizona was the first state to submit its application for the Weatherization Assistance Program to the U.S. Department of Energy on April 28. And it is among the first states to receive the funding.
This is welcome news for the desert Southwest.
Western Arizona Council of Governments is being allocated $5.9 million over the next three years through the stimulus program to ramp up the weatherization assistance the agency has been providing for the last 30 years in Yuma, La Paz and Mohave counties, said Gina Whittington, human resources director for WACOG.
Currently, the agency weatherizes about 85 homes a year in the three counties. With the additional funding, the agency expects to be able to provide the service to 600 homes by the third year, she said.
She didn't have a breakdown on how much of the funding would benefit Yuma-area families. However, she said that typically 50 percent of the clients served by the WACOG weatherization program are in Yuma County, with 10 percent in La Paz County and 40 percent in Mohave County.
The anticipation is that once WACOG has ramped up its program with the stimulus funding to be able to help 600 households a year, the Department of Energy would increase its annual allocation to maintain that level of service, she said.
WACOG plans to stretch those dollars through partnerships with cities and towns that also offer weatherization assistance, she said. The agency plans to hire about 10 people initially, and also work with various contractors to provide the services.
Whittington said the jobs likely will be posted in July, with Yuma Private Industry Council assisting with the hiring.
The hope is to start providing the services by August.
Households eligible for the program are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, said Whittington. For information about applying, call WACOG at 782-1886.
"The weatherization money really targets the low income who often live in the oldest and least energy efficient homes," she said. "These are the very people who are least able to pay high energy costs."
The program's goal is to provide the clients with the most cost-effective measures, she said. That may mean a new air conditioner, sealing duct work, installing window screens, adding insulation or white-coating mobile home roofs.
"Some of these simple measures provide the biggest return for the clients," she said.
"This will help the environment because of the greater energy efficiency," she said. "Long term, with the cost savings, it could help people build wealth over time by being able to pay their utility bills."
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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.
