Wis. Division of Energy Services plans for the Obama stimulus
Energy Stimulus
Energy Stimulus
The pool of people who are eligible for some form of energy assistance has grown over the past year due to the recent wave of lay-offs at GM and other
businesses. “It is going to be the job of this office — and I’m very passionate about this — to make sure that every citizen that qualifies for this program knows this
program exists,” Branch emphasized. “That is a mandate from Governor Doyle. He wants people to know that there are services for them if they need them. And
again, I think that is what we are seeing. People, who have never had to apply and really didn’t know about the program, are tuning in a little bit more. The
husband could have been laid off. The wife could have left her job, whatever the circumstances may be; we want people to know this program is out there,
where to go and to see if they qualify. And if they don’t qualify for our program, they may qualify for something else.”
Oftentimes energy assistance where a payment is made directly on the individual’s utility bill is viewed as welfare by some people — particularly the elderly
— and they don’t want to accept it even though they have been paying in to a fund that supports energy assistance all of their adult lives. On the other hand,
they will accept weatherization of their home, which apparently doesn’t feel like welfare. Branch hopes that when people realize they have been paying into a
fund, much like a social security fund, they will take advantage of the program when they are experiencing financial difficulty.
Wisconsin’s weatherization program is considered one of the best in the nation. While many programs take a piecemeal approach, Wisconsin’s program is
more holistic. “We do a little bit more than just caulking windows and blowing in insulation,” Branch said. “We look at the whole house and the need. So our
average cost in Wisconsin is over $7,000 per home. The average cost nationally is about $3,500. So we go above and beyond even what DOE in Washington, D.
C. mandates because we really look at the whole house and what those needs are. And so if you are a low-income family, if you are a high energy user, those
take priority now because it’s all about energy efficiency, saving our planet, being less dependent on energy and watching our consumption. We’re tackling
those high energy users first. And those houses could require a lot more work. So as long as it fits into our scope of measures and what we have to do to meet
those guidelines, then we will do that for the house. That could run $10,000-15,000.”
While energy assistance does help people who are experiencing economic difficulties, it isn’t a safety net that will make everything better for those who
have been irresponsible in paying their utility bill. “We prefer that people not wait until they get disconnection notices,” Branch emphasized. “Some do. There
are people that stay disconnected through the winter. The moratorium prevents disconnection. It doesn’t mandate that if you are already disconnected, they
have to connect you. So there are people who can or will go through the season with no heat. That’s why it is very important that people when they are having
these issues get in and see what they qualify for. Work with the utilities. The utilities are so willing to work with the public if you just do something. And that is
what we are trying to make sure that our agencies are educating people about. Yes, you are going through a rough time, but do something. Don’t get 5-6 months
into the season and not pay the utilities anything. Pay them something to show that good faith effort because when you are on hard times, they are more willing
and more likely to work with you.”
Branch has been losing sleep lately, but it isn’t because she is worried about where future funds are coming from. Branch was appointed to Governor Doyle’
s Office of Recovery and Reinvestment, which is planning how Wisconsin will receive and use the federal stimulus funds for the American Recover and
Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed last Tuesday. It has been a busy time.
“We are planning, talking to agencies, talking to executive directors of our CAP agencies on weatherization and doing our best to plan ahead,” Branch said.
“We’re being as proactive as possible. We’re really talking things through, looking at barriers, looking at how we’re able to get this money out and what that
means. I think we are being extremely proactive in taking that approach. And I think it has been very good. And I think the agencies depending on what the
amount is, some agencies will be able to double their production. Some may be able to triple it depending on their capacity.”
And the final version of ARRA had good news in it as it relates to weatherization. “Right now, we are at 150 percent of poverty,” Branch said in terms of who
is eligible for assistance. “The stimulus bill raised the poverty level for weatherization to 200 percent. Right now how Wisconsin manages it is that our
weatherization program ceiling is 150 percent of poverty and then after that, the 150-250 percent is where the Focus on Energy or targeted home programs
come in. So our program will have to change as well. Weatherization is formula driven in terms of what each state gets. The stimulus bill allocated $5 billion for
weatherization. Wisconsin will receive $144.5 million over two years or $72 million per year.”
While the funding coming down the pike is good news for Wisconsin families and will help meet their immediate needs, Branch feels that her division must
be doing more. “I think what we want to do in the future is really reach out to low-income families in a different way to show them everyone can do something
and how to bring their usage and cost down for the long term, not for one month or two months, but with some change in behavior,” Branch said. “I think you
have to meet people where they are. I think you have to create programs that really address their behaviors and how the little things can make a huge impact. It’s
a mindset.”
It’s a mindset for the future.
businesses. “It is going to be the job of this office — and I’m very passionate about this — to make sure that every citizen that qualifies for this program knows this
program exists,” Branch emphasized. “That is a mandate from Governor Doyle. He wants people to know that there are services for them if they need them. And
again, I think that is what we are seeing. People, who have never had to apply and really didn’t know about the program, are tuning in a little bit more. The
husband could have been laid off. The wife could have left her job, whatever the circumstances may be; we want people to know this program is out there,
where to go and to see if they qualify. And if they don’t qualify for our program, they may qualify for something else.”
Oftentimes energy assistance where a payment is made directly on the individual’s utility bill is viewed as welfare by some people — particularly the elderly
— and they don’t want to accept it even though they have been paying in to a fund that supports energy assistance all of their adult lives. On the other hand,
they will accept weatherization of their home, which apparently doesn’t feel like welfare. Branch hopes that when people realize they have been paying into a
fund, much like a social security fund, they will take advantage of the program when they are experiencing financial difficulty.
Wisconsin’s weatherization program is considered one of the best in the nation. While many programs take a piecemeal approach, Wisconsin’s program is
more holistic. “We do a little bit more than just caulking windows and blowing in insulation,” Branch said. “We look at the whole house and the need. So our
average cost in Wisconsin is over $7,000 per home. The average cost nationally is about $3,500. So we go above and beyond even what DOE in Washington, D.
C. mandates because we really look at the whole house and what those needs are. And so if you are a low-income family, if you are a high energy user, those
take priority now because it’s all about energy efficiency, saving our planet, being less dependent on energy and watching our consumption. We’re tackling
those high energy users first. And those houses could require a lot more work. So as long as it fits into our scope of measures and what we have to do to meet
those guidelines, then we will do that for the house. That could run $10,000-15,000.”
While energy assistance does help people who are experiencing economic difficulties, it isn’t a safety net that will make everything better for those who
have been irresponsible in paying their utility bill. “We prefer that people not wait until they get disconnection notices,” Branch emphasized. “Some do. There
are people that stay disconnected through the winter. The moratorium prevents disconnection. It doesn’t mandate that if you are already disconnected, they
have to connect you. So there are people who can or will go through the season with no heat. That’s why it is very important that people when they are having
these issues get in and see what they qualify for. Work with the utilities. The utilities are so willing to work with the public if you just do something. And that is
what we are trying to make sure that our agencies are educating people about. Yes, you are going through a rough time, but do something. Don’t get 5-6 months
into the season and not pay the utilities anything. Pay them something to show that good faith effort because when you are on hard times, they are more willing
and more likely to work with you.”
Branch has been losing sleep lately, but it isn’t because she is worried about where future funds are coming from. Branch was appointed to Governor Doyle’
s Office of Recovery and Reinvestment, which is planning how Wisconsin will receive and use the federal stimulus funds for the American Recover and
Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed last Tuesday. It has been a busy time.
“We are planning, talking to agencies, talking to executive directors of our CAP agencies on weatherization and doing our best to plan ahead,” Branch said.
“We’re being as proactive as possible. We’re really talking things through, looking at barriers, looking at how we’re able to get this money out and what that
means. I think we are being extremely proactive in taking that approach. And I think it has been very good. And I think the agencies depending on what the
amount is, some agencies will be able to double their production. Some may be able to triple it depending on their capacity.”
And the final version of ARRA had good news in it as it relates to weatherization. “Right now, we are at 150 percent of poverty,” Branch said in terms of who
is eligible for assistance. “The stimulus bill raised the poverty level for weatherization to 200 percent. Right now how Wisconsin manages it is that our
weatherization program ceiling is 150 percent of poverty and then after that, the 150-250 percent is where the Focus on Energy or targeted home programs
come in. So our program will have to change as well. Weatherization is formula driven in terms of what each state gets. The stimulus bill allocated $5 billion for
weatherization. Wisconsin will receive $144.5 million over two years or $72 million per year.”
While the funding coming down the pike is good news for Wisconsin families and will help meet their immediate needs, Branch feels that her division must
be doing more. “I think what we want to do in the future is really reach out to low-income families in a different way to show them everyone can do something
and how to bring their usage and cost down for the long term, not for one month or two months, but with some change in behavior,” Branch said. “I think you
have to meet people where they are. I think you have to create programs that really address their behaviors and how the little things can make a huge impact. It’s
a mindset.”
It’s a mindset for the future.
By Jonathan Gramling
It looked like a “perfect storm” was gathering for low-income families and individuals last fall.
The price of gasoline had jumped past $4 per gallon, the mortgage crisis was continuing to
snowball and the stock market was posting its largest losses in a generation while employment
rolls were being slashed. The front line staff in human service agencies that provide energy
assistance started to become concerned. There was no way they could meet the anticipated
demand with the resources they received from the federal government.
“This energy crisis was something that everyone could see, touch and feel, it impacted my family
and it impacted our neighbor’s family,” said Sheree Dallas Branch, administrator of the Wis.
Division of Energy Services. “It impacted every family no matter what your socio-economic status
was. That was something that was very real.”
Fortunately through the urging of U.S. Rep. David Obey, the federal government came
though with a higher allocation of federal funding for the 2008-2009 heating season. Wisconsin
received an allocation of $147 million, about double of what it had received for the prior heating
season.
And the increased allocation came right on time. “We had a 15 percent increase in requests
over last year at the same time,” Branch said. “So we know there is an increasing need for our
services. So far, we’ve paid out to over 122,000 families. And we’ve spent to-date over $83
million.”
It looked like a “perfect storm” was gathering for low-income families and individuals last fall.
The price of gasoline had jumped past $4 per gallon, the mortgage crisis was continuing to
snowball and the stock market was posting its largest losses in a generation while employment
rolls were being slashed. The front line staff in human service agencies that provide energy
assistance started to become concerned. There was no way they could meet the anticipated
demand with the resources they received from the federal government.
“This energy crisis was something that everyone could see, touch and feel, it impacted my family
and it impacted our neighbor’s family,” said Sheree Dallas Branch, administrator of the Wis.
Division of Energy Services. “It impacted every family no matter what your socio-economic status
was. That was something that was very real.”
Fortunately through the urging of U.S. Rep. David Obey, the federal government came
though with a higher allocation of federal funding for the 2008-2009 heating season. Wisconsin
received an allocation of $147 million, about double of what it had received for the prior heating
season.
And the increased allocation came right on time. “We had a 15 percent increase in requests
over last year at the same time,” Branch said. “So we know there is an increasing need for our
services. So far, we’ve paid out to over 122,000 families. And we’ve spent to-date over $83
million.”
Sheree Dallas Branch, administrator for the Wis. Division of
Energy Services also serves as a liaison to the Wisconsin
Office for Recovery and Reinvestment
Energy Services also serves as a liaison to the Wisconsin
Office for Recovery and Reinvestment