“Whole-Home Repairs is a win for the Commonwealth,” Says Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance Executive Director Jeaneen Zappa
Contact: Katie Thompson, Communications Manager, Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, (215) 792-2101 or kthompson@keealliance.org
February 6, 2024 – Eighty-three Pennsylvania organizations applauded Governor Shapiro’s commitment to continuing the Whole-Home Repairs program in his budget address this afternoon. The Governor’s proposed budget includes $50 million for Whole-Home Repairs.
Those 83 organizations sent a February 2nd letter to Governor Shapiro’s office, viewable at keealliance.org/whole-home-repairs, urging funding for this important and innovative program. Signatories represented a wide cross-section of Pennsylvania organizations, from businesses and community groups to nonprofits and churches. The sign-on letter was drafted by the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA), a 501(c)6 trade organization representing the energy efficiency industry in Pennsylvania.
KEEA and other signatories thank the Governor for his commitment to funding Whole-Home Repairs. While KEEA and other advocates celebrated initial Whole-Home Repairs funding included in the 2022 budget, its lack of 2023 funding—combined with overwhelming demand in counties administering the program, with applications exceeding accepted and funded homes more than ten times over in some counties—makes 2024 funding decisions even more pressing. KEEA now urges the PA House and Senate to support legislative text in the 2024-25 budget bill that fully funds the Whole-Home Repairs Program.
KEEA Executive Director Jeaneen Zappa shared this statement:
“KEEA and other signatories to our February 2nd letter to Governor Josh Shapiro thank him for his support of the Whole-Home Repairs Program. During only its first year of operations, this Program encountered a huge demand for critical repair assistance across the Commonwealth. Much of that demand has come from Pennsylvanians who would be eligible for existing energy efficiency assistance programs had their homes not needed critical repairs.
“Pennsylvania’s homes are among the oldest in the nation, with extensive issues of deferred maintenance. Whole-Home Repairs provides a broad array of physical improvements to a home, creating lasting benefits for both the household and the community it’s part of. First, the critical repairs provided by Whole-Home Repairs stabilize homes, preventing descent into blight and abandonment and subsequent exit from a community’s property tax rolls. Second, the repairs often unlock additional Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and utility program funds, which when combined with Whole-Home Repairs funds, allow for a comprehensive, complete-building approach. Third, these improvements create lasting energy efficiency and home performance gains, saving money and energy while often shoring up a home’s property value. Fourth, these programs support local, outsourcing-proof jobs for the contractors and tradespeople doing the on-the-ground work. For these reasons and more, 83 signatories agree: Whole-Home Repairs is a win for the Commonwealth.
“The next step is to pass a 2024-25 Budget that includes the promised funding for Whole-Home Repairs. We urge the PA House and Senate to include this important funding in the upcoming budget process.”
See KEEA’s February 2nd, 2024 Press Release regarding the sign-on letter at keealliance.org/83-organizations-urge-governor-shapiro-to-fund-pennsylvanias-whole-home-repairs-program
About the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance and the Energy Efficiency Alliance of New Jersey:
The Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) and the Energy Efficiency Alliance of New Jersey (EEA-NJ) are a joint 501(c)6 trade organization representing 66 member businesses and collaborating organizations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Their shared mission is to champion energy efficiency as the foundation of a clean, just, and resilient energy economy. KEEA and EEA-NJ envision a world in which energy efficiency anchors all efforts to meet our ongoing energy needs, improve health and comfort, promote energy equity, and protect our climate.