Grants Available to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

CAC — the Knoxville Knox County Community Action Committee — is taking applications this week from renters and homeowners who wish to reduce their KUB bills by making their homes more energy efficient.

Anyone interested in applying for energy upgrades should come by CAC offices at 2247 Western Avenue from today through September 4 to submit an application. Doors open at 8 a.m., and they close at 7 p.m. today and Thursday and at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.

Applications will still be accepted after this week. Just contact a CAC neighborhood center or CAC’s housing and energy office at 244-3080.

To be eligible, applicants must live in a single family or duplex home within the city limits of Knoxville that was built in 1995 or earlier. Both the home heating and water heating must be electric.

Applicants must also be income eligible. Maximum household incomes are $34,550 for a single person, $39,450 for two people in the household, $44,400 for three, $49,300 for four, and $53,250 for five. For more details, see the participant eligibility brochure at www.KEEMteam.com.

The types of improvements depend on the specific needs of each home. Common upgrades include installation of weather stripping, upgrades of heating units, air sealing, and insulation of walls, ducts, pipes and attics.

Thanks to a $15 million grant from TVA, this program — called Knoxville Extreme Energy Makeover (KEEM) — will improve the energy efficiency of more than 1,200 homes in Knoxville over the next two years. Besides TVA and CAC, the other partners are the City of Knoxville, Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), and the Alliance to Save Energy.

In addition, everyone can save on KUB bills by learning a few simple low-cost or no-cost changes in the way utilities are used. Visit www.savingsinthehouse.com for some quick tips. Better yet, attend one of the “Savings in the House” workshops that will be held this fall. Workshops will be held on Sept. 1, Sept. 3 and Sept. 24.