Durham County wins $1.5 million DOE grant to fund home energy retrofits for low-income households

Durham County officials on Sept. 9 announced a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to create the Energy Burden and Emissions Reduction Program (EBERP), a three-year initiative that will fund energy-efficiency retrofits and limited home repairs for low-to-moderate-income households across Durham, Orange and Granville counties.

Tobin Freid, Durham County sustainability manager, said the grant will support a neighborhood-based, phased approach focused on under-resourced communities and that the program is designed to spend the majority of funding within Durham County. Megan Pendell, sustainability specialist, said the program’s goal is to upgrade about 200 homes at no cost to the homeowner and that EBERP will employ local residents as neighborhood ambassadors and a temporary Community Energy Fellow to assist implementation for 18 months.

The grant and related budget change were reflected in Budget Ordinance Amendment No.25BCC016, which recognizes the $1,500,000 award in the county’s FY2024–25 budget. The ordinance was included among items the board approved on the consent agenda during the same meeting.

Board members pressed staff on how neighborhoods would be selected and whether renter-occupied units would be eligible. Freid said the program will assist both owner-occupied and renter-occupied homes and that eligibility and neighborhood criteria will be established during initial program planning.

The county said the program aims to pair retrofits with community outreach and local hiring; specific timelines and selection criteria will be developed by staff and reported back to the board as implementation planning proceeds.

The consent agenda motion approving the related budget amendment carried unanimously.