City of Madison Receives $20 Million to Improve Housing Affordability Through Energy Upgrades

For Immediate Release
January 7, 2025

The City of Madison’s Sustainability Program has been awarded a $20 million grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Community Change Grants program. With this funding, Madison will lead a collaborative project to provide home energy upgrades, saving money on energy bills, improving indoor air quality, and cutting climate pollution.

“We are excited to put these dollars to work in our community to lower household costs, improve health, and help people access good jobs,” said Mayor Rhodes-Conway. “I’m grateful to President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan for choosing Madison to do this important work.”

Energy efficiency upgrades are crucial for affordable housing, particularly for low-income households. In the U.S., low-income households can spend up to three times more on home energy costs compared to others. This "energy burden" significantly impacts housing affordability for many families. However, project complexity and up-front cost often make building upgrades that save energy and money very challenging. 

This project is designed to overcome these barriers by making energy upgrades accessible and free for income-qualified single and multifamily homes. Participating homes will receive technical assistance and free whole-home upgrades, including improved heating and cooling systems, better insulation and air sealing, and more efficient lighting and appliances. In addition to reducing energy bills, these improvements also reduce the exposure of residents to indoor air pollutants that can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses like asthma and high blood pressure. Denise Matyka, Executive Director of Project Home, is enthusiastic about the opportunities for improving energy efficiency for low-income homeowners. "Saving money on energy costs by weatherizing homes is a great help for these families and, more importantly, improves their health and safety. We are excited to be a part of this effort."

To deliver these benefits, the City of Madison is partnering with Sustain Dane, Project Home, Operation Fresh Start, and Urban Triage. The project will expand and accelerate three complementary programs already at work in the community and supported by the City of Madison: Project Home’s weatherization services, Sustain Dane’s Efficiency Navigator Program, and Operation Fresh Start’s Build and Conservation Academies. 

Project Home and the Efficiency Navigator have proven track records of completing quality residential building upgrades. Sixty early career workers with Operation Fresh Start will help complete these upgrades as part of workforce training programs, growing our local green workforce. Brian McMahon, Executive Director of Operation Fresh Start, is happy to provide additional opportunities for workforce training. 

"Any chance to provide young people with training in growing fields helps build wealth in our community,” said McMahon. 

Urban Triage will be one of several community-based organizations leading education and outreach to help tenants, homeowners, businesses, and property owners participate in these programs.

“Every member of the community will be empowered through grassroots outreach. We aim to inspire vulnerable communities to actively participate in building upgrade programs, job training for home improvement, and environmental mitigation efforts.” said Brandi Grayson, CEO of Urban Triage. “Our goal is to enhance the health outcomes of those who are often overlooked, ensuring that the resources we invest strengthen our community.”

Improving home energy upgrades will also decrease overall energy demand and insulate Madisonians from rising energy prices. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from electricity generation and home heating fuel combustion (natural gas, propane, heating oil, etc.). These benefits reflect the EPA’s goal to provide “an unprecedented opportunity to transform disadvantaged communities across the United States into healthy, climate resilient, and thriving communities for their current and future residents.” 

Claire Oleksiak, Executive Director of Sustain Dane, is excited to expand the nonprofit’s capacity to confer the benefits of energy efficiency to more residents in the community. 

"Sustain Dane's programs, like the Efficiency Navigator, focus on the intersection of sustainability and equity,” said Oleksiak. “We strive to meet people where they are at and bring benefits to residents in a way that saves energy, provides jobs, reduces energy costs, and improves the health of our communities."