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Home Weatherization

The first step in weatherizing any home is to conduct a home energy audit. These "home energy checkups" help homeowners determine where their house is losing energy and decide what steps need to be taken in order to make the home more energy efficient.

Weatherized Homes Saving Money for Families Across the U.S.
Olaf Sander and Zump Urycki evaluate the heating system of a home in Loveland, Colorado, as part of the Weatherization Assistance Program. | Credit: Dennis Schroeder, NREL.

750 thousand homes have been weatherized over the past three years through the Department's Weatherization Assistance Program, saving families $400 a year on their heating and cooling bills.

Weatherization Roundup
Brian Bernal installs a carbon monoxide detector for a homeowner participating in the Weatherization Assistance Program in Loveland, CO. | Credit: Dennis Schroeder, NREL.

More than 750 thousand homes were weatherized by the Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program in the past three years. Secretary Chu spoke with governors and members of Congress around the country to celebrate this huge accomplishment -- which was finished ahead of schedule and is saving the average household $400 annually on their heating and cooling bills.

Berkeley Lab's Gas-filled Insulation Rivals Fiber in Buildings Sector
An insulation worker installs argon-filled panels behind the radiators in the LEED Gold-rated New York Power Authority building in White Plains. The unique construction of the gas-filled panels developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California are as effective barriers to heat as its pink fibrous counterparts with less material in less space. | Photo courtesy of FiFoil, Inc.

The unique internal construction of the gas-filled panels developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California are as effective barriers to heat as its pink fibrous counterparts with less material in less space. To improve the panel’s thermal performance the panels can be inflated with compressed inert gas, like argon, xenon or krypton, which doesn’t heat as easily as air.