WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $8,235,920 in federal funding to reduce energy costs for Virginian households and expand access to reliable, affordable energy across the Commonwealth. Awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this funding is allocated through the Weatherization Assistance Program, which aims to reduce energy costs for low-income households by increasing energy efficiency of homes, and through the State Energy Program, which assists in the designing, developing, and implementing of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.

“Expanding access to affordable energy sources and improving energy efficiency are important steps we can take to lower energy costs for Virginians,” said the senators. “We’re glad over $8 million of federal funding is coming to Virginia to help us do that. But this funding is a drop in the bucket compared to the $156 million in federal funding to support the deployment of affordable solar energy that the Trump Administration is illegally blocking from Virginia. We will keep doing all that we can to pressure the Administration to release that funding to lower costs for Virginians.”

The $8,235,920 in federal funding is awarded as follows:

• Under the Weatherization Assistance Program, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will allocate $6,803,840 for home upgrades and repairs, including health and safety checks, the installation of upgraded energy efficient lighting, the replacement of heating and cooling systems, and more.
• Under the State Energy Program, the Virginia Department of Energy will allocate $1,432,080 for the designing, developing, and implementation of renewable energy, including programs to help reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector by 2050 and accelerate the use of alternative transportation fuels for, and the electrification of, vehicles.

Today’s announcement follows pressure from Warner and Kaine on the Trump Administration to release $156 million in federal funding for energy accessibility and efficiency programs in Virginia that the Administration is currently illegally withholding. The withheld funds were awarded to Virginia under the Inflation Reduction Act, which the senators helped pass, and was expected to provide access to more than 15,400 households in Virginia while creating nearly 2,000 solar-related jobs across the Commonwealth.

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