Some Arizonans facing financial hardships or heat-related emergencies will soon have air conditioning systems repaired or replaced through a new federally funded program.
$153 million from the Inflation Reduction Act is funding the new initiative, called Efficiency Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday announced the new program during an event in Phoenix with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk.
Hobbs said the Efficiency Arizona program will eventually make several types of energy savings available to low- and middle-income Arizonans. But she said the first priority of the program will be to get energy efficient heat pump cooling systems installed for lower-income households.
“For many families, replacing or getting these systems fixed is out of reach financially. When these systems go out in the middle of the hot summer, they need to be replaced as soon as possible,” Hobbs said.
In Maricopa County last year about a quarter of all heat-related deaths occurred indoors. In most of those cases air conditioning systems were present but not functioning. Community action agencies across the state that can help Arizonans with AC repairs already have backlogs of households in need. The new program is expected to significantly increase the number of households that receive assistance.
The Governor’s Office of Resiliency will partner with the nonprofit organization Wildfire and other community action agencies to distribute the first wave of funding for the air conditioning repairs and replacements.
Later this year, the program will expand to include middle-income households. Households earning up to 150% of the area median income will be eligible to apply for rebates on energy efficiency upgrades, including installing insulation, heat pump systems, electric stoves or other energy efficient appliances.
Turk said he hoped the rebate program would put clean energy technology within reach for more Americans.
“Once you make those investments in solar, in energy efficiency, in heat pumps, you save an awful lot of money,” Turk said. “But you need some investment and help upfront, especially if you are budget-constrained.”
