In today's world, electrifying your home and becoming more energy efficient has never been easier. With various funding opportunities and programs available, the incentives to upgrade your energy systems are too big to be ignored. Join Kevin Kane in this week's episode of the Rise Up Podcast that focuses on energy efficiency successes and challenges, available funding for homeowners, barriers to electrification, and the steps you can take to start your own energy efficiency journey. Get Connected: Rise Up Podcast: https://www.riseupmidwest.org The Energy Fair: https://www.theenergyfair.org The MREA: https://www.midwestrenew.org Email: [email protected] 00:00 Kevin Kane Introduction 02:02 Green Homeowners United Background 05:23 Services offered by GHU 06:41 Successes and challenges in energy efficiency 08:58 Inflation Reduction Act and additional funding 13:03 Barriers to electrification 17:48 Comparing opportunities now and in the past 21:06 Largest needs to meet goals 24:53 Assessment and weatherization process 28:09 Planning for the future and final thoughts ABOUT OUR GUEST: KEVIN KANE Kevin is the Chief Economist and co-founder of Green Homeowners United, a residential energy efficiency firm based in West Allis, WI that works to fight climate change at home by leveraging modern technologies to upgrade buildings into more efficient structures. He works with lenders, realtors and homeowners to help people navigate and understand the benefits of green homes, and green mortgages specifically. Substantial federal funding to spur America’s transition to a clean energy economy is a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) from the Biden Administration. Local and state governments now have the opportunity to incentivize homeowners to make environmentally-conscious decisions when working on their homes. Kane is a BPI-certified energy assessor and has a Masters in Applied Economics from Marquette University, which he combines with over a decade of experience as a community organizer and policy advocate, to show homeowners the carbon impact, building costs, and financial returns for energy efficiency improvements as well as the economic calculations of green lending.