Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Announce $1.5 Million to Improve Home Energy Efficiency

U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) today announced a $1.5 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) grant program to Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to help low-income households make home energy improvements. This funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation championed by Carper, Coons and Blunt Rochester.

DNREC’s State Energy Office will increase the decarbonization of low-income households statewide via an electrification and solar pairing initiative for single-family detached homes, replacing expensive fossil fuel-burning systems with electric heat pumps. The project will replace fossil fuel systems with electric heat pumps and integrate them with solar power through the SERC grant and the state’s Low-to-Moderate Income Solar Program. This initiative aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve the health, safety, and comfort of the homes.

“Extreme heat and weather intensified by climate change disproportionately impacts the health and pocketbooks of families in low-income communities,” said Senator Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Today’s announcement will go a long way in helping families up and down the First State, regardless of income, make their homes more resilient and efficient and reduce emissions. That’s what I call a win-win!”

“It’s great to see the Biden-Harris administration keeping their promise of addressing climate change challenges and supplying federal funding for a greener Delaware,” said Senator Coons. “As the lowest-lying state in the nation, it is imperative we take every step possible to address the inequities climate challenges present in our historically disenfranchised and underrepresented communities, and SERC grants to make solar energy and electric heat pumps more accessible to low-income households are exactly the kind of investments we should be making.”

“Today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration will lower energy costs for hard-working Delawareans all while reducing carbon emissions and making our communities healthier,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “I’m proud to be fighting in Congress for robust funding for energy efficiency programs that drive down energy costs for people across the country, especially those in under-resourced communities. Together with the Biden-Harris Administration, we are putting Delawareans front and center when it comes to advancing our clean energy future.”

“This grant will provide Delaware the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Delawareans who need it most by helping to make their homes more energy efficient and reducing their utility bills,” said Shawn M. Garvin, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. “Just as important, it will help push the state closer to its goal of reducing the harmful emissions that are driving climate change.”