CHEYENNE — This year, low-income homes receiving weatherization services will be having a lot more work done thanks to a permanent change made by the Department of Energy. According to Wyoming Family Services’ Juliette Rule, the amount spent per home in previous years was capped at $2,966. Now the DOE has extended the cap to as much as $6,500 per home.

The funds cover an energy audit (which determines the best approach to weatherizing each house), manpower and the materials needed to make each house more energy efficient. Each situation is different, but a typical fix might include adding insulation, sealing major air leaks, tuning and adjusting the heating system, and ensuring that the system is safe by checking for carbon monoxide or faulty wiring.

Every family that qualifies for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is automatically qualified for free weatherization, but not everyone asks for it.

Rule notes that last year, applications for LIEAP were up 33 percent, but the requests for weatherization were much lower, perhaps due to confusion about the program. Applicants don’t have to own their own home to obtain weatherization services, Rule said. The Department of Family Services will work with landlords to obtain permission to weatherize, and to ensure that the landlords won’t immediately sell the newly weatherized house out from under the LIEAP client.

The weatherization work is done through three not-for-profit organizations that serve the entire state: the Council of Community Services, Wyoming Weatherization Services and the Wyoming Energy Council. Contact information for each organization, by county served, is available at http://dfsweb.state.wy.us/lieap/lieap.html

Applications for the next heating season’s LIEAP will be accepted on Oct. 1. For application forms and general information about the program, go to dfsweb.state.wy.us/lieap/lieap.html

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