Text version of Energy Secretary Granholm's remarks on the 46th anniversary of the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Secretary Granholm>> Thanks so much, Erica. Hello, everybody. Happy Weatherization Day. Thanks to NASCSP for hosting and for our local hosts in Minnesota and the National Community Action Partnership for organizing this conference. 

Today we are celebrating 46 years of the Weatherization Assistance Program. Forty-six years. In that time DOE has helped over seven million families save money and to of course live more comfortably and with greater health. Families across the country. Families like the Joneses in Waynesboro, Georgia. They started saving over $1,400.00 a year after the program sealed gas leaks and repaired their home's gas lines – free of charge, of course. Or Cindy Yu, who is a mom of two young children that I met in Malden, Massachusetts, whose utility bills dropped 30 percent after the Weatherization Assistance Program installed a new boiler and better insulation in her home. 

You know, all these savings add up. The average is about $372.00 a year. And when so many Americans are really feeling the squeeze of rising prices right now, inflation, trying to make every penny count, that kind of money could be a lifesaver, especially for low-income Americans, whose energy bills could otherwise eat up 30 percent of their paychecks. 

But of course, it's not just about money. Weatherizing a home means less exposure to the elements. As I was mentioning on health, it means fewer colds, headaches, fewer doctor's visits, fewer trips to the hospital. Plus, weatherization can make homes more resilient against climate-fueled extreme weather events, which is why weatherization is part of our effort to help Puerto Rico and Florida recover from Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. 

My point is this: The work that you are doing really makes a difference, whether you're working at a state agency helping families get weatherization assistance or maybe you're the one installing installation or LED lighting or energy-efficient appliances in those homes. Whatever it is, you are making their lives better. And we certainly need your expertise now more than ever.

President Biden sees weatherization as an important tool for fighting climate change and for lowering energy costs for every American, and that's why his agenda makes historic investments that are going to help us weatherize more homes in every pocket of the country. It starts with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made a $3.5 million investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program, $3.5 million more than what we were already doing, and that funding is going to help us service about 500,000 households, get more homes weatherization-ready – super important – create about 8500 jobs, and that money will provide as well on-the-job training for our grantees and our contractors. 

And then, on top of that we've already given out one round of grants to make deep energy retrofits in underserved communities, and those grants will create the first net-zero energy neighborhood, for example, in Ohio within a community of color, supporting home retrofits in tribal communities in South Dakota, upgrade 900 low-income multifamily households in the Midwest, just to name a few. We're also helping New York and New Mexico and Minnesota and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts install clean energy technologies outside the normal bounds of this program – so, appliances like heat pumps and cool roofs and exterior wall panels. We're going to announce more funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over the next year. And that is all just part one. 

Part two is the Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in August. This bill is, as you know, I'm sure, if you've looked at this, it is stacked full of tax incentives that are going to help families build on weatherization assistance and lower their energy costs even further. Incentives like a 30 percent tax credit for installing rooftop solar, which will save at least $300.00 a year. Or 30 percent off a heat pump, which can shave $1,000.00 off yearly energy costs. Or a brand-new rebate program where you can get even more money back on energy-efficient appliances with higher rebates that are available for low-income families. And this bill will also help to train up contractors and workers to install heat pump water heaters and HVAC systems that we need to lower energy costs and tackle the climate crisis.

So, the truth is there has never been a better time to work in weatherization and home energy. Now, I know that some of you are probably wondering how we're going to implement all these new programs. How are we going to train up all the new workers that they're going to need? My answer to those questions is really simple: We're going to do it together. We're going to do it across the local and the state and the federal level. We should be prioritizing the families who have a high energy burden so that we can fulfill the goal of President Biden's Justice40 initiative. That initiative aims to direct at least 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments to underserved and overburdened communities. And you can help us build off the Weatherization Assistance Program's existing framework for on-the-job training as our eyes and ears on the ground. We need your feedback, really – we do – on what works and on what we can do better as we scale it up.

For the past 46 years, we have worked hand-in-hand to get weatherization assistance to the families that need it most. So, let's kick off these next 46 years by squeezing every drop of impact out of this historic new funding. 

I look forward to working with you. Thank you so much. 

[End of Audio]