Barb Kalbach.

Winter is finally here. And as I look around at the nooks and crannies where I feel a draft, I’ve been thinking about the thousands of Iowans struggling to keep warm. So many people could use assistance to make some needed repairs, insulate or find other ways to weatherize their homes. But they’re trying to figure out how to pay for it.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to find out about Home Energy Rebates (HER), a program included in the Inflation Reduction Act that Congress passed in August 2022. HER would make just over $120 million available to low- and moderate-income Iowans who want to upgrade appliances and make home efficiency improvements. Thousands of Iowans could qualify for up to $14,000 in rebates. Even better, these aren’t pesky tax credits we’d have to wait until next year to benefit from – they’re at the “point of sale”. That’s real money that could be put to work right now to help people and help stimulate our local economies.

Families making less than 150% of their Median Area Income would qualify for these rebates. I’m not a statistician but based on information from the Iowa Finance Authority, families in Adair County making less than $138,750, or Hamilton County making less than $129,450, or the Marshall/Tama County area making around $130,000 or less could benefit.

But here’s the catch – Governor Reynolds has yet to officially apply for these federal funds, potentially leaving many Iowans out in the cold. I learned from Iowa CCI that the Iowa Energy Office sent our application to Reynolds back in late August. Then just this week I heard Iowa has submitted a partial application, but we need the governor to submit a full application.

The clock is ticking. Reynolds needs to apply by the end of January to get the job done and receive these funds. If she doesn’t act now, we could lose millions of funding – which is our money. That hurts all of us. Plenty of neighboring states – Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri – have applied for and received funds for the program. Nearly a dozen states are already offering rebates to their residents.

These are real projects that can help us upgrade heating systems, replace drafty windows, update and replace old wiring, and more. There are lots of projects that would save thousands of dollars in the short term and pay off in the long run by helping us save money on our electric bills.

There’s an unfortunate pattern here of our governor refusing to accept federal help when people could see real economic gains. Reynolds needs to do the right thing and stop dragging her feet.

We’re asking people to contact the governor and tell her to submit a full application now for the HER program. You can either call Reynolds (515.281.5211) or email her Chief of Staff (taryn.frideres@governor.iowa.gov).

It seems like a no-brainer to put our federal dollars to work for us. We need to get this across the finish line, and then implement the program to maximize energy-saving benefits for thousands of Iowans and our communities.

Barb Kalbach lives in Adair County, Iowa. She is a 4th-generation family farmer, a registered nurse, and board president of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Barb can be reached at barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.