New energy program targets higher earners

A new program is available for homeowners that will pay for most of their energy-efficient home improvements. The program is called the Home Energy Savers program and is administered by HACAP and funded by Alliant Energy. The program pays for up to 90 percent of the home improvements of eligible applicants.

Michele Canfield, community development specialist for HACAP, spoke about the program at the Washington City Council Wednesday night. She told the council that the program has been available in the Washington area for the past two months and that she has made frequent visits to town to talk about the program.

Canfield said the Home Energy Savers program is different from HACAP?s existing weatherization program in that the income guidelines are different. The traditional weatherization program is for low-income homeowners and tenants. The new weatherization program is targeted to people who are between 200 and 250 percent above the poverty level. Canfield said people in that income bracket may not have used HACAP?s services before and are often reticent to apply.

Canfield said that rather than present the program as economic assistance, she accents its positive environmental impacts by saying that it?s a good way to ?go green.?

?We view ourselves as people who do not need assistance, so how we present this program is a touchy subject,? she said.

The Home Energy Savers program will pay for 90 percent of the suggested energy improvements to a house, which could include window repairs, better insulation or even a new furnace or water heater. Unlike the traditional program, the Home Energy Savers program is only available to homeowners and not to renters or owners of apartments.

HACAP determines what parts of the house need to be fixed by sending an energy professional to the home who grades all its energy-efficiency aspects. The energy inspector produces a report containing suggested changes about what would benefit the owner the most. The owner decides what projects to follow through with, knowing that he or she will have to pay 10 percent of the improvements.

To be eligible for the Home Energy Savers program, a single person must make at least $22,340 but no more than $27,925. For each additional person in the home, the minimum income rises $7,920 while the maximum income rises $9,900. Canfield explained that someone who does not qualify for the program because they make too little money can still qualify for HACAP?s traditional weatherization program, which is funded entirely by HACAP and which costs the homeowner nothing. Canfield said HACAP has served an average of 400 homes per year through its traditional weatherization program and hopes to serve 600 this year.

?Our weatherization program is very popular,? Canfield said. ?It?s a way to permanently reduce expenses rather than applying for one-time assistance with utility bills. It is a way to get a better handle on your expenses and to keep more of that money in your pocket. It makes your home more comfortable and healthy, too.?

To prove their income, applicants can present last year?s W2 form, last year?s tax return or the last three months of their pay stubs. Canfield said this flexibility in documentation is advantageous to people who work in schools or who have seasonal work.