Batavia launches home energy upgrade program paid for by plastic bag fee

Chicago Tribune

19-06-2025

Batavia residents wanting to make their homes more energy efficient can apply through July 18 for a program with the city offering free audits and grants for eco-friendly home upgrades, according to a news release from the city.
The Grants for Residential Energy Efficiency in Neighborhoods, or GREEN, program, is set to provide some residents with free home energy audits and grants, officials said.
According to the release, 25 residents will get free audits valued at $1,200. Low-income residents may qualify for grants of up to $3,000 for improvements like insulation, air sealing and energy-efficient appliances, while other participants can receive up to $1,000, the release said.
Applications opened June 16, the city said, and residents must apply by July 18 to be considered for the first round of audits and upgrades. Residents, who must be in good standing with the city and meet eligibility requirements, can apply at bataviail.gov/energyaudit.
Per the release, the program is being paid for by the city's 10-cent plastic bag fee, which went into effect in 2023.
Alex Zelles, the chair of the city's Environmental Commission, said in the release that this was a secondary goal of the bag fee, to 'use any fees collected to offset the associated environmental cost.'
The 10-cent bag fee applies to retailers over 5,000 square feet and is designed to discourage the use of single use plastic and paper bags, the release stated. According to officials, six cents of each plastic bag fee goes into a city-managed sustainability fund, while the other four cents goes to the business at which the item bagged was purchased.
Since it went into effect, the bag fee has generated more than $324,000, the city said. In addition to the GREEN program, the money generated is also funding a project meant to restore natural waterways and a tree planting project that subsidized tree purchases for residents, the city said.