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Washington, DC - Arizona has reached a significant milestone under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, completing weatherization work for more than 30 percent of the homes the state had planned to weatherize.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu made the announcement today. Through June 30, Arizona has weatherized more than 1,900 homes under the Recovery Act. As a result of the progress in the program to date, the state will now have access to an additional $28.5 million in Recovery Act weatherization funding to continue providing energy efficiency services to Arizona's low-income families.

Secretary Chu also announced that three high-performing local weatherization agencies in Mesa, Phoenix and Yuma have been selected to receive a total of more than $3.1 million to expand their successful weatherization programs.

The funding will allow the local agencies - Mesa-CAN, the City of Phoenix's Neighborhood Services Department and the Western Arizona Council of Governments - to install solar hot water systems and heat pump and hybrid water heaters in residents' homes. The award selections were part of nearly $120 million in awards announced nationally to complement and expand existing weatherization programs, drive innovation in the program and deliver even greater energy bill savings for local families.

"The weatherization program is successfully delivering energy and cost savings for American families, while helping to rebuild our economy," said Secretary Chu. "These investments in energy efficiency under the Recovery Act are putting thousands of people to work in Arizona and across the country as part of our clean energy future."

The weatherization program is also creating thousands of jobs locally - putting carpenters, electricians, and factory workers back to work installing insulation, upgrading appliances, and improving heating and cooling systems.

According to state reports, the Recovery Act Weatherization Assistance Program supported more than 13,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2010, including nearly 150 jobs in Arizona.

Through Recovery Act funding, Mike Uniacke's company, Advanced Insulation, Inc., was hired to oversee weatherization projects for clients including the City of Phoenix, the Northern Arizona Council of Governments, and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona.

"The Weatherization Assistance Program has been a company-saver in our case, helping us keep our doors open," he said. "The residential construction market in Arizona had all but collapsed due to the recession, and as a small business that employs about 45 people, we were facing the reality of shutting our doors. The opportunity to be involved in the Weatherization Assistance Program has saved those jobs and allowed us to expand the business in new ways."

Under the Recovery Act, Arizona was allocated more than $57 million to weatherize approximately 6,400 homes under weatherization program. The state previously had access to the first 50 percent of the funding. By weatherizing more than 30 percent of their total estimated homes under the Recovery Act and meeting a series of aggressive accountability and reporting milestones, Arizona now has access to the full $57 million to continue weatherizing homes across the state. Together with the nearly 1,150 additional homes Arizona has weatherized with annual program funding, the state has now weatherized nearly 3,100 homes since the Recovery Act began.

Arizona's efforts are contributing to the success of the program nationwide. After ramping up last year, the Weatherization Assistance Program is now weatherizing homes at its optimal rate - approximately 25,000 homes per month. In June, states reported that nearly 31,800 homes were weatherized with Recovery Act funding - the most ever in a month. This summer alone, more than 80,000 homes will be weatherized across the country.

Under the weatherization program, local agencies provide whole-home weatherization services, including conducting an energy audit in the home to identify the most cost-effective improvements, and implementing solutions that range from installing additional insulation and weatherstripping, sealing windows and doors, caulking cracks in the building, and replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems.