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Weatherization Stimulus: Lots of It, Fast

Business Week – For the thousands of contractors and state and local agencies that have received funds under the Energy Dept.’s Weatherization Assistance Program in the past, President Obama’s stimulus bill, which calls for a massive $6.2 billion to weatherize low-income homes, was a little like winning the lottery. The DOE last year allocated just $227.2 million for the Weatherization Program, which was founded in 1976 and has so far helped around 6.2 million families’ homes become more energy-efficient by upgrading insulation, heating and cooling systems, air filters, and windows. So the first reaction from the contractors and agencies, naturally, has been elation.

As Geoff Chapin, CEO of eco-retrofit company Next Step Living, says, “We were heartened to hear that weatherization plays such a critical role in the stimulus package.”