U.S. funds offer energy help
STIMULUS: Economic Development Council to get $1 million to help homeowners, businesses upgrade

“The federal government is sending $1 million in economic stimulus money to the Economic Development Council of Thurston County for energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades for homeowners and businesses.
The program will offer technical help to middleincome homeowners and businesses, helping them to find suitable upgrades and learn about tax credits, rebates and other assistance, EDC Executive Director Michael Cade said Monday [Oct. 12]. The areas of energy improvements could include wall insulation, floorboard insulation, windows and even furnace upgrades, Cade said.

The grant is one of eight statewide distributed by Washington State Universitys Cooperative Extension. Together they put $14 million toward private and public projects, helping up to 10,000 homes and businesses and creating hundreds of jobs, according to the office of Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The EDC grant grew out of efforts by the Thurston Climate Action Team, a new nonprofit group that wants to make it easier for people to upgrade their home energy systems. The money is to be used in part to set up neighborhood workshops that help homeowners get home energy audits and learn about weatherization, rebates and tax credits.

…Henderson (Stewart Henderson, an activist with the action council) said the group has worked over several months to build support for the project from political jurisdictions as well as Puget Sound Energy, the Thurston Chamber, and local financial institutions. The private, nonprofit EDC will administer the new Thurston Community Energy Efficiency Program that is being funded.

‘The EDC has a longstanding history of providing technical support for communitybased efforts that work to promote a quality and vibrant community. We believe that the partnerships that were developed to create this proposal will result in the success of this communitybased energy efficiency program,’ Cade said in a statement…

Commerce staffers have said that close to 6,940 homes might be upgraded with insulation and other weatherization through March 2012 using the states earlier weatherization allotment, which ultimately could reach $59.5 million. Overall, that is expected to generate close to 250 direct jobs per year across the state,” quoting The Olympian on the Thurston EDC website.

Mr. Cade gave a presentation to the Yelm City Council on November 24 about climate initiatives for the county & getting Yelm involved.