What Are Weatherization Services?
A weatherization service provider in Frederick, Maryland, cuts into siding as he prepared to blow in loose-fill insulation into the walls. DOE has discovered that adding insulation into walls and attics is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase the energy efficiency of older houses that weatherization commonly services.
Credit: Frederick Community Action Agency
In the Weatherization Assistance Program, weatherization services are cost-effective energy efficiency measures for existing residential and multifamily housing with low-income residents. Under this definition, it includes a wide variety of energy efficiency measures that encompass the building envelope, its heating and cooling systems, its electrical system, and electricity consuming appliances. In other words, the full range of energy efficiency measures in buildings that apply to all homes and apartment buildings is included in weatherization technologies.
On the other hand, the Weatherization Assistance Program serves low-income families free of charge and limits according to federal rules the amount of money that can be spent on any single residence. (The average expenditure is $6,500.) As a result, only the most cost-effective measures are included in the upgrade of a particular home. This constant pressure for low-cost energy savings has become the trademark of weatherization and distinguishes it from the larger home retrofit industry.
Another distinguishing feature of weatherization is attention to all-around safety check. Many buildings receiving attention are old and in need of repair. Weatherization service providers check major energy systems to ensure occupant safety.
Increasingly, weatherization service providers look at the house as a system under the concept of "whole-house weatherization." In recent years, weatherization providers in many states have begun to combine resources from other programs to address other needs of their clients. These activities grow from the recognition that weatherization serves many vital roles in low-income communities and is called Weatherization Plus.
In sum, weatherization for low-income families differs in many ways from what is commonly called "weatherizing your home." The latter involves low-cost improvements like adding weatherstripping to doors and windows to save energy. These measures made up the services provided by weatherization it its early years, and are likely responsible for the program's name.
Weatherization today comprises a comprehensive series of energy efficiency measures that are based on sophisticated analyses of individual homes. These analyses take the whole-house approach, which maximizes energy and dollar savings. Because of this rigorous approach and analyses backing it up, weatherization has become a leader in advancing home energy science and in helping spawn a new industry providing home energy efficiency services to the wider public.