Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was designed to provide help to low-income households with a minimum of government bureaucracy and a maximum of involvement by civic institutions.

Federal dollars for LIHEAP are allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the states as a block grant and are disbursed under programs designed by the individual states.

The program is administered at the state and county levels by governmental agencies and implemented primarily at the local level by community action programs (CAPS), local welfare agencies, and area agencies on aging.

How it works:

This program is for the neediest of needy who must be well below the poverty line to be eligible. The assistance helps cover residential energy for heating and cooling (gas & electric) during peak months of winter and summer. The target demographics are elderly and homes with children.

The band aid fix

Though the level of funding was high for fiscal year 2006, the HEAP program faced an ongoing crisis. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, between 1981 and 2000, the number of federally eligible households rose over 49%; however, federal fuel assistance funds rose only 22%. As a consequence, the percentage of federally eligible households receiving assistance has declined sharply.

The funds that are allotted to each state can’t meet the growing needs for heating and cooling assistance. In 2006, despite an additional $1 billion added to the budget, only 15% of households that were eligible actually received assistance.

A great beginning

Of the current programs available to assist low income families only one stands out as forward thinking and solution oriented; the Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP). States may allocate up to 15% of their annual grant for low-cost residential weatherization or other energy related home repair and up to 25% if they meet certain conditions and obtain a waiver from HHS. The program reduces the heating and cooling costs for low-income families by improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

This is not brain surgery

I’m just an average tax paying citizen. However, I do understand the basic principals of economic efficiency and I’d like to think my taxes are going toward a long term solution instead of paying for heating and cooling bills every single year.

Since the number of eligible households rose over 49% and the assistance funds rose only 22% and the grant money can’t meet the growing needs for heating and cooling assistance then why, when a system is clearly not working, do we keep doing the same thing every year? (more…)

Agriculture is a big business in the United States. The “New World” would not be what it is today without an incredible expanse of temperate, farmable land. So the more relevant question may be, “Could the agricultural sector survive without solar energy?” The answer: absolutely not.

I know you’re thinking that this is a no-brainer. Anyone who’s been through seventh grade science knows the basics of photosynthesis and plant survival. Yet how deeply solar energy benefits our farmers and their crops is something many of us do not give much thought.

The intensity and amount of sunlight in a region will determine which crops are grown there and when they are planted. Throughout history farmers have adjusted their techniques to fit solar patterns. It affects:

• When they plant certain crops.
• How they mix certain crops. For example, growing plants of different heights side by side so that one gets the majority of direct light while shading its shorter cousin that may need less sunlight.
• The ability for farmers to dry out harvested crops and manure for fertilizer.

These are just a few examples that I am aware of. I am not a farmer and therefore cannot be as knowledgeable as someone actually using and living off the land. Nonetheless, the benefits and repercussions of solar energy are felt from your vegetable garden all the way to commercially owned fields. (more…)

One of the original enemies of solar power generation was restrictive zoning and neighborhood ordinances. Largely a result of ignorance about the safety and aesthetic of solar panels, most of these ordinances that inhibited residential solar installations have been wiped out as demand for – and education about – solar energy has increased. In fact, several states have enacted laws that would trump any local or subdivision rules that prohibit panels for aesthetic reasons. Yet the clash between solar power and zoning ordinances is not over. The focus now has shifted from residential to commercial installations.

Utility scale solar power production is gaining interest. A lot of towns want a lot of renewable power as soon as possible. In response to that demand, many towns and cities around the country are wrestling with zoning issues. Among these issues are allowable size of power plants, zoning districts, special variances for renewable power plants, and others. This is proving to be a difficult task for some municipalities as they work to iron out a comprehensive code. (more…)