As energy costs continue to rise, bipartisan WAP Improvements Act offers enhanced federal aid for home energy upgrades.
Washington, D.C. – In an effort to make more homes energy efficient and help residents save on their utility bills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act. This bipartisan bill seeks to improve public health and lower household energy costs by expanding the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which covers home weatherization, window replacement, sealing air leaks, ventilation improvements, and other key energy-saving measures.
“The Weatherization Assistance Program is a proven, cost-effective way to permanently decrease energy usage while reducing low-income Americans’ energy bills,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would help build on the significant investments we have secured for the Weatherization Assistance Program so that more Americans are able to make improvements that will allow them to affordably heat their homes.”
Since 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has helped more than 7.4 million low-income families reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. The U.S Department of Energy estimates that these upgrades help each household save $372 in energy bills annually.
The bill would authorize a Weatherization Readiness Fund to help those in need repair structural issues and prepare homes for weatherization assistance, increasing the number of homes the program is able to serve. It also seeks to raise the amount of funding allowed to be spent on each home to keep up with current labor and material costs, and will raise the cap on the amount of funding allowed to be spent on renewable energy upgrades in each home. These provisions are essential updates to a program that has helped so many families over the past few decades.
“We applaud Senators Reed, Collins, Coons and Shaheen for introducing this important bipartisan piece of legislation, which will help low-income and elderly Americans. The sponsoring senators are continuing their long-time support of energy efficiency programs that reduce costs for the public,” said David Terry, the President of the National Association of State Energy Officials.
“The Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act keeps hundreds of community teams hard at work with streamlined processes and up to date technology. It will help make older homes safer and sturdier, so retirees and working families can stay in their communities; energy bills will be lower; residents will be healthier and even make fewer emergency hospital visits. Thousands of contractors and crew members will be trained in valuable specialty skills of measuring and improving building performance. The unwavering leadership of Senators Jack Reed, Susan Collins, Chris Coons and Jeanne Shaheen keeps the Weatherization Assistance Program robust and relevant through changing times,” said David Bradley, CEO of the National Community Action Foundation.
“NASCSP is thrilled to support the Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act, introduced by Senators Reed, Collins, Coons, and Shaheen, long time champions of weatherization. This legislation paves the way toward decreasing energy burdens and improving the health and safety of low-income households, while supporting more than 8,500 highly skilled jobs across the country,” said Cheryl Williams, Executive Director of the National Association for State Community Services Programs.
Senators Collins and Reed spearheaded the bipartisan effort to include $3.5 billion in WAP funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Click here to read the full bill text.
###