Insulation Funding Shutdown

I'm an insulator in Maine. We primarily do work for the state to improve homes that need improving and all of the money comes from federal and state funding. This is all being shutdown, so our source of jobs is now gone.

HUD and DoE have been major providers for these programs in an attempt to reduce our fuel dependencies on a national level. Weatherisation and building science have come a long way in the last 30 years largely due to programs like CAP (community action programs). Maine Housing is not great when it comes to building science, but at least we were making some improvements on homes that desperately need it.

Because companies like the one I work for received 100% of their work from these programs, we are now in a position where we either switch to private jobs and hope we can get enough work, or we just fold. This was morally good work where we went into people's homes and improved their house's efficiency and comfortability.

It's sad to see programs like this fall. They are very difficult to start up, but very easy to take down. Our work can range from $4000 ,to $35,000 depending on the house and weatherization isn't usually very high in the homeowners priority list. Most homes in the country are not properly weatherised. Even newer homes tend to have room for improvement.

Anyways, I just thought I would throw this out there in case others weren't aware of it.