Ryan Martin, Heather Allen, Robin Lisowski & Chelsea Chandler - Wisc Politics
Climate disasters will impact us all, including here in Wisconsin. Here is what you can do.
With the U.S. facing back-to-back hurricanes like Helene and Milton, it’s becoming increasingly clear that our warming climate is fueling stronger, more destructive storms. While what is happening in Florida and North Carolina may seem distant from our day-to-day lives in Wisconsin, extreme weather across the world is becoming more frequent and expensive due to our changing climate.
Our hearts go out to those impacted by these storms. As we continue to learn more about the rising death toll, power outages, and damage to homes and livelihoods, many of us are asking “What can I do?” when it comes to preventing the community impacts of severe weather here in our backyard.
There are ways all Wisconsinites – whether you’re a renter or homeowner, living in the city or country – can take advantage of new programs that help Wisconsinites invest in clean energy, reducing harmful emissions that contribute to climate change.
With today being National Weatherization Day, we want Wisconsinites to know about the cost and climate-saving upgrades to their homes, vehicles, and farms with funds available through federal investments like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). By harnessing these energy-efficient savings, Wisconsinites can transition to cleaner energy consumption and save money on energy expenses, while mitigating overall climate impacts.
Clean energy upgrades through the IRA have a number of benefits: they can help decrease our overall carbon footprint, as well as add additional resiliency (or “weatherproofing”) in cases of extreme weather.
Additionally, homes that invest in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage are able to maintain power after big storms. This was recently seen in the Florida “hurricane-proof” neighborhood and another neighborhood in Georgia that used solar plus battery systems to keep the lights on during Helene. In Wisconsin, it will be increasingly important to invest in clean energy upgrades, such as insulating a home to keep it comfortable and safe during extreme heat or cold weather.
When weatherproofing your home, homeowners can receive tax rebates and credits to help with purchasing solar, heat pumps, insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and electric vehicles.
Consider that new electric vehicle purchases can qualify for up to $7,500 in tax credits, while used EV purchases can receive up to $4,000. Because electric vehicles use batteries to provide the energy to propel the vehicle instead of gasoline, driving electric produces less pollution than a gasoline car and can save you money over time.
Getting a home energy assessment is a required step early in the process of receiving benefits from the Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) program. Understanding how your home uses energy will help you and your IRA Registered Contractor create a custom action plan. By updating equipment, insulating and air sealing your home, and exploring other ways your home can save energy, you will unlock qualifying rebates, or other incentives to save you money and energy.
In addition, Wisconsin farmers can apply for federal conservation programs like Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which have seen increased funding through the IRA. These programs can help farmers transition their land to practices that better maintain soil health and prevent topsoil from running off and damaging local infrastructure when extreme weather hits.
In Wisconsin, we have the resources available to realize our climate goals and cut greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to climate disasters. While times of natural disasters can be met with a lot of uncertainty, there is space for hope in the clean energy movement as we work together to find a path forward.
– Ryan Martin is executive director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Heather Allen is Wisconsin policy director, Elevate. Robin Lisowski is managing director of policy, Slipstream. Chelsea Chandler is climate energy and air program director, Clean Wisconsin.
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