Since the creation of the Weatherization Assistance Program 40 years ago, the Utah program has weatherized more than 50,000 Utah homes, saving millions of dollars for low-income Utah families.

But what does it mean to weatherize a home?

Old furnaces, poor insulation, inefficient appliances and air leakage through doors, windows and roofs can wreak havoc on a family’s energy bills. Weatherizing a home addresses those issues, making a home more energy efficient and significantly reducing costs for the homeowner. Weatherizing can include installing insulation, replacing an old furnace or wood burning stove, sealing leaks, replacing doors and windows and installing weather stripping.

The Weatherization Assistance Program provides qualifying low-income households with weatherization for their homes, including a technician coming into the home to determine what improvements will be the most effective and then completing those improvements.

Low-income households spend more than 14 percent of their total annual income on energy, compared to other households that only spend about 3 percent of their annual income on energy. Weatherizing a home can save a low-income family 35 percent on energy costs, an average of $285 each year. Nationwide, weatherized homes save $2 billion each year in energy costs for low-income households.

There are also improvements that anyone can make to their home to increase efficiency and decrease costs. To learn more about how to make your home more efficient or to see if you qualify to apply for the Weatherization Assistance Program, visit jobs.utah.gov.