MONTGOMERY – Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded grants totaling almost $2 million to assist low-income and elderly Alabama residents who need help reducing their homes' utility bills.
The grants support Alabama’s Weatherization Assistance Program which provides funds to improve the energy efficiency and safety of qualifying homes. Priority is given to those with disabilities, the elderly and low-income households with children.
“With limited, fixed incomes, many elderly and disabled residents don’t have the ability to pay higher air conditioning bills in the hot summer months,” Bentley said. “By making energy-efficiency improvements to their homes, this program makes energy bills easier to manage for our most vulnerable residents.”
An energy audit is conducted of each home that qualifies for weatherization assistance to determine the most cost-efficient measures. Common improvements include installing extra insulation in the attic, walls and floor; sealing air leaks around doors and windows; repairs or tune-ups for air conditioning and heating units; and replacing incandescent light bulbs with high-efficiency compact fluorescents. In addition to lowering energy bills, the improvements can reduce the risk of fire and other hazards.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Energy. This round of funding comes in addition to $950,000 Bentley awarded earlier this year for the weatherization assistance through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Bentley awarded the grants to 16 community agencies across the state that manage the program at the local level and receive applications from individuals who wish to be considered for assistance.
Below is a list of each grant, the recipient agency, counties served and the agency telephone number:
- $81,984 to Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (Lee, Macon and Russell) 334-262-4300
- $45,171 to Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa (Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa) 256-825-4287
- $143,843 to Community Action Agency of Central Alabama (Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Elmore, Perry and Shelby) 334-567-4361
- $35,752 to Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. (Lee) 334-821-8336
- $53,120 to Community Action of Etowah County (Etowah) 256-546-9271
- $126,191 to Community Action Partnership of Huntsville-Madison and Limestone Counties (Madison and Limestone) 256-851-9800
- $247,960 to Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (Jefferson) 205-327-7500
- $185,747 to Mobile Community Action Inc. (Choctaw, Mobile and Washington) 251-457-5700
- $116,093 to Montgomery County Commission (Montgomery) 334-832-1210
- $144,185 to Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. (Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Walker and Winston) 256-734-5170
- $148,088 to Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and St. Clair) 256-638-4430
- $63,237 to Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. (Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale) 256-766-4330
- $179,452 to Organized Community Action Program Inc. (Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes and Pike) 334-566-1712
- $127,347 to Community Action Agency of South Alabama (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox) 251-626-2646
- $119,447 to Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph and Talladega) 256-362-6611
- $142,316 to Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc. (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa) 205-752-5429
