U.S. Department of Energy secretary celebrates national milestone in Delaware
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm recently traveled to Delaware to announce that the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Performance with Energy Star program has retrofitted 1 million American homes with energy-efficiency measures, saving consumers more than $7.7 billion in energy costs and generating homegrown green-collar jobs.
"We're thrilled to celebrate this national achievement with Secretary Granholm today as we recognize this home and the 9,000 others Energize Delaware has upgraded across the state," said Tony DePrima, executive director of Energize Delaware. "The $11.6 million in rebates homeowners received made these upgrades affordable, and now they're reaping the benefits on their energy bills to the tune of $2 million each year."
Since its inception, Energize Delaware's Home Performance with Energy Star program has helped many Delawareans save money and increase their home comfort.
"DOE's Home Performance with Energy Star program has helped 1 million homeowners make energy-savings improvements at an affordable price," Granholm said. "With the president's bipartisan infrastructure deal's historic investments in energy efficiency and weatherization, we will ensure more Americans can benefit from cleaner air, more resilient homes and lower energy bills."
The announcement was made with U.S. Sen. Tom Carper and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester at the home of Javier Paula in New Castle. Since her home assessment, Paula will save an estimated $400 annually, or about 17.5 percent of her annual energy costs.
After the energy assessment and installs, Paula said, "Within the first month, I had the lowest electric bill I have ever seen after living in this house for over 14 years."
”The cleanest energy is the energy we never have to use. It's great to welcome Secretary Granholm in Delaware as we celebrate the programs that save consumers like Javier on energy costs. Energy efficiency and climate resilience are baked into our bipartisan infrastructure bill,” said Carper.
"We know that investing in energy efficiency is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions and help fight the climate crisis," said Blunt Rochester. “That's why the Energy Star program is such an important tool to help Delawareans weatherize and make their homes more energy efficient.”
The Department of Energy administers the national home improvement program in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the nation sees improvement in the energy efficiency of single-family and low-rise multifamily homes.
For more information on the Home Performance with Energy Star program, Delawareans can call 877-524-1339 or go to energizedelaware.org.
