Program will help weatherize homes

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - www.energy.ri.gov/index.php The state office of Energy Resources is planning a new program that will provide federal stimulus money to pay up to 25% of the cost to weatherize your home.

Homeowners will be required to hire firms to do energy audits of their homes and recommend the work.

The same firm will then have to audit the finished work and make sure it will increase the efficiency of the building by at least 25 percent before approving the funds.

Last week, the agency announced it will distribute $12.2 million in federal funding to local community action agencies to pay the costs of weatherizing houses of low-income families.

A large number of homes in Rhode Island are heated with oil, therefore, the principal items that will be covered under the program are caulking, furnaces, air conditioners, ventilation equipment, screens, shades and insulation.

For more information on this new program click here.