Energy Impact Green Grants Help Insulate Local Homes—Here's How

Feel that chill in your drafty old building? There's money from the feds that will help you with that.

Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy is available to air seal and insulate homes—methods experts say are the most effective ways of reducing energy costs. Here's how it works:

To start, you'll pay $99 for a home energy assessment. A contractor will come to the house and test it for air quality and insulation. When that's done, the contractor will offer a menu of items that can be performed to make the home more efficient.

There would be no obligation at this time.

But if you choose to have the items completed, 70 percent of the total bill—up to $1,750—will be paid by Energy Impact Illinois, an alliance of communities, corporations and groups formed to help reduce energy consumption in Illinois.

The average cost for the work has been about $2,500. In this case, the grant will total more than $1,750.

There are no forms to fill out and this isn't a rebate; the dollars are paid directly to the contractor, and all contractors are DOE approved. Energy Impact representatives say the federal funding is set to expire in May 2013.

Homeowners, landlords and commercial property owners in the North Center-Roscoe Village area can contact Energy Impact Illinois representative Leslie Proudfoot at (773) 814-2243 or leslie@energyimpactillinois.org for more information.