Amador County - Amador is among 19 counties eligible to receive a portion of millions of dollars in federal grant funding for energy efficiency retrofits on homes.
The CRHMFA Homebuyers Fund (CHF) was awarded a $16.5 million grant in late November from the California Energy Commission (CHF). It is designed to help homeowners improve energy efficiency.
The CHF is described on its website as “a government sponsored Joint Power Authority that issues tax-exempt and taxable bonds to create affordable single-family mortgage loan programs.” It has 30 member counties, mostly rural. The energy grant program intends to provide loans and grants to “single family residence owners,” in turn saving them money, according to the CHF.
“Replacing windows, sealing air spaces, super-insulating existing walls, floors, ceiling or roof, and upgrading heating and cooling equipment are just a few examples of home retrofit work that can significantly reduce your household energy consumption and slash your energy bills,” say the CHF on their website.
In addition to Amador, member counties include Alpine, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne and Yuba.
It is expected that the program will create as many as 490 jobs in the fields of construction, trade and energy efficiency installation throughout the 30 member counties.
It will also provide more than 1,100 loans and grants to current homeowners as well as 1,200 grants to people purchasing or refinancing a home while work is done as part of a rehabilitation loan or other energy efficiency mortgage.
The CHF says “homeowners can apply for a grant in addition to a 3 percent fixed interest rate 15-year loan from CHF to help with the cost of energy efficiency upgrades.”
The CHF puts homeowners in touch with approved contractors, who “will provide you with a personalized analysis of your home, a checklist of recommended energy efficiency improvements and help you with the application for financial assistance from us.”
The CHF also plans to launch a mortgage credit certification program to offer a tax credit to first-time homebuyers.
For more information or to apply, contact CHF at (855) 740-8422.
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
