The Department of Energy estimates over 6.2 million homes have been weatherized with DOE funds since the department's inception in 1976. In 2009 alone, an estimated 1,000,000 homes will be weatherized with DOE funds.
Low income families will realize greater comfort and additional disposable income, saving over $400 in reduced energy costs (at current prices) the first year. This equates to a 23% reduction in primary heating and cooling fuel costs.
Together, these statistics show that every $1.00 invested in the weatherization program returns $2.72 in energy and non-energy related benefits. Some of the largest returns come from the easiest projects including: weatherstripping doors and windows, caulking exterior cracks and interior gaps, and replacing door sweeps and door bottoms. Reducing energy demand decreases the environmental impacts of energy production. Weatherization creates non-energy benefits as well. Benefits include: increased property value, reduced incidence of fire, reduced utility arrearages and bad debt, federal taxes generated from employment, income generated from indirect employment, avoided costs of unemployment benefits, and reduced pollution. Homes serviced by the DOE's program are high consumption energy users inhabited by a low income population. These residents spend 17% of their income on energy vs. 4% for average households.
In total, there are 38.6 million income-eligible households, of which over half of the homes are ideal candidates for weatherization. DOE funding before now has resulted in only 6.2 million households being weatherized since the program's inception, which is only 16% of the eligible households!