$30M in fed cash set aside for building retrofits

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

The numbers are impressive: nearly $452 million in federal stimulus funds to help retrofit existing structures into more energy efficient buildings split between 25 communities/states. Michigan is one of those areas, roping in $30 million.

The details of how that money will be put to work and where are still being sorted out. However, the macro impact has the potential for not only shrinking carbon footprints but helping contain suburban sprawl.

"The idea is to go into these houses and retrofit them so they're more energy efficient," says Sam Offen, director of energy program for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. "It will allow them to stay longer because they will be more habitable."

The Michigan Suburbs Alliance, headed up by Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith (D-Ann Arbor), played a key role in helping score these funds. The money will be used for both residential and commercial properties. That could mean everything from owner-occupied, single-family houses to retail spaces.

"The residential neighborhood component also includes small businesses," Offen says. "It could be for rental homes as well."

Residential and commercial buildings consume 40 percent of the energy and represent 40 percent of the carbon emissions in the U.S. Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually. Residential and commercial retrofits also have the potential to cut energy bills by $40 billion annually.

Work could begin as soon as this fall.

Source: Sam Offen, director of energy program for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance
Writer: Jon Zemke