The Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program has come a long way since its founding in 1976 and it's a fact: weatherization works! In the 3 decades since its founding in 1976, U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program has provided weatherization services to more than 6.2 million low-income families

It is a record of service to some of society's neediest citizens that also benefits our nation by reducing our energy dependency, improving the environment, and stimulating economic development in low-income communities.

Through this program, weatherization service providers install energy efficiency measures in the homes of qualifying homeowners free of charge. These are not expensive upgrades—the average expenditure limit is $2,826 per home—but they are effective, and energy savings pay for the upgrades within a few years. DOE documents the savings and compares them against costs, so that over the years it can determine the efficacy of these measures.

DOE provides funding and technical guidance to the states, but the states run their own programs and set rules for issues such as eligibility. They also select service providers, which are usually nonprofit agencies that serve families in their communities, and review their performance for quality. Together, this group of more than 900 agencies makes up a nationwide weatherization network.