Google To Help Upgrade Homes For Energy Efficiency

Google announced plans Thursday to send $10 million from the Energy Impact Program to the West Virginia Office of Energy to help lower energy bills by making homes and community buildings more energy efficient.  

The move follows the announcement in March that Google plans to build a data center in Putnam County, near the town of Buffalo. One concern about data centers is a possible increase in prices for electricity and water. 

The program’s first contribution is $1 million in funding to the West Virginia Office of Energy for Putnam, Kanawha, Cabell, Mason, Jackson, and Lincoln counties. The funding will cover home repairs that help more low-income households qualify for the state’s Home Energy Rebate programs, and pay for energy-saving upgrades to local government and nonprofit buildings. The Office of Energy will administer all funds and select recipients through its existing programs. 

Energy Savings 

Many older homes need repairs—in areas such as leaking roofs, outdated knob-and-tube wiring, or moisture damage—before they can qualify for energy-efficiency programs. This funding will pay for those repairs, enabling qualifying families to use the state’s Home Energy Rebate programs to install high-efficiency equipment, add insulation and seal air leaks, and lower their monthly bills. 

The funding will also help local governments and nonprofits to upgrade the buildings they own. Through the state’s existing Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, funds will pay for insulation, heating and cooling upgrades, efficient lighting, and window and door replacements across all six counties.  

“Through its federal programs, the Office of Energy already has the systems in place to deliver energy efficiency upgrades and cost savings to West Virginia residents and organizations. Google’s funding lets us bring the benefits of these programs to even more West Virginia homes and helps local governments and nonprofits put more of their budgets toward serving their communities,” said Nicholas S. Preservati, director of the West Virginia Office of Energy and Deputy Cabinet Secretary of Commerce. “Responsible data center development with good partners like Google can create opportunities that extend beyond the initial economic investment and deliver meaningful benefits to the communities where these projects take shape.” 

In a statement, Google said it plans to announce more Energy Impact Program investments in the coming months, including programs focused on Buffalo. 

According to the statement, Google will pay for all electrical infrastructure needed to connect the facility to the grid, including a new substation and the transmission lines that connect it, as well as its share of broader grid upgrades needed to serve the region. Google also pays for 100% of the electricity its data centers use. In June, the company set up a website. For more information, visit buffalowvdatacenter.com.