Beekman, NY - With hundreds of millions of federal recovery dollars destined to help more New Yorkers make their homes energy-efficient, U.S. Rep. John Hall rolled up his sleeves today and helped contractors weatherize a Beekman home in an economic recovery-themed continuation of his "work-a-day" series.

 

"Investment in home weatherization is good economic policy, good energy policy, good national security policy, and good fiscal policy," said Congressman Hall. "We're saving energy costs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating 'green-collar' jobs."

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Hall helped pass and was recently signed into law provides $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program. The program helps cover some of the costs of weatherizing low-income residences. New York State's share of the $5 billion is expected to be $404 million, which is almost $200M more than the entire United States received last year.

 

"The amount of money that will be provided for weatherizing homes in New York is twice as much as the entire country received last year," said Hall. "Weatherizing homes is an investment in energy efficiency that will pay dividends for both the homeowner and our country over a relatively short period of years."

 

The average weatherized home saves $350 per year in energy costs. Many recipients of weatherization assistance also get Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds to help pay for their home heating oil. Therefore weatherizing homes will stretch precious Low Income LIHEAP resources further than they would otherwise go.

 

"Weatherized homes use less fuel, which is good for both our environment and our national security," said Hall. "The stimulus effect of weatherization is two-fold.  First, it reduces heating bills for low-income people, giving them more money to spend each month on other things which will stimulate the economy. Second, an increase in weatherization funding will create jobs for contractors who perform the work, retailers who sell the equipment and materials for the job, and also the manufacturers of the materials."

 

A provision in the Recovery Package makes more New Yorkers eligible for weatherization help. The law raises the eligibility for the program from 150% of the federal poverty line to 200% of the federal poverty line.  This means that a family of four with an income up to $42,400 per year will be eligible for Weatherization Assistance. The bill also increases the maximum amount of funds per residence from $2,500 to $6,500.

 

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