In addition to savings in energy costs, a national evaluation of the Weatherization Assistance Program showed that families who were weatherized reported a wide variety of health and non-energy benefits.
Despite the clear and many personal benefits, weatherization remains grossly underused by the households that need it most. This is largely due to marketing challenges.
Increased Home Value
Aside from lowering household energy bills, which are often the biggest monthly expenses for many families, weatherization improves indoor air quality and helps reduce environmental pollution. Replacing old appliances, showerheads and light bulbs with more efficient models decreases a home’s demand for energy-consuming products, while adding insulation and sealing cracks in walls, doors and windows reduces heating and cooling costs. According to national evaluations, single-family households save on average $223 to $283 per year from standard weatherization measures.
For those on low incomes, the benefits of weatherization go beyond saving money. By increasing energy efficiency in homes, it eases burdens on low-income families, boosts their economic security, creates jobs and greener communities, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and reduces stress on the power grid, and makes America more resilient to climate change.
However, federal programs such as the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) remain grossly underused – only an estimated 2% of eligible homes receive weatherization services. This is largely due to the difficulty of reaching working-class families with weatherization materials and language barriers.
To increase awareness of the non-energy benefits of weatherization, IREC has created a new training series for WAP administrative professionals. The courses, which are being provided by NREL and its partners, provide new tools to improve the performance of weatherization programs and help them meet their goals of helping families save money and stay healthy and safe in their homes.
Comfortable Environment
Many households rely on energy-saving appliances and heating and cooling systems to keep their homes comfortable. Whole-home weatherization improves these systems by stopping heat, cold and moisture from entering or escaping through gaps and cracks in a building’s walls, ceilings and foundation. This reduces heating costs and allows air conditioning to function more efficiently on those hot summer days.
Energy savings from weatherization are significant, with an average of $223 to $283 a year being saved by households. This helps reduce household energy bills, lowers energy burdens and reduces stress on the power grid.
The environmental benefits of weatherization are also important to note. Heating and cooling systems work overtime when they have to combat leaking air, and this results in increased wear and tear on the equipment. In addition, the emissions from these systems enter the environment, contributing to greenhouse gas pollution. Weatherization reduces these harmful emissions and makes systems work more efficiently.
The federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) works through a network of more than 700 local providers, which consist of community action agencies, other non-profit organizations and local governments. These groups contract with state grantees, which administer the WAP funds. The Green For All report found that these programs create jobs for people with less education and training, as well as offer stable employment and benefits.
Healthier Environment
Weatherization upgrades homes by preventing air leaks and installing insulation, both of which lower energy bills and carbon emissions. However, it’s important to note that standard weatherization measures also confer health co-benefits that go beyond energy savings.
National evaluations have shown that weatherization decreases the number of times households receive medical attention due to extreme temperatures. This is especially significant for households with chronic illnesses that are exacerbated by high or low temperatures.
Families that receive weatherization can expect to save up to $283 a year on their utility bills! That’s money that can be invested in food, medicine, fuzzy animal slippers, gasoline or plastic flamingoes for the garden – whatever you need!
Households earning less than 200% of the federal poverty line often spend three to four times more than their income on energy costs. Weatherization can reduce these disparities by decreasing energy costs, increasing home energy equity and allowing families to spend more of their budgets on necessities. In addition, by reducing energy costs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, weatherization improves air quality and makes communities more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Reduced Energy Bills
One of the most well-known benefits of weatherization is a reduced energy bill. Standard weatherization measures—which include installing insulation, repairing and upgrading temperature control systems, and air sealing a home—reduce household energy use by an average of $280 per year.
That saving comes mainly because heating and cooling systems no longer have to work overtime to heat and cool a poorly insulated home. And because the systems are not working as hard, they are also producing fewer emissions into the environment.
For households on fixed incomes, such as those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Public Assistance, that savings can be lifesaving. In fact, LIHEAP often works hand in hand with WAP to help keep utilities running during a winter cold snap or summer heatwave, when financial circumstances would otherwise result in shut offs.
And in addition to the monetary savings, national evaluations of WAP have shown that participants report improved self-reported health and save money on non-energy related healthcare costs. For example, patients who receive weatherization services report missing fewer doctor’s appointments due to illnesses exacerbated by extreme temperatures and lessening the frequency of hospital admissions for asthmatic conditions.