Contractors Needed to Complete State's Aggressive Weatherization Schedule

NASHVILLE - More than 6,400 homes have been weatherized across Tennessee since a massive infusion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds arrived last year. Through March, Tennessee was second in the nation (behind only Ohio) in getting Weatherization Recovery dollars into the local economy and helping low-income citizens save money on their utility bills by making homes more energy efficient. 

 

Weatherization measures include several home repairs, such as adding insulation, caulking windows and sealing cracks to reduce air flow. Tennessee has completed more than 60 percent of the 10,500 target it provided to the U.S. Department of Energy.

 

Free regional one-day DOE-approved contractor weatherization training sessions will be held over the next three weeks. Tennessee was awarded $99 million for the home energy efficiency program for low- to moderate-income citizens through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Department of Human Services and Tennessee Valley Authority have worked together to provide the federally approved training for this program. More than 500 licensed contractors have been certified to work on the program. 

 

Contractor Training will be held in Memphis on Tuesday, July 6; in Nashville on Thursday, July 8, and in Knoxville on Tuesday, July 13. NOTE: Training session times and addresses will be provided to contractors once they are confirmed to attend.

 

The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers the Weatherization program through a network of 18 local agencies. To learn more about the program, to apply for the program, or to work on jobs in your community, please find local agency contact information at the following link:www.tn.gov/wap

 

Those interested in performing weatherization work must be certified in U.S. Department of Energy training. Contractors must be licensed by the state of Tennessee. 

 

Registration is required, and must be done before classes begin. Space is limited for the all-day sessions, and those not registered may be turned away. Interested licensed contractors should call ‘toll free’ at 1-877-830-3304 to sign up.