So on a day when Talladega is inundated with rain, portent of spring though it is, The Daily Home takes pleasure in having reported this week that weatherization work on houses in the county is proceeding on schedule and, together with work statewide, is ahead of the national pace.
The five-county Community Action Agency has completed work on roughly 75 percent of the 187 homes budgeted to be weatherized in its initial share of federal stimulus funds, says Bill Anderson, CAA weatherization coordinator.
Alabama is scheduled to receive $71.8 million for weatherization of more than 6,600 homes. So far, approximately one year into the three-year program, the state has received half its total, with the other half expected to be paid out later this year. Repairs and upgrades already have been made to 733 houses in the state.
Congress appropriated stimulus money to states’ existing weatherization programs both to support jobs in the construction industry and to help reduce the utility bills of low- and moderate-income residents. After their houses are weatherized, families can save an estimated $350-$400 per year for heating and cooling, according to a report in Business Week.
Weatherization work was slow getting started in some areas of the country because contractors had to be trained to make structural improvements that would increase the energy efficiency of houses selected for weatherization. Hundreds of contractors now have received the training, and program administrators note that weatherization work is accelerating.
This rain will end by the weekend, the weather will turn warm and spring will arrive in less than two weeks. But by the time next winter gets here, 187 families in this area of Alabama and a couple of thousand statewide will be a lot more comfortable, with lower utility bills to boot.
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