The Climate + Energy Project is pleased to announce that its program, Energy Navigators, has been awarded $400,000 in Phase 1 funding to build community-driven pathways to upgrading homes, improving home energy efficiency, reducing energy burden, and improving health of Kansans experiencing energy insecurity. Energy Navigators is a collaboration of community-based non-profit organizations, community action programs, and community health organizations that includes Salud + Bienestar, Destination Innovation, Derby Recreation Commission (Oaklawn), El Centro, the Community Health Coalition of Wyandotte County, Thrive Allen County, and several Community Action Programs across Kansas.
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) provides more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to support the transformation of existing U.S. buildings into more energy-efficient and clean energy-ready homes, commercial spaces, and communities.
This Phase 1 award will support Energy Navigators partners serving people living in historically marginalized communities who are experiencing the greatest impacts of climate change. Energy Navigators makes federal funding dollars, like those available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), accessible to Kansans facing high energy bills. This funding will build capacity for Energy Navigators to develop our Phase 1 Concept Plan into a Pilot Implementation Plan for Phase 2 of this prize.
“For more than 15 years, the Climate + Energy Project has helped connect Kansans to solutions that combat climate change. This new Building UP award builds upon that mission while also helping reduce Kansans’ energy costs through home efficiency and weatherization upgrades. I’m glad I could support these projects here at home, so Kansans can take full advantage of federal policies to lower costs that I voted for in Congress.” —Representative Sharice Davids
The full announcement is available at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/doe-awards-22-million-advance-equitable-energy-efficiency-and-electrification
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For additional information or media inquiries, please contact Dorothy Barnett at 785-424-0444 or barnett@climateandenergy.org.
