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Recovery Act Update: Weatherization Assistance Program

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Policy Summary
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The Recovery Act provided $4.98 billion to the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This program is designed to increase residential energy efficiency and support energy cost reductions for low-income families. It provides technical and financial assistance in support of state and local weatherization agencies throughout the United States. See the Alliance Recovery Act summary for more WAP program details.

Spending Snapshot - August 20, 2010

Appropriated: $4.98 billion
Awarded: $4.80 billion (97% of appropriated funds)
Spent: $1.38 billion (28% of appropriated funds)
Source

Funding Roll Out:

As of February 2010, DOE has awarded $4.76 billion to states and territories, or 95 percent of appropriated WAP Recovery Act funds, and only $220 million remain unobligated. DOE is far ahead of its original goal to obligate all funds by September 30, 2010 and, if it keeps the current pace, will finish awarding grants within the coming months.

Once awarded funding, states and territories contract the network of local community action agencies to perform the weatherization work. Each stage in this process has stretched the capacity of the coordinating agencies and has taken time to unroll, but, as of February 2010, local agencies and governments held 84 percent of Recovery Act funds and were poised for program delivery. Even with the majority of awarded grants unspent, the program weatherized over 30,000 homes with Recovery Act funding in 2009, according to DOE.

WAP Recovery Act Timeline

  • March 12, 2009: DOE issues funding opportunity announcement for the WAP program (Alliance Summary)
  • May 6, 2009: HUD and DOE release memorandum of understanding to streamline the weatherization eligibility process.
  • May 12, 2009: Applications from states and territories due to DOE
  • June - September 2009: DOE awards weatherization funds to states and territories 
  • August 14, 2009: DOE releases monitoring plan for SEP, WAP and EECBG
  • September, 2009:  7,000 homes weatherized under the Recovery Act to date
  • December 14, 2009: Dept of Labor revises wage requirements of WAP projects.
  • January 2010: 30,000 homes weatherized under the Recovery Act to date
  • August 2010: 200,000 homes weatherized under the Recovery Act to date
  • September 30, 2010: All funds to be obligated
  • March 2012: All funds to be spent

Resources:

WAP Recovery Act page - Department of Energy

Weatherization Assistance Program page - Department of Energy