When I wanted to save money on my energy bill and lower my carbon footprint, I didn’t put solar panels on my roof, I insulated my attic.
I had already replaced most of my light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs. My household appliances all met ENERGY STAR’s standards for efficiency, quality, and performance. I was washing my clothes in cold water and taking shorter hot showers.
Still, my house was using a lot of fuel to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, so much so that my gas and electricity bills were my second largest expense after food.
When my town offered a home weatherization program, I jumped to take advantage of it. Weatherization tightens up a house so that less energy is needed to keep it at a comfortable temperature. It’s the keystone to home energy efficiency because it starts by reducing the total amount of energy needed in the first place. If I could reduce my home’s heating and cooling needs, I’d be on my way to using less energy overall.
Once I signed up for the program, a team of experts arrived to do an energy audit of my home top to bottom. Locally based and professionally trained, the crew used computerized energy assessments and advanced diagnostic equipment like blower doors, manometers, and infrared cameras to create a comprehensive analysis of my abode. The analysis helped determine the most appropriate, efficient, and cost-effective measures I could take to use less energy.
The crew also checked indoor air quality, combustion safety, and carbon monoxide and looked for mold infestations, all of which indicate energy waste.
When they finished, they said that the key to a warmer house in winter and a cooler house in summer was to insulate. So that’s what I did. I had another crew come in and caulk spaces in the roof that were leaking air. They then added several inches of cellulose fiber to the attic ceiling and walls, as well as to the floor directly above the room ceilings. Immediately, my house felt less drafty and my energy bills dropped.
Now, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to make this same process available to over half a million low-income households across the nation by infusing the country’s existing Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) with $3.5 billion. Previously, WAP provided weatherization services to about 35,000 low-income households each year. The new infrastructure plan will help 450,000 people weatherize their homes. In addition to insulation, WAP may cover appliance replacement, lighting, and home ventilation.
Energy efficiency is one of six proposals in Biden’s law to limit greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Public support for his plan ranges from 59% in favor of spending federal money for building more electric vehicle charging stations in the US up to 89% for providing tax credits to Americans who install clean energy systems in their homes.
“This investment is key to lowering the energy burden among low-income households, which spend an average of nearly 14% of their annual income on energy costs, compared to 3% for higher income earners,” says the US Department of Energy (DOE), the agency that administers the program. Many households find that they must cut back on health care, medicine, groceries, and childcare to pay for heating. DOE calculates that those that weatherize should save an average of $283 each year in direct energy costs. But the benefits of weatherization extend beyond energy savings.
Along with turning homes into healthier environments, resulting in fewer missed days of school and work and lower out-of-pocket medical expenses at an average of about $514 per year, WAP also supports roughly 8,500 good-paying jobs each year. This strengthens the local economy and empowers the people in the communities it serves.
And it is cost-effective. For every dollar of federal investment, the program generates $1.72 in energy-related benefits and $2.78 in other benefits. “The returns on these investments can transform communities,” DOE reports. They also align with several DOE priorities: achieving net-zero carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050, addressing historical energy and environmental injustices, and expanding the clean energy workforce.
Since Congress established WAP in 1976, the program has served more than 7 million households in every county and state, the District of Columbia, and the five US territories. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, many more Americans will get the weatherization assistance they need.
Here’s how to apply for weatherization assistance.
If you don’t qualify for WAP, you can still weatherize your home. Contact your county or state sustainability or energy office to determine what programs they may have in place to help you get started. Many local gas and electric utilities are also providing home energy audit and weatherization services.
The Department of Energy’s Energy Saver website offers even more tips on how to improve your home’s efficiency.