The Weatherization Assistance Program, which was allocated $5 billion in stimulus funding by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has been a win-win-win for the United States. It has saved homeowners billions in energy costs, put Americans back to work, and helped cut carbon emissions that create climate change.
After a slow start, the program gained momentum and this week completed work on its 1 millionth home, just nine months after passing the 600,000 mark.
Scaling up the weatherization program was designed to be a key part of the strategy to jumpstart the economy through creating jobs, supporting small businesses, which create the materials for weather-proofing, and saving low-income people money on their energy bills, so they can spend it in the economy.
Using a network of over 1,000 local agencies and more than 4,000 private contractors the program employed an average of more than 12,000 workers per quarter to perform weatherization services across the country.
(READ the full story from Think Progress)