Note: please note that this page should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

• Link here to the overview page:  Weatherization

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

•  U.S. Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program:
• Weatherization Services:
• The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. Funds are used to improve the energy performance of dwellings of needy families using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides funding to states, U.S. overseas territories, and Indian tribal governments, which manage the day-to-day details of the program. These governments, in turn, fund a network of local community action agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local governments that provide these weatherization services in every state, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and among Native American tribes. 
• The energy conservation resulting from these efforts of state and local agencies helps our country reduce its dependence on foreign oil and decrease the cost of energy for families in need while improving the health and safety of their homes. During the past 33 years, WAP has provided weatherization services to more than 6.4 million low-income households. Families receiving weatherization services see their annual energy bills reduced by an average of about $437, depending on fuel prices. Because the energy improvements that make up weatherization services are long lived, the savings add up over time to substantial benefits for weatherization clients and their communities, and the nation as a whole. 
• Weatherization as defined by the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) 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 WAP provided in its early years and are likely responsible for the program's name.
• Today, WAP's weatherization services consist of 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.
• WAP serves low-income families free of charge and limits the amount of money that can be spent on any single residence as determined by federal rules. (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 an 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. This expanded approach is referred to as Weatherization Plus.
• 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. 
• Weatherization Plus Background
• The goal of Weatherization Plus is to enable the Weatherization Assistance Program to achieve significantly greater energy cost savings for more low-income households and to increase the Program's contribution to the economic and environmental health and sustainability of our nation's communities.
• What Is Weatherization Plus? 
• Weatherization Plus is a term that describes the evolution of the Weatherization Assistance Program from its traditional focus on heating and cooling energy conservation to an expanded focus on whole-house energy usage and whole-community efforts. The whole-house approach incorporates advanced technologies and addresses the comprehensive energy usage in low-income homes, as well as related health and safety improvements. The whole-community approach enables Weatherization providers to serve as a resource for community-based efforts to conserve energy, boost economic activity, and improve the environment.
• National Evaluation of Weatherization Program:  APPRISE is the lead contractor for the evaluation of the National Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). APPRISE has three key partners for this effort – Blasnik and Associates, Dahloff Associates, and the Energy Center of Wisconsin, and will also be supported by technical experts from across the country. The evaluation will consist of data collection from state WAP offices, local agencies, and participating and nonparticipating clients. Utility data will be collected and analyzed for a sample of clients from every state and submetering studies will be conducted to assess impacts on clients who use bulk fuels and to conduct special technical studies. The evaluation will assess program operations and delivery, energy impacts, and non-energy impacts, and make recommendations for modifications to program design and delivery.
• National Weatherization Assistance Program Evaluation Website for state weatherization offices:   

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Government

• U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program: 

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• Non-Profit - Service Providing
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• Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network
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• Foundation
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• Other 
• APPRISE (Applied Public Policy Research Institute for Study and Evaluation): a nonprofit research institute dedicated to collecting and analyzing data and information to assess and improve public programs. Our current research includes work for federal and state governments, agencies, utility companies, and nonprofit organizations.
• 32 Nassau Street, Suite 200, Princeton, NJ 08542 | office 609-252-8008 

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material