Lauren Estes-Velez

Hartselle Enquirer

Governor Kay Ivey has awarded grants totaling $950,000 to assist low-income and elderly Alabama residents who need help reducing their home’s utility bills.

One specific grant reached North Alabama, which was sent to Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. which included: Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Walker and Winston counties in the amount of  $61,025.

 The grants are supporting Alabama’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides funds to improve the energy efficiency and safety of qualifying homes. Priority is given to those with disabilities, the elderly and low-income households with children.

“Those with limited and fixed incomes, many of whom are elderly and disabled residents, struggle to pay higher utility bills in the hot summer months,” Ivey said. “I am pleased that with these grants we will help permanently lower the energy bills for our most vulnerable residents by making energy-efficiency improvements to their homes, freeing up funds in their budget for other essentials like medication and food.”

An energy audit is conducted of each home that qualifies weatherization assistance to determine the most cost-efficient measures. Common improvements include installing extra insulation in the attic, walls and floor; sealing air leaks around doors and windows; repairs or tune-ups for air conditioning and heating units; and replacing incandescent light bulbs with high-efficiency compact fluorescents. In addition to lowering energy bills, the improvements can reduce the risk of fire and other hazards.

Ivey awarded the grants to 16 community agencies across the state that manage the program at the local level and receive applications from individuals who wish to be considered for assistance. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“Gov. Ivey is committed to helping those who truly need it most throughout the state,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “Through the Weatherization Assistance Program and ADECA’s partnerships with our state’s Community Action Agencies, Gov. Ivey is getting aid to as many elderly, disabled and underserved residents as possible during these hot summer months.”

Below is a list of each grant, the recipient agency, counties served and the agency telephone number:

$42,923 to Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (Lee, Macon and Russell) 334-262-4300

$25,607 to Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa (Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa) 256-825-4287

$60,755 to Community Action Agency of Central Alabama (Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Elmore, Perry and Shelby) 334-567-4361

$17,279 to Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. (Lee) 334-821-8336

$25,745 to Community Action of Etowah County (Etowah) 256-567-4361

$52,045 to Community Action Partnership of Huntsville-Madison and Limestone Counties, Inc. (Madison and Limestone) 256-851-9800

$113,065 to Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (Jefferson) 205-327-7500

$86,939 to Mobile Community Action Inc. (Choctaw, Mobile and Washington) 251-457-5700

$51,768 to Montgomery County Commission (Montgomery) 334-832-1210

$61,025 to Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. (Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Walker and Winston) 256-355-7843

$69,293 to Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and St. Clair) 256-638-4430

$34,577 to Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. (Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale) 256-766-4330

$102,793 to Organized Community Action Program Inc. (Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes and Pike) 334-566-1712

$68,770 to Community Action Agency of South Alabama (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox) 251-626-2646

$60,236 to Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph and Talladega) 256-362-6611

$77,180 to Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc. (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa) 205-752-5429