Home Uplift Helps Neighbors in Need Save About $450 in Energy Bills Per Year

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 21, 2023) – Based on income, some EPB customers are eligible for Home Uplift, a program that provides substantial home energy upgrades at no charge to reduce electricity usage and improve air quality. A partnership of EPB Energy ProsSM and TVA EnergyRight®, Home Uplift participants save an average of $450 per year on energy costs.

Through Home Uplift, EPB Energy Pros identify personalized improvements to improve residents’ energy use, like home sealing, duct replacement, water heater and pipe insulation, wall insulation and HVAC cleaning and tune up. When necessary, the program can also replace doors, heat pumps, water heaters and refrigerators.

To learn about qualifications or apply, visit epb.com/homeuplift. Both homeowners and renters (with landlord approval) are eligible to apply for the program.

Woodmore resident Ezra Harris regularly shares with his neighborhood association how much Home Uplift reduced his energy usage and how it can help others, too. Through the program, he received a new central heat and air unit, water heater, dryer duct, insulation and smoke detectors. Harris especially recommends the program for seniors on fixed incomes and encourages people whose parents might qualify for Home Uplift to look into it.

“Home Uplift helps me reap the benefits of better home energy efficiency all year long,” he said. “My energy bill dropped so low that I called EPB to make sure it wasn’t a scam. I can use my savings on more things I need like groceries and other bills.”

Last summer, EPB and TVA invested more than $1 million to continue funding the program, which recently surpassed 670 completed renovations.

“Through Home Uplift improvements, customers can enjoy reduced energy use, improve air quality in their homes and make homes safer by avoiding the need for space heaters and other energy shortcuts,” said EPB President & CEO David Wade. “Home Uplift is one of our most important investments because of the lasting impact and value it offers our neighbors in need.”

The average combined energy savings resulting from Home Uplift renovations is equal to the carbon dioxide equivalent of 754 metric tonnes, or more than 2 million pounds of coal.

“Home Uplift creates an opportunity for families in the Valley to increase their home’s energy efficiency, while decreasing their monthly power bills,” said TVA Energy Services & Programs Vice President Cindy Herron. “We’re proud of EPB and TVA’s 8-year Home Uplift partnership to make life better for the people of the Valley.”

Since the program began, EPB, TVA, the City of Chattanooga, The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) have invested $7.2 million locally in Home Uplift. Across the Tennessee Valley, TVA has invested more than $25.99 million in the program.

Tennessee continues to rank among the least home energy efficient states, according to a 2022 WalletHub report. The same analysis estimates utility costs can be at least $2,000 annually for the average family, with costs primarily driven by heat and air systems which use the most energy of all home appliances.

As our community’s energy experts, EPB Energy Pros share free home energy advice and resources with all customers to help improve efficiency through in-person or phone consultations:

• EPB Home Energy CheckupsSM – In-person visits that provide personalized recommendations about cost-effective ways to make homes more energy efficient.
• 30-Minute Calls with a Pro – Address questions or concerns about home energy efficiency via phone.

EPB Energy Pros can offer expertise on a wide range of efficiency topics to residential customers:

• Home renovations: At customer request, inspect work when the project is complete.
• Appliance advice: Identify energy-efficient appliances for a range of budgets.
• Solar and EV charger installations: Advise on best practices, work with customers during installation process and provide a free, third-party verification of completed work. (EPB does not sell or install solar panels or EV chargers.)

Call 423-648-1372 or visit epb.com/energypros to learn more about home energy efficiency tips or schedule time with an EPB Energy Pro.

About TVA

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

About EPB

EPB delivers advanced smart city infrastructure and world-class energy and connectivity solutions, including the most resilient smart grid power distribution system in the United States and the fastest internet in the world. EPB gained national notice when it deployed America’s first community-wide Gig-speed internet in 2010, later expanding the ubiquitously available service to 10 Gig in 2015 and 25 Gig in 2022. Ever committed to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge, in 2022, EPB established EPB Quantum NetworkSM powered by Qubitekk, America’s first industry-led, commercially available quantum network designed for private companies as well as government and university researchers to run quantum equipment and applications in an established fiber optic environment.

EPB utilizes its fiber optic network as the communications backbone for more than 200,000 smart switches, sensors and other devices. As a result, the Chattanooga area’s power distribution system is the most advanced and highly automated smart grid in the nation. This led the U.S. Department of Energy to name EPB a living laboratory for pioneering smart grid technologies. Since then, EPB has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and more than 20 other national research partners to play a critical role in more than $155 million in smart city research, earning such recognitions as the R&D 100 Award for its work to apply quantum technologies to securing America’s electric grid. EPB was also the first major power distribution utility to earn the GBCI’s PEER certification for having a highly automated, modernized electric power grid in 2015 and followed up in 2021 by re-certifying at PEER Gold.

EPB is an independent board of the City of Chattanooga which began serving customers in 1939 and today reaches a 600-square-mile service territory that includes the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding area. Visit epb.com for more information.