Greg Patterson is the secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use, and Delaware has a way to help low-income families and individuals use less.
Rose knew she was paying too much in energy costs to heat and cool her 100-year-old home in Wilmington, so when she heard about the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program, she called.
“It’s an old house, so of course, there is going to be airflow that shouldn’t be there,” she says in a video highlighting the program. “I saw the program advertised, and what they were offering seemed like a good idea.”
An energy audit showed air escaping in the attic and basement, she says, and it identified other improvements that could make her home more energy-efficient.
“Did I notice a difference? I sure did,” she says.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Congress creating the national Weatherization Assistance Program and then-President Gerald Ford signing it into law. Since then, it has helped more than 7.2 million families nationwide. In Delaware, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control took over the state’s program from the Department of Health and Social Services in 2013. Since then, DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy has helped more than 3,000 families.
Many homes, especially older ones, lose energy through gaps in attics, basements, walls and ductwork. The Weatherization Assistance Program finds those problems and pays to fix them. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that program improvements and upgrades save customers about $372 a year on energy costs. For a family on a tight budget, that is money that can go to other needs.
The benefits go beyond the monthly bill. Increasing the home’s energy efficiency also increases home comfort and the health environment of the home. For example, weatherization can reduce asthma triggers and improve health and safety, which in turn helps low-income families by reducing medical expenses, lost workdays for parents and out-of-school days for children. The program returns $2.78 in health and other nonenergy benefits for every $1 invested, on top of the energy savings, according to a U.S. Department of Energy estimate.
The Weatherization Assistance Program is free to families who qualify. Eligibility is based on household size (number of people in the household) and income. Both homeowners and renters may apply. Funding in Delaware is provided by the U.S. departments of Energy and Health and Human Services, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Delmarva Power.
Participants may also qualify for the state’s Low- to Moderate-Income Solar Pilot Program and may receive a free solar installation of up to 4 kilowatts. LMI aims to bring renewable energy to a segment of the Delaware population that has been historically underserved by existing state programs and incentives. When Rose reached out to the program, she initially did not think LMI would be an option because her roof is flat. But engineers with the program were able to work out a solution, so it could be installed. Between the two programs, Rose has cut her energy costs and made her home more comfortable, and she now recommends weatherization to anyone trying to lower his or her bill.
The weatherization program also contributes to the environmental health and economic growth of Delaware by creating employment opportunities, including green jobs and the use of innovative technologies to advance energy efficiency, and it aligns with Delaware’s Climate Action Plan to help reach our emissions reduction goals.
If your energy bills are hard to manage, find out whether your household qualifies. Visit the de.gov/wap webpage or call 302-735-3480. If you have a parent, neighbor or friend who lives in an older home or on a fixed income, please tell him or her about the weatherization program. The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use, and DNREC’s Weatherization Assistance Program will help you use less.
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