19-03-2025
La Crosse announces program to help low-income residents with energy costs
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – The city of La Crosse is starting a new program with Green Homeowners United. Over 300 homeowners will be able to have their homes checked for old insulation and air leaks free of cost. Kevin Kane with Green Homeowners United says money from the Federal Inflation Reduction Act helped launch the program, 'The state of Wisconsin is going to be receiving $149 million for things like insulation, heat pumps, and more. That money can go anywhere in the state, so municipalities are trying to find new ways to do it. La Crosse is quite interested in figuring out how do we help as many residents in La Crosse as possible.'
Kane says checking how drafty houses are can save homeowners plenty of money. 'It's often not where people think they are. People may think it's by their windows, and it may be in some cases. But a lot of times air leaks out at the top of the house, around the entrance to the attic, around gaps in your basement, or where wires and pipes come in. Sealing that with spray foam, or weather stripping, or caulk can save a ton of energy.'
Rebecca Schwarz is a homeowner who says an assessment from the program has fixed a major problem in her house. 'For the first 18 months, I didn't realize we weren't getting heat or cooling air in the kitchen. After they did everything, we turned on the heat and I was like there's heat in the kitchen for the first time. I didn't even know it could come out of that hole in the wall.'
With a few houses completed, Kane expects the program to be able to help many more La Crosse homeowners soon, 'The goal of this program is to help people fight climate change at home. People are now going to be rewarded for it with all the new federal funds available. We want to help La Crosse city residents be first in line.'
To find out if you qualify for the program, you can contact Green Homeowners United.
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