Utah weatherization assistance programs

The Utah Housing Authority has been authorized to spend almost $10 million to weatherize houses in Utah County and throughout the state. That's an increase of more than 100% over previous years, due to additional federal government funds.

The weatherization assistance program provides free grants and money to add energy saving improvements such as new furnaces, insulation, repair furnaces and even replace fridges or freezers. The total amount spent per household can be up to $6,500. All the energy conserving improvements are intended to help Utah families save on their energy bills.

What the program has discovered is that homeowners who qualify for aid because of income are also the most in need of weatherization and assistance with utility bills. The types of homes these people tend to live in tend to be much older and more “run down”, and studies show that on average they are 2-6 times less energy efficient than the average home. Many of the recipients of weatherization are elderly, low income, or have children.

One of the first steps of the program is to check for air leaks, Gardner said. This step involves checking doors, windows, and plumbing entry points. Just something as simple as caulking or plugging the holes in these areas can save up to 20 percent on a utility bill.

Also, what gets the most requests these days but makes the least impact to saving energy is actually replacing the windows of a home. Unless it's single pane aluminum framed, crews won't even look at the option as the amount of energy saved is negligible when compared to the cost of windows.  Instead,  the weatherization program will turn next to updating the furnace and the ice box. They replace lot of refrigerators. Just these few changes can save up to 40 percent on utility costs.