Philadelphia was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help make city homes and schools more energy efficient, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY.

In addition, the City is planning to use the new funding to expand education around home energy efficiency, formulate a plan to grow the clean energy workforce, and support the School District of Philadelphia’s efforts to conserve energy in its buildings.

Another portion will be used to explore whether reflective roof coatings are effective in keeping Philadelphians’ homes more comfortable during the summer and keep neighborhoods cooler.

“Many of our row homes, on the upstairs floor, it may be too hot,” said Nidhi Krishen, deputy director for climate solutions in the city’s Office of Sustainability. “If we can reduce that temperature by a little bit, it makes that home much more livable.”

In July, the city released a plan to alleviate the burden of high energy bills for working class Philadelphians.

The plan highlighted that Philadelphia faces among the highest energy costs relative to residents’ income compared to other U.S. cities.

“When you have high energy costs, it has cascading effects on quality of life,” Krishen said.

The plan is to use the grant to develop long-term solutions.

Read more about Philadelphia’s new energy grant and plans for its use in WHYY.

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