Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded more than $6.2 million to help low-income residents in Alabama reduce their home energy bills through the Weatherization Assistance Program.

The 13 grants to community action agencies throughout Alabama provide funding for the program, which improves the energy efficiency and safety of homes selected for assistance. Priority is given to people with disabilities, the elderly and low-income households with children.

“Alabama’s fluctuation from cool winters to hot and humid summers can make it difficult for low-income families and individuals to choose between keeping their homes comfortable and affording other necessities in life such as food and medicine,” Ivey said. “These grants will help low-income households make upgrades that significantly reduce heating and cooling bills.”

Each qualifying home receives an energy audit to determine the most effective and efficient weatherization methods, such as adding attic insulation or sealing air leaks around windows and doors.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from money made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Providing weatherization measures in a home can make a vast difference in cooling it during the summer and heating it in the winter,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA joins Governor Ivey in supporting these grants, which will help many Alabama families reap the benefits of lower energy bills.”

People interested in the program should contact the community action agency in their area to determine whether they qualify and to submit applications. The funding allocations announced this week may not be immediately available for application at the local level. The application periods are established locally by each community agency.

Alabama’s weatherization assistance grants help low-income households deal with the state’s fluctuation from cool winters to hot, humid summers without breaking the bank. (Getty Images)

Below is a list of each grant, the recipient agency, counties served, the agency telephone number and, where available, the agency website:

• $228,398 to Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale), www.caanw.org, 256-383-3832
• $411,734 to Community Action Partnership Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties Inc. (Limestone, Madison), www.caa-htsval.org, 256-851-9800
• $428,888 to Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. (Cullman, Lawrence, Morgan, Marion, Walker, Winston), www.capna.org, 256-355-7843
• $1,467,359 to Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall, St. Clair, Etowah), www.caaneal.org, 256-638-4430
• $497,697 to Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc. (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Pickens, Lamar, Sumter, Tuscaloosa), www.cspwal.com, 205-469-0397
• $350,586 to Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties Inc. (Clay, Randolph, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne), 256-781-0004
• $108,335 to Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa (Chambers, Coosa, Tallapoosa), www.cacctc.com, 256-825-4287
• $581,378 to Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (Macon, Russell, Elmore, Autauga, Chilton, Shelby, Dallas, Perry), www.carpdc.com, 334-262-4300
• $252,100 to Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. (Lee), www.achr.com, 334-821-8336
• $319,572 to Montgomery County Commission (Montgomery), www.carpdc.com, 334-262-4300
• $591,694 to Organized Community Action Program Inc. (Bullock, Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Pike), 334-566-1712
• $566,600 to Mobile Community Action Inc. (Mobile, Washington, Choctaw), www.mcamobile.org, 251-457-5700
• $402,659 to Community Action Agency of South Alabama (Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Marengo, Wilcox), www.caaofsa.org, 251-626-2646