The kinds of home improvements you may get
Here’s a brief list of the kinds of work that the Weatherization Assistance Program will pay for:
- Insulation (both of the home and of the heating, cooling, and water pipes)
- Repairs or replacing heating and cooling systems
- Repairing or replacing water heaters
- Adding storm windows and doors
- Replacing refrigerators and freezers with more energy-efficient models
- Health and safety improvements like ventilation, carbon monoxide detectors, and more
And that’s just a short list. There’s lots more that this program can do for you, but it’s not ordering off of a menu. If approved for the program, you can expect a contractor to come to your home to do an energy audit, and they’ll put together the plan for what improvements your home needs in order to lower your energy bills.
This program has been around since the 70s, so why now?
Yes, the Weatherization Assistance Program has been around since 1976, but the program just got a huge increase in funding thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed into law in November of 2021. That law invested $3.5 billion (that’s “billion” with a B!) to go towards making energy-saving and safety improvements on the homes of low-income families.
Hundreds of thousands of new households could benefit from this government program. Why not yours? Apply now to see if you qualify.
How it works
We’re not going to lie here. This is not a quick fix. The process can be slow, with some applicants waiting a year or more between filing the application and the work actually getting done.
But free home improvements that normally cost thousands of dollars that will save you thousands of dollars more? Yeah, that’s worth the wait!
The first step is to submit your application with the Weatherization Assistance Program in your state.
Are you eligible?
Here’s the headline: You don’t need to own your home to be eligible! Both homeowners and renters are eligible for the Weatherization Assistance Program, though renters need to get permission from their landlords.
Eligibility is based on state-specific income limits. The best way to find out if you qualify is by visiting this page on the Department of Energy website and then clicking on your state on the map at the bottom of the page.