The Weatherization Assistance program helps reduce energy consumption and utility bills for low-income households. Priority is given to the elderly, disabled, families with pre-school age children, those with very high heating bills, and other at-risk households. Utah residents who are below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible for a one-time non-cash grant to make energy efficient improvements to their homes. In addition to energy efficiency, the program seeks to increase health and safety through heating system improvements and to increase the overall comfort of the occupants. Rental property owners must contribute 30 to 60 percent of the weatherization upgrades.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $9,696,600 from all sources for Weatherization Assistance. This is a 22.2 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $14,900 from the General/Education Funds, a change of 0 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
The Division administers the program through local government and non-profit agencies. Primary funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional funding may come from the HEAT program (Home Energy Assistance Target) if all the money does not go to direct utility benefit payments. Local agencies conduct a computerized energy audit on each home to identify the most cost effective improvements to make. Only improvements that save more money than they cost are undertaken. They then implement a wide variety of improvements including: insulation air leakage testing and sealing, comprehensive heating system evaluations and tune-ups, client education, and electrical base load reduction measures. As a result of weatherization, participating households realize an average annual savings in excess of 30 percent. The Utah Weatherization Program has been very successful in leveraging its appropriation of State funding to gain large amounts of federal, private, and utility funding. Rocky Mountain Power and Questar Gas are contributing financial partners in funding the Weatherization Program.
To meet the demand for energy auditors and weatherization contractors, the program has developed a permanent training center in Clearfield, Utah and has expanded its role as a trainer in weatherization activity.
Most of the funding for Weatherization is allocated from federal funds and dedicated credit revenues, including significant funding from local utilities. The appropriation is passed through to eligible entities.
The Weatherization Program received a substantial increase in one-time funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was spent by the end of FY 2012.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.