A federal weatherization program helps eligible homes in Michigan be more energy efficient. That lowers utility bills and saves families money. But crews can’t begin weatherizing many of the qualifying homes because they’re in such poor condition, according to Gustavo Perez, director of Kent County Community Action.
“We just found one: it was a single mother and she went through our weatherization program and we thought ok, this is great, but you need a new roof.”
And that’s beyond the average cost per home budget allowed under the weatherization program.
“Our average project for weatherization is somewhere between $5000-7000, and the main focus is probably insulating a home.”
Perez says in Kent County, he’s lucky to have other flexible funds and programs to cover the cost of larger repairs like roofs, furnaces and water heaters, but many areas don’t have that available.
“It’s really hard. We’re in a home and we can’t do anything right now. We can’t weatherize your home because we have to wait on other dollars or defer you.”
Agencies are asking the state for more money in its Health and Safety Fund to help subsidize larger repairs so weatherization becomes possible. Perez says finding people to fill job openings will help too.
“We’re not going to be able to do as many homes if we don’t have enough contractors. We’re not going to be able to get these homes inspected if we don’t have enough auditors.”
