COLORADO COMEBACK FUNDS WEATHERIZATION GRANTS

Reps. Weissman and Hooton’s state stimulus bill to put funds towards the Weatherization Assistance Program

DENVER, CO — The House Energy and Environment Committee today passed a bill to put $3 million of state stimulus funds toward the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which provides grants to help qualified Coloradans save money, increase comfort, and better their homes and environment through proven energy conservation solutions. This bill is part of the Colorado Comeback state stimulus, a package of legislation that will invest roughly $800 million into helping Colorado recover faster and build back stronger. The bill passed by a vote of .

“The Weatherization Assistance Program helps low income families across Colorado lower heating costs, become more efficient energy consumers, and increase safety in their homes,” said Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder. “Hundreds of thousands of Colorado homes are currently eligible for this program, and these state stimulus funds will help us ensure that a few more low income families can reap the benefits.”

“Today we voted to invest in a proven and badly needed program that is already helping thousands of Coloradans every year,” said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora. “Ensuring that more low income families can access the support that the Weatherization Assistance Program provides will help lower costs, and ensure more homes are as energy efficient as possible. It’s win-win.”

The Colorado Energy Office’s Weatherization Assistance Program offers free weatherization support for Colorado’s low-income residents. WAP works to maximize energy cost savings for each client by providing them with cost-effective energy efficiency services. The program’s services focus on the home as a system and include a variety of measures that improve the home’s energy efficiency. These cost-effective services reduce wasted energy and lower heating bill costs, while improving the overall comfort and safety of a home year-round, they include things like air sealing, furnace safety testing, LED light bulb retrofits, and more.

SB21-231 provides $3 million in additional funding to supplement the program’s $20 million budget. Under its current budget, the program only serves about 2,000 homes per year, although about 500,000 Colorado households could qualify.