Stimulus funds double STEP weatherization efforts in area

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STEP Inc. this year is planning to significantly expand its weatherization program in Lycoming and Clinton counties, thanks to an infusion of federal stimulus money the agency expects to receive over the next three years.

The extra funding will allow STEP to expand its weatherization services and hire more workers for the program, STEP Housing and Building Initiative director Terry Roller said.

The agency plans to beef up its weatherization staff by hiring and training at least 10 new employees, as well as subcontractors to do the work, Roller said.

"In my opinion, this really is a good way to make these stimulus dollars work," he said. "There will be job creation, subcontracting and materials purchase. The beauty of it, too, is that we will be helping a lot of people reduce their energy costs."

The program provides eligible home owners with diagnostic services, manpower and materials to make homes as energy efficient as possible.

The agency is set to receive an initial payment of more than $400,000, which will double its normal annual weatherization program funding.

The agency also receives about $480,000 in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program - or "LIHEAP" -funds. About 15 percent of the funds are available for weatherization while the rest are used for crisis situations such as to pay heating bills or fix or replace furnaces.

If the agency can "ramp up" its weatherization program by taking on more weatherization jobs, another $1.7 million will be made available for the program this year, Roller said.

Another $2 million in stimulus money would then be available over the next two years, he added.

For a home owner to qualify for weatherization assistance, they must be within 200 percent of the federal poverty line, according to Kevin Mitcheltree, STEP director of weatherization and renewable technology.

For a family of four, the cut-off line for eligibility would be $44,443 in annual income, Mitcheltree said.

The U.S. Department of Energy, which provides STEP with much of its regular weatherization funding and all of the stimulus money, has increased the average amount of money the agency can spend on each weatherization job from $3,000 to $6,500, Mitcheltree said.

The increase, which goes into effect on July 1, will allow the agency to perform much more intensive work, Mitcheltree said.

The stimulus funds should allow the agency to perform weatherization upgrades on 300 additional homes, he said.

Anyone who would like to apply for weatherization assistance should call STEP at 327-5420.

Applications will be sent out on a first-come, first-served basis, Mitcheltree said.