Stimulus funds to benefit homeowners with energy-efficiency

By Jim Downing | The Sacramento Bee

In Santos Espinosa's small beige house near Arden Fair mall last week, a crew installed fluorescent lightbulbs, swapped out an old water heater and filled drafty gaps beneath doors.

For thousands of Sacramento-area households, this sort of work stands to be the biggest direct benefit of the federal economic stimulus package. The bill pumps at least $20 billion into energy efficiency, by far the largest such investment in U.S. history.