Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has awarded $1.77 million to help low-income residents cut their utility bills by making their homes more energy efficient.

Those funds will go to support the Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program – which is designed to give priority consideration to the elderly, and all those with disabilities, as well as low-income residents with children.

Houses qualifying for assistance are modified to improve both energy efficiency and safety.

To identify the most cost-effective measures for each home, an energy audit is performed, and depending on those results home weatherization projects may include – the addition of extra insulation to the attic, walls & floors; sealing leaks in ductwork; repair of the heating, ventilation & air-conditioning systems; and more.

That funding was provided to the state by the U.S. Department of Energy, with the Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs distributing money to 16 regional agencies that provide local management for the weatherization program.

Applications for weatherization services should be made to those agencies.

$140,023 will be awarded to the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama – serving Cherokee, DeKalb, Blount, Jackson, Marshall and St. Clair counties.

That agency can be contacted at (256) 638-4430.