York to apply for home weatherization grant
The other energy committee, the town Energy Steering Committee, is working with the town and a group of local communities to apply for a grant of up to $500,000.
York and at least three surrounding towns are applying for federal funds to help residents get low-interest loans to make energy-efficient changes to their homes.
On Monday, York joined Kittery in applying for a $500,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Eliot and South Berwick are expected to join the application to the Maine Public Utilities Commission. North Berwick, Ogunquit and Wells officials have also expressed interest, according to information released at the Oct. 19 Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
If approved by Efficiency Maine, starting this winter, residents and small business owners will be able to apply for loans of up to $10,000 to insulate or replace windows, upgrade heating systems, put in solar panels and make other energy efficient changes. The idea is to have repayments create a revolving loan account.
The York Board of Selectmen on Monday approved joining the grant application being sent by the Town of Kittery. It was initiated by citizen activist groups in what is called the KEYS region of Kittery, Eliot, York and South Berwick, and coordinated by the Community Wellness Coalition and the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, according to Torbert Macdonald, who requested the application be placed on Monday’s agenda.
Read the rest of the York Weekly article for more details on the project.
In addition to this grant, the Energy Steering Committee is in the process of applying for a separate $10,000 Efficiency Maine grant to help pay for energy audits and weatherization of selected municipal buildings.
