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Wyandotte Hits Energy Efficiency Aid 'Jackpot'

WYANDOTTE -- Thanks to more than $4 million in grants secured by Wyandotte Municipal Services from the U. S. Department of Energy and the State of Michigan, funds are available over the next few months to provide Wyandotte residents with free home energy audits and free or deeply discounted energy upgrades that will make their homes more comfortable and energy-efficient. Every home in Wyandotte qualifies for this program.

"This is an energy efficiency jackpot for Wyandotte and our residents," said Pamela Tierney, energy services program manager for Wyandotte Municipal Services. "This is a chance for our residents to get a huge helping hand toward making their homes greener and more comfortable while also saving money."

The program offers every home in Wyandotte a free home energy audit and a number of free energy upgrades like energy-efficient light bulbs, low-flow showerheads and aerators. For residents looking for even greater energy savings, the program offers assistance with the expense of more significant improvements like insulation or duct work. Residents -- whether renters or homeowners -- may sign up simply by calling the program's scheduling center at (855) 674-9926. But they have to hurry: the program will only run for the next few months.

Wyandotte Municipal Services, or WMS, is running the Residential Energy Audit Program through its "Save a Watt in Wyandotte" initiative with grant funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant and Better Buildings for Michigan programs. The Residential Energy Audit Program is offered at three levels, depending on residents' energy needs and desire to make upgrades.

Level One, which is completely free to residents, involves a home energy review during which an energy advisor assesses energy use and loss and identifies simple in-home adjustments to improve efficiency, such as adding weather stripping or other simple opportunities for energy savings.  Free energy savings products may also be installed during this visit, including energy-saving showerheads, aerators, and CFL light bulbs.

Level Two offers a deeply discounted package of air-sealing services and materials, all provided by a certified contractor. Level Two may also include a more comprehensive energy audit that can be conducted alone or bundled with other energy-saving measures.

Level Three offers residents the greatest opportunity to increase comfort and energy efficiency through upgrades that include attic or wall insulation, furnace or air conditioning replacements, geothermal energy system installation and more extensive air-sealing packages. These upgrades are eligible for numerous incentives, increased rebates and very low-interest loans.

In addition to making homes more efficient, the program could provide an added bonus to Wyandotte residents by funding a solar panel project on Wyandotte's Bacon Memorial District Library.  Once one thousand residents participate at any one of the levels, the Better Buildings for Michigan program will fund new solar panels for the roof of the library -- an added incentive for citizens to sign up for the program.

"Whether you want to make your home more comfortable, your library more energy-efficient or the planet greener, this is a great program to at last get it done!" said Mayor Joseph R. Peterson. "We're hoping every resident in our city recognizes this great opportunity and signs up now."

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