DOE to distribute more than $3B for weatherization assistance

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is accepting applications from states, Tribes, and territories for $3.16 billion in new funding through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

The WAP is the DOE’s largest residential energy retrofit program. This expanded funding, which was made available through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will expand weatherization services to ten times current funding levels.

With this funding, states will be able to retrofit thousands of low-income homes to make them healthier and more energy efficient while lowering utility bills. WAP retrofit funding includes installing insulation, updating heating and cooling systems, upgrading electrical appliances, and other actions to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and lower bills. The funding was

“Home energy retrofits and upgrades – like electrification, heat pumps, LED lighting, insulation, and sealing up leaks – can slash monthly energy bills for families and improve the air we breathe,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Thanks to the transformative investments in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will be able to help households in disadvantaged communities, reduce carbon emissions, and generate good-paying local jobs in every corner of America.”

WAP has served over seven million households and delivered an average of $372 in annual energy savings for American families since it was established in 1976.