One impactful way to reduce your home’s energy demand and your subsequent energy bills is through weatherization. Generally speaking, weatherizing a building involves improving the structure’s barrier against the elements, or weather. When a building has a strong barrier, less air escapes from the building, which reduces the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling.

Picture this: if you’re trying to heat or cool your home, but you have poor insulation that is constantly letting air leak outside, it will take much more energy for your HVAC system to adequately heat or cool the interior of your home. However, if your insulation is upgraded, and the air that’s being heated or cooled can remain inside, less energy will be used. Another helpful image is to consider a bucket with a hole in the bottom. If you try to fill that bucket up with water, you’ll be using enormous amounts of water as it leaks through the bottom. If you first patch the hole, and then fill it, the amount of water you use will be much less.

Weatherization techniques can be utilized during new construction, or during retrofits of existing construction. Examples of weatherization techniques include:

    ●  Sealing doors and windows that leak air

    ●  Sealing cracks or gaps around pipes and wiring that leak air

    ●  Improving insulation in walls, floors, ceilings, and attics

    ●  Replacing single-pane windows with more efficient double-pane windows

    ●  Keeping the fireplace flue damper tightly closed when not in use

You may be eligible for financial assistance to weatherize your home, through the State Weatherization Program. Eligibility includes Utahans whose gross annual household income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty, or those who are current HEAT Program participants. Additionally, your household must include at least one adult who is a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen. To read more about eligibility and application information, please visit https://jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/wap/how.html.