The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the city of Madison a $20 million grant on Jan. 8 aimed to enhance energy efficiency in affordable housing.
The new funding is part of a $1.6 billion federal Community Change Grant Program passed in former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The city has partnered with Sustain Dane, Urban Triage, Operation Fresh Start and Project Home to implement these improvements.
With this money, the city hopes to promote home energy efficiency, reduce energy bill costs, improve indoor air quality and decrease pollution throughout Madison.
Low-income homes will receive upgrades such as improved insulation, heating and cooling systems, air sealing and more efficient appliances, making homes more comfortable and sustainable for inhabitants. These upgrades will also significantly reduce energy bills for residents of affordable housing, providing financial relief.
Lower-income households spend up to three times more on energy compared to middle- and upper-income households, according to the city.
"Saving money on energy costs by weatherizing homes is a great help for these families and, more importantly, improves their health and safety,” said Denise Matkya, executive director of Project Home.
Future projects aim to bring greener energy, jobs to Madison
The five organizations given funding will focus on three green energy programs that are already at work in Madison. Project Home’s weatherization services, Sustain Dane’s efficiency navigator program and Operation Fresh Start’s Build and Conservation Academies are being utilized and expanded to achieve the grant's goals.
Project Home’s weatherization services aim “to reduce the energy usage of a home in order to lower the utility bills of the household while making the home safer, more comfortable, and function better as a whole system,” the organization said.
Weatherization saves a household over $5,000 over their lifetime, according to Project Home’s website.
Sustain Dane’s efficiency navigator program gives small- and medium-family housing a way to become more energy efficient to curb the effects of climate change, according to their website.
Claire Oleksiak, executive director of Sustain Dane, said in a press release the program “strive[s] to meet people where they are at and bring benefits to residents in a way that saves energy, provides jobs, reduces energy costs, and improves the health of our communities.”
Operation Fresh Start, through its Build and Conservation Academies, is employing 60 of their early-career workers to execute the home improvements. The workers will gain workplace experience, therefore “growing our local green workforce,” the city said in a press release.
