Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), along with U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Chris Coons (D-DE), announced a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) program to Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). This funding, secured through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law championed by the trio, will help low-income households make crucial energy upgrades.
DNREC’s State Energy Office will use the grant to boost decarbonization efforts by replacing costly, fossil fuel-burning systems in single-family homes with electric heat pumps, paired with solar power. The initiative, also supported by the state’s Low-to-Moderate Income Solar Program, aims to cut carbon emissions while enhancing the health, safety, and comfort of homes across Delaware.
“Today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration will lower energy costs for hard-working Delawareans all while reducing carbon emissions and making our communities healthier,” Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a press release. “I’m proud to be fighting in Congress for robust funding for energy efficiency programs that drive down energy costs for people across the country, especially those in under-resourced communities. Together with the Biden-Harris Administration, we are putting Delawareans front and center when it comes to advancing our clean energy future.”
“Extreme heat and weather intensified by climate change disproportionately impacts the health and pocketbooks of families in low-income communities,” Senator Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said in the release. “Today’s announcement will go a long way in helping families up and down the First State, regardless of income, make their homes more resilient and efficient and reduce emissions. That’s what I call a win-win!”
“It’s great to see the Biden-Harris administration keeping their promise of addressing climate change challenges and supplying federal funding for a greener Delaware,” said Senator Coons. “As the lowest-lying state in the nation, it is imperative we take every step possible to address the inequities climate challenges present in our historically disenfranchised and underrepresented communities, and SERC grants to make solar energy and electric heat pumps more accessible to low-income households are exactly the kind of investments we should be making.”
“This grant will provide Delaware the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Delawareans who need it most by helping to make their homes more energy efficient and reducing their utility bills,” said Shawn M. Garvin, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. “Just as important, it will help push the state closer to its goal of reducing the harmful emissions that are driving climate change.”
