WASHINGTON–Connecticut leaders on Wednesday announced that the state will receive $50 million for Fiscal Year 2022 to help lower-income families lower their utility bills with energy efficient upgrades. This expanded funding, which is enabled by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will allow Connecticut to retrofit thousands of low-incomes homes to make them healthier and more energy efficient while lowering utility bills.
The Weather Assistance Program (WAP) retrofit funding is designed to address the “whole home” including installing insulation, updating heating and cooling systems, upgrading electrical appliances, and taking other common-sense actions that will make homes warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer with less energy usage.
“High energy costs make it more difficult for Connecticut families to keep their homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This federal funding will help upgrade and retrofit homes – making them more resilient to climate change while cutting monthly energy costs. This is just one example of the sort of smart investments our state will be able to make thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Murphy.
“This funding will provide welcome relief to many more Connecticut families who are struggling to heat their homes. Last fall, I visited the home of an elderly Waterbury resident who benefited from this weatherization program, saving her nearly $500 a year on heating costs. Working families deserve this kind of relief. I am proud the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which we fought so hard for in Congress, will help hundreds of Connecticut families to lower energy costs and keep more money in their pockets,” said Blumenthal.
“Energy costs have skyrocketed recently, leaving many families choosing which necessity they will pay for each month. This funding that we fought for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help lower-income households lower their energy costs in a cleaner way,” said Larson.
“Fuel costs are rising around the world right now, and my office has heard from many constituents about the rising prices of things like home heating costs and electric bills,” said Courtney. “It’s important to know that help is still available for many working families to offset these costs through programs like Connecticut Energy Assistance, funded by the American Rescue Plan, and that more is on the way now thanks to the new bipartisan infrastructure law. This is going to help more families heat their homes, and lower their bills for the long-term with cleaner, higher-efficiency energy usage.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes strategic investments in our energy efficiency that will decrease monthly costs for families across the country,” said DeLauro. “Today’s announcement of an expanded Weatherization Assistance Program is a commitment to energy reform, addresses gas prices, and reduces the pollution that causes global warming. Through an expanded Weatherization Assistance Program, we will increase the energy efficiency and safety of America’s homes and give middle-class families more breathing room every month on their energy bills. By investing in the largest residential energy efficiency program in the nation, this puts our country on the path to lower costs for families, create green jobs, and move us closer to the energy efficient economy we need.”
“As climate change makes extreme weather more common, many Connecticut families face the impossible choice of putting food on the table or heating their homes. This assistance will help ease the burden of energy costs, providing warmth and safety in the winter months,” said Himes.
“The climate crisis and rising energy costs hits vulnerable communities hardest. Expanding clean energy programs will better support struggling Connecticut families by lowering energy bills and preserving our environment in communities that are often overlooked,” said Hayes.
“Thanks to our amazing Congressional delegation, Connecticut has even more resources to help lower energy costs and meet our statewide carbon reduction goals. The increase in annual weatherization funding to our state is yet another example of the bipartisan infrastructure law paying dividends for the people of Connecticut,” said Lamont.
“Home energy retrofits and upgrades – like electrification, heat pumps, LED lighting, insulation, and sealing up leaks — can slash monthly energy bills for families and improve the air we breathe,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to the transformative investments in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will be able to help households in disadvantaged communities, create cleaner air, and generate good-paying local jobs in every corner of America.”
Since 1976, WAP has served over seven million households and delivered an average of $372 in annual energy savings for American families. Today’s funding announcement will transform the WAP program by expanding weatherization services to ten times current funding levels, creating jobs, and reestablishing economic opportunities in communities that have been hit the hardest by economic, racial, and environmental injustices. In addition to creating more energy-efficient homes, weatherization investments make homes more resilient to climate change, help create good-paying jobs, reduce energy costs, and support cleaner air and public health.
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