President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy announced March 30 that states, territories and Tribes would be able to apply for funding through the Weatherization Assistance Program.
The Weatherization Assistance Program is the DOE's largest residential retrofit program, with projects designed to help homes stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter while using less energy, as reported in a March 30 DOE news release. Thanks to the president's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program has been granted $3.16 billion in new funding.
“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,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm i nthe release. “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.”
According to DOE, the funding will save money, reduce emissions and improve the safety of homes.
The department also reports the funding will help put the economy on a path to net-zero fossil fuel emissions by 2050, the release stated. It's also designed to implement the president's Justice 40 commitment, which aims to give at least 40 percent of specific investments to disadvantaged communities.
"Established in 1976, WAP has delivered an average of $376 per household in annual savings," according to the DOE.
