$130.6 Million To Weatherize Homes Of Poor Released By Doe
The Department of Energy (DOE) will award $130.6 million to 32 states to improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families under the department’s Weatherization Assistance Program.
Low-income families spend an average of 14 percent of their income on energy, compared with 3.5 percent for the average American. Weatherization reduces an average home’s energy costs by $224 a year. The program gives a priority to low-income households with elderly members, people with disabilities and children.
The Weatherization Assistance Program is administered through the states and 970 local agencies. Every state, the District of Columbia, the Navajo Nation and Inter Tribal Council of Arizona will receive weatherization grants this year. The awards announced are for the 32 states that begin their weatherization year on April 1.
The Congressional appropriation for the Weatherization Assistance Program is $223.5 million in FY 2003 which is expected to cover approximately 93,750 homes. The funding this year is down slightly from $230 million in FY 2002, but up from $153 million in FY 2001.
The program performs energy audits to identify the most cost-effective measures for each home which typically include adding insulation, reducing air infiltration, servicing the heating and cooling systems and providing health and safety diagnostic services.
For every dollar spent, weatherization returns $1.30 in energy savings over the life of the weatherized home. Other benefits include increased housing affordability, increased property values, job creation, lower owner and renter turnover and reduced fire risks.
The Department of Energy’s weatherization assistance funds provide training and technical assistance for additional weatherization investments from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from utility public benefit funds and from other state and local sources.
