Energy assistance gets boost in Davis, Weber and Morgan

FARMINGTON — Nearly 200 homes in Weber, Davis and Morgan counties are expected to cut heating costs in 2009 thanks to a pair of grants that will pump $900,000 into the Tri-County Weatherization Assistance Program's budget for energy assistance.

The first grant, $500,000 received Tuesday by the Davis County commissioners, comes from the Utah Department of Community and Culture. The second grant, $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy, is expected shortly.

That almost doubles the budget for the the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, said Davis County Health Department director Lewis Garrett.

Those grants are expected to allow the weatherization program to hire a third three-person crew that can visit eligible homes in the three counties and perform a variety of tasks to help homeowners save money on heating expenses.

Tasks include installing insulation, reducing air infiltration, performing tune-ups and repairs to heating systems, replacing appliances to improve efficiency and safety, and replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs, according to the Tri-County Web site.

New appliances are often more efficient than older appliances, and the cost of a new appliance can be saved in a matter of years by removing an old, inefficient one, Garrett said.

Currently, there are about 100 homes on Tri-County's waiting list, he said.

In Utah, 88,600 households are eligible for LIHEAP, according to liheap.org.

Many of those homes should get a boost this year, according to the Web site, because the federal government has appropriated $32.1 million to come to Utah, $13 million more than in 2008.

Garrett said Tri-County Weatherization received enough money in 2008 to hire a second three-person crew.

The coming allocation will allow Tri-County Weatherization to market the LIHEAP program because many residents still don't know about it, he said.

Tri-County Weatherization is open Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, residents in Davis, Weber or Morgan counties may call 877-882-4799.

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