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Ulster County has introduced a new initiative to help residents of mobile homes make energy-saving upgrades. The Mobile Home Resilience Grants program aims to lower utility bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing outdated heating systems with electric heat pumps. These pumps provide both heating and cooling year-round, enhancing comfort and air quality.
The program, part of the county’s Better Homes for All Initiative, is available to mobile home owners with incomes up to 80% of the area median income. It requires the homes to be structurally sound and up to code, and park owners must authorize the upgrades. The Ulster County Legislature approved a $194,000 contract with Ulster County Community Action, funded in part by a $50,000 grant from the Bank of Greene County Charitable Foundation, to implement the program.
According to Times Union, the program also includes weatherization and insulation improvements through the federal Weatherization Assistance Program. County Executive Jenn Metzger emphasized the importance of such initiatives, stating, "We’ll never meet our climate mandates in the state’s climate law unless we can help assist low- and moderate-income households in making these investments."
The program is expected to serve at least 12 mobile homes initially, and it fills a gap as manufactured homes are not eligible for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority programs. Ulster County Community Action's Carole Furman mentioned that the program will not target homes with new furnaces but will focus on those with outdated systems ready for replacement.
The initiative follows a similar program in Tompkins County and aims to promote energy equity by reducing utility costs and carbon emissions for vulnerable residents.