WEATHERIZATION MONTH

WEATHERIZATION MONTH

What is the Weatherization Assistance Program and why should you care? This program was created in 1976 by President Gerald Ford who signed the Energy Conservation and Production Act into law. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development maintains the program for Maryland’s residents.  The program supports the increase of energy efficient homes owned or occupied by low-income families, helps reduce their total residential energy expenditures, and improves their overall health and safety.  

This week we are focusing on understanding energy efficiency and the benefits that can help low-income families. A key takeaway with the Weatherization Assistance Program is that it not only helps families save an average of $283 per year, but it also partnered with the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. That program provides heating and cooling assistance to over six million low-income families each year! It plays a crucial role in supporting the health and safety of households nationwide by keeping their utilities fully operational. These two federal programs, on average, help reduce heating bills by 30%, natural gas consumption by 18%, and electricity by 7%. Typically, low-income families are affected by high home energy costs forcing them to pay from their gross annual income 16.3% more than other households’ annual income who spends 3.5%. 

This month on our blog we are highlighting 45 years of success for the Weatherization Assistance Program by featuring different benefits Maryland residents can witness from the programs in multiple ways. For more information, and if you are an eligible applicant, visit our Weatherization Assistance Program page at https://go.usa.gov/xMGDz.