Weatherization Assistance Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) reduces energy costs for low-income individuals by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, while ensuring the health and safety of its occupants.

How It Works

SRC administers this program in suburban Hennepin County, focusing on services to the elderly, people with disabilities, families with children, and households with a high energy burden. If you qualify, our weatherization technicians will identify the most cost-effective, energy-saving measures for your home. This may include installing insulation, reducing air infiltration, performing heating tune-ups and modifications, and even replacing appliances for energy efficiency and safety, when appropriate. We educate our clients about the proper use and maintenance of the weatherization measures we install in their homes.

Energy audits and the resulting cost-effective measures performed are all free to clients enrolled in the Weatherization Assistance Program. To enroll, you must qualify for Energy Assistance.

If you are on Energy Assistance, and live in suburban Hennepin County, please call our Weatherization Line at 612-872-3294 to apply for the Weatherization Assistance Program.

If you are not on Energy Assistance, but live in suburban Hennepin County and think you may qualify, call the Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin County at 952-930-3541 to apply for Energy Assistance/Weatherization Assistance Program, or visit www.energy.mn.gov (click on "low income assistance") for further information.

From the Office of the MN Department of Commerce

State program exceeds goal, weatherizes more than 17,000 homes!

Federal stimulus funds help save energy, create jobs, boost the economy

(ST. PAUL, MN)  Minnesota’s Weatherization Assistance Program has exceeded its goal of weatherizing 16,858 homes using $132 million in stimulus funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, not only surpassed its goal set by DOE, but achieved its milestone well before the March 2012 deadline and did it by spending less than its grant total.

From April 2009 to June 30, the weatherization program served 17,153 Minnesota households using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Roughly $16 million in ARRA funds remain and will be used to weatherize about 2,000 to 2,500 additional homes by March 31, 2012. Nationally, as of June 30, 2011, more than 484,000 homes have been weatherized using nearly $3.3 billion in ARRA funds, according to DOE.

“Our Division of Energy Resources has been vigilant in using every stimulus dollar effectively, delivering jobs, energy savings and results to families and communities served by this important program,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “The one-time, strategic investment made in the program by ARRA will permanently reduce the cost of heating and cooling tens of thousands of Minnesota homes, providing a significant economic benefit to our state.”

Minnesota’s weatherization program enables low-income families to reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient with weatherization work such as exterior wall and attic insulation, air sealing, and repairs or replacement of home heating systems.

“We were among the first states in the nation to reach our ARRA weatherization goal,” said Bill Grant, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources. “Reaching this milestone in a timely and efficient manner is a tribute to our Weatherization Assistance Program staff and the 31 service providers around the state who implement the services.”

The impact of the program has been significant, and it will be felt for years to come. Households that received weatherization will save energy and see their energy bills decrease substantially—many by one third to one half. The annual average savings per household is estimated at $400.

In addition, the weatherization work has had a significant impact on Minnesota’s economy. Estimates show that ARRA dollars administered for weatherization created or retained about 500 full-time equivalent jobs each quarter over the last two years in Minnesota.

A University of Minnesota Extension study found that for every direct job funded by the program, an additional three-quarters of a job was created in the private sector in the state. The study also concluded that each dollar spent on weatherization generated an additional $1.09, on average, of economic activity in Minnesota. For every dollar earned by a weatherization worker, an additional 86 cents was earned by workers in other state industries.

“In a normal year, our state Weatherization Assistance Program would weatherize about 3,000 homes, but the federal stimulus funding allowed for greatly expanded service,” said Marilou Cheple, supervisor of the program. “It was a welcome opportunity, because the need for energy efficiency upgrades is huge, especially among the low-income homes we serve. Our local service providers have met the challenge to ramp up service and have done it with quality.”

Weatherization assistance is available to homeowners and renters who are at or below 200 percent of Federal Poverty Income Guidelines ($44,700 for a family of four) and who have qualified for Energy Assistance. Priority for weatherization assistance is given to households with at least one elderly person, one disabled member, families with children under age 19, and to those with the highest heating costs. Eligible households receive an energy audit to determine cost-effective measures to meet the needs of each home.

“The ARRA-funded weatherization is a win-win-win situation,” said Cheple. “It saves energy and reduces energy bills, reduces our carbon footprint, and stimulated the economy when the state needed it most. There’s also the prospect that the enhanced weatherization skills developed by our contractors may be applied to a home retrofit market in the private sector—beyond the low-income households we serve.”

Five billion dollars in federal stimulus funds were allocated to states nationwide in 2009, with the goal of serving 600,000 households with weatherization services by March 31, 2012.

For more information on the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program, please visit www.energy.mn.gov (click on “low income assistance”) or call 651-296-5175 or 800-657-3710.

Economic Impact of Weatherization Programs in Minnesota

Prepared by the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality as an offering of the Economic Impact Analysis Program. University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This material is available in alternative formats upon request. Contact your University of Minnesota Extension office or the Extension Store at 800-876-8636.

The Economic Impact of Minnesota’s Weatherization Programs: An Input-Output Analysis Sustainable Resources Center (Hennepin County)

A recent economic impact analysis concludes weatherization work has a meaningfully significant impact on Minnesota communities. The impacts vary by region and by weatherization activity, but on average the programs create one additional dollar of economic output with every dollar of spending. This heightened impact is likely attributable to the availability of manufacturers and suppliers of weatherization products in Minnesota and to the vast network of weatherization agencies throughout the state. Approach In order to quantify the economic impact of Weatherization Assistance Programs (WAP), University of Minnesota researchers used an input-output model. The model traces the flow of dollars throughout on economy and quantifies the economic effects (in dollars and employment) of spending for a specific activity. To get a true measure of regional weatherization spending activities, individual weatherization assistance program service providers in Minnesota were surveyed. The input-output model was customized to reflect the individual provider responses. The input-output model was created using IMPLAN software and data.

Findings

WAP enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. The long-lived improvements of weatherization services result in substantial benefits for weatherization clients while improving the health and safety of their homes. In addition, WAP generates economic activity in the local economy.

• For every weatherization dollar spent in Hennepin County, an additional $0.62, on average, is generated in economic activity in the region.
• For each direct job funded by the program, an additional 0.42 jobs, on average, are created in the region.
• Finally, for every dollar earned by weatherization workers, an additional $0.46, on average, is earned by other workers in the region. Weatherization programs reach beyond the region they immediately serve: these impacts can be seen statewide.

Research indicates that:

• For every dollar spent in Minnesota on weatherization programs, an additional $1.09, on average, of economic activity is created in the state.
• For each direct job funded by the program, an additional 0.77 jobs are generated in the state.
• For every dollar earned by weatherization workers, an additional $0.86, on average, is earned by other workers in the state.

Additional Weatherization Value 

This analysis focuses only on the economic value generated per $1 of weatherization spending. These results hold true regardless of the funding source (federal, ARRA stimulus, etc). There is also a value to the dollars saved in energy costs and of social, physical and health improvements – which is not included in this study.

About this Study

The Minnesota Department of Commerce Office of Energy Security (OES) and Minnesota Community Action Partnership recently collaborated to analyze the statewide and regional economic impact of weatherization programs in Minnesota. Research was conducted by University of Minnesota Extension in early 2010. This factsheet is a summary of the results for this region. A full report explaining the statewide study in detail is available upon request.