Kerry, Tsongas Announce $5 Million For Energy Efficiency Initiative In Lowell
BOSTON, MA – April 21, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Senator John Kerry and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas today announced that the Carbon-Neutral Lowell Park and Preservation District initiative will receive $5 million in Recovery Act funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Carbon-Neutral Lowell Park and Preservation District initiative will create a model of how energy efficiency upgrades can meet historical preservation standards. Together with Massachusetts’ historic preservation office and the National Park Service, the Lowell project will demonstrate how retrofits are possible even in older buildings, while also adhering to the state’s historic standards. Individual financing for the project includes utility rebates, owner contributions and other federal, state and local grants and loans.
“The Merrimack Valley tells the story of the Industrial Revolution, and now the Carbon-Neutral Park and Preservation District will tell a new story of how to make those historic buildings more energy efficient while maintaining their character. This means jobs, lower utility bills, more money in the taxpayers’ pockets, and the preservation of historic Lowell, and it’s happening because of the Recovery Act,” said Senator John Kerry.
“These Recovery Act funds will create construction jobs right here in Lowell by retrofitting buildings in the downtown preservation district in an energy efficient manner,” said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. “The retrofitting project will ultimately reduce energy bills for the city, while importantly preserving the original character of these historic structures. The City of Lowell, Lowell National Historic Park, and Northern Middlesex Council of Governments all deserve recognition for their hard work in developing this project.”
The Lowell investment is part of the competitive portion of the Department of Energy’s Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, which enables state, local and tribal communities to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.
The Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up Initiative aims to help communities, governments and non-profit organizations work together on programs to retrofit neighborhoods and towns, ultimately helping to make energy efficiency more affordable and accessible to hundreds of thousands of homeowners and businesses nationwide.
For more information about the program, please visit www.doe.gov.
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