DOE Funds Energy Efficiency Upgrades Across U.S.

The Department of Energy is providing federal funding which should boost domestic support for initiatives to improve the efficiency of homes and commercial structures.

With oil reaching $120 per barrel as conflict continues to roil the Middle East, heating costs for families and businesses around the country are likely to continue rising. One of the best ways to combat these surging expenses is to improve structural insulation and building envelopes. The federal government will already subsidize 10 percent of the total cost of new insulation, not including labor and installation.

Late last year, the DOE also announced that it's providing $7 million to 24 states in order to support the adoption of more stringent and efficient building codes. 

The effort will push two improved building codes: Standard 90.1-2007, created by the American National Standards Institute, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America; and the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code.