Dept. of Energy: 600,000 Homes Weatherized - Ahead Of Schedule

Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Energy announced that it had achieved an important milestone: 600,000 homes weatherized - and three months ahead of schedule.

That means three things: less money spent on energy bills, less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, and more people put to work.

The Department of Energy broke down the energy reduction point in its press release.

On average, the program reduces energy consumption for low-income families by up to 35 percent, saving them more than $400 on their heating and cooling bills in the first year alone. Nationwide, the weatherization of 600,000 homes is estimated to save more than $320 million in energy costs in just the first year.

Of the 600,000 homes, an estimated 125,000 were multi-family - for example, apartment buildings.

The video below illustrates how this puts people to work. From our partners at CEC in New York, it describes the scale of impact that weatherizing can have. Featured prominently is Thalia Williams, a single mother who finally found a way into construction through the CEC.

The final number of jobs created and workers employed isn't yet available, though in announcing that the project had reached its halfway mark in January, the DOE noted that 15,000 people nationwide had been employed.

Smart government investment can have a real impact: improving our environment, saving us money, and putting people to work. The DOE's success in this project should spur further programs - and start to bring weatherization to scale.