Sunday, September 16, 2018

La Crosse Mayor Launches Home Energy Challenge


New Program Offers Incentives to Property Owners Who Make Energy Efficiency Improvements
La Crosse homeowners who want to save on energy bills this winter and increase the comfort of their homes now have up to $4,100 in incentives available to them, depending on the variables explained in the fact sheet attached. Mayor Tim Kabat is launching the Home Energy Challenge, which gives the first 100 households who sign up the ability to receive incentives to cover a portion of the costs of making their homes more energy-efficient through insulation and air sealing.
The launch event is taking place at the home of Casey and Sonja Meehan, who chose to make home energy improvements themselves and are encouraging other homeowners to do the same. Casey and Sonja moved to La Crosse in the summer of 2014. They loved the idea of being able to walk, bike, or bus to work, the proximity to all the amenities downtown and on local college campuses, and the potential to be part of a close-knit neighborhood. One detractor was the poor energy efficiency of the older 1920s home that they purchased, but quickly realized that was something they could fix.
“Our home still had the original insulation in the attic, so it was really cold in the winter. After we had the work done, we noticed right away that the temperature in the house was way more comfortable. In addition to making our house more livable, we knew that the improvements were going to save us money in the long run as we wouldn’t be using as much heat.  We also felt it was simply the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint,” said Casey.
For the Mayor, launching this initiative is also about La Crosse residents coming together to make the City one of the most sustainable communities in Wisconsin. “If we accomplish our goal of 100 homes, the City would reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 290 metrics tons per year, the equivalent of 317,676 pounds of coal burned or taking 62 vehicles off the road. That’s a really great investment in our community and our planet,” said Mayor Tim Kabat.
At the launch event, the Mayor will be joined by the City’s partners in the Home Energy Challenge- Xcel Energy and Focus on Energy. In addition, several local employers will be present who will be encouraging their employees to participate in the challenge.
For more information on the incentives being offered and more details about the program, go to http://www.cityoflacrosse.org/energychallenge

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