Source: govdelivery.com
OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Jay Inslee joins community action agencies, housing authorities and local governments across the state and nation in recognizing Oct. 30, 2018 as Weatherization Day. The annual proclamation kicks off a month-long effort to raise awareness of programs and services that help low-income households save money on heating bills through energy efficiency and other home improvements.
Each year Washington’s Weatherization Assistance Program helps many households make it through the cold weather season – and the years ahead – by adding insulation, sealing cracks and making other improvements that reduce heat loss and save money on energy bills. In 2017-2018, the program weatherized 2,540 low-income homes all across the state.
“We continue to look for better ways to assist Washingtonians who struggle with high heating bills and unhealthy homes,” said Gov. Inslee. “New investments in innovative programs, such as Weatherization Plus Health and Rural Rehabilitation loans, help more people save money on heating bills, improve indoor air quality and stay in their homes.”
This year, the state is expanding on weatherization programs with two important new services. One will help create healthier homes for young children and people living with asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions. The other will help rural homeowners needing to make basic repairs before they can be served by weatherization assistance programs.
A $5 million capital allocation for rural rehabilitation will provide low-interest home repair loans of up to $40,000 to approximately 100 households in designated rural areas. This program will enable vital repairs to prepare homes for weatherization work that can then improve energy efficiency and reduce heating costs. Prior to this program, many rural homeowners did not have resources to make repairs necessary to be served by the Weatherization Assistance Program. For example, a leaking roof must be repaired first for insulation or other energy efficiency measures to be effective.