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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