Program supports more than 300 jobs in the state
Washington, D.C. – The Department of Energy announced yesterday that as
of September 30, 2010, Massachusetts has weatherized more than 6,900
homes with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Recovery Act, plus more than 2,800 additional homes with annual funding
for the weatherization program. In total, the state has already
weatherized more than 9,700 homes since the Recovery Act began. As a
result of this progress, the state will now have access to an additional
$61 million in Recovery Act weatherization funding to continue
providing energy efficiency services to Massachusetts’ low-income
families.
“There is no better way to weather a cold winter season
than in a home that is weatherized to use less energy and save families
money,” said Congressman Ed Markey (MA-07). “The positive impacts of
the Recovery Act and Weatherization Assistance Program cannot be
understated – heating up our Massachusetts economy while cooling down
electricity bills.”
The Recovery Act funding for the
Weatherization Assistance Program is also creating thousands of jobs
locally – putting carpenters, electricians, and factory workers back to
work installing insulation, upgrading appliances, and improving heating
and cooling systems. According to state reports, the weatherization
program supported more than 14,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2010,
including more than 300 jobs in Massachusetts.
Under the Recovery
Act, Massachusetts was allocated more than $122 million to weatherize
nearly 17,000 homes. The state previously had access to the first 50
percent of the funding. By weatherizing more than 30 percent of their
total estimated homes and meeting a series of aggressive accountability
and reporting milestones, Massachusetts now has access to the full $122
million to continue weatherizing homes across the state.
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