In 2017, Iowa upgraded 1,200 low-income homes; 80% got attic insulation, 64% got new heating equipment, and families saved $290 a year

Cold homes and scary utility bills often go together. In Iowa, a government initiative quietly worked for a year to address both these issues. A fact sheet from the Iowa Weatherization Assistance Program notes that the state weatherized 1,200 low-income homes in 2017. Crews installed attic insulation in 80% of these homes. Broken heating systems were replaced for 64% of them. By the time the work was complete, families were saving an average of $290 a year on their energy bills. That may seem modest, but for a household on a tight budget, it can mean a warmer kitchen in January and one less bill to worry about.

For whom was this program designed

The same fact sheet explains who qualified for assistance. Households had to be receiving Supplemental Security Income or Family Investment Program assistance, or earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2017, 35% of families served included an elderly person, 35% included a person with a disability and 20% had young children in the home. 26% of the households helped were renters, so it wasn't just for homeowners; this is standard practice for these programs, which typically obtain landlord permission as part of the application process before any structural work begins. Program funding for that year was a little more than $19 million, from Department of Energy grants, LIHEAP dollars and local utility company contributions.


Insulation and new heating systems led the pack

Among the work crews completed that year, two upgrades stood out. Replacement of heating systems, which occurred in 64% of households, accounted for the largest single first-year saving amounting to $91,671. Insulation of attics was second, occurring in 80% of houses and saving $64,234 during its first year of implementation. Other energy efficiency measures were insulation of walls, replacement of water heaters, improved lighting, and air sealing. Those additional measures weren't broken out into individual dollar figures in the fact sheet, so the two headline totals above represent only the largest categories, not the program's full savings.

The savings weren't just an Iowa fluke

An average of $290 saved per household may seem insignificant taken alone. However, it fits in well with the findings of much larger-scale studies conducted before. For instance, a national evaluation study conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory on the effect of weatherizing thousands of houses for the U.S. Department of Energy has shown that the savings made from the program exceeded its expenses about one and a half times nationally. This means that the results achieved in Iowa were no exception to the rule. They were a small, local example of a pattern researchers have documented again and again.

Safer homes, not just cheaper ones

Saving money was just half the story. In 64 percent of homes, crews checked combustion appliances and replaced unsafe furnaces and water heaters to prevent the hazards of carbon monoxide, the fact sheet notes. Carbon monoxide alarms were installed in 91% of homes where absent, and smoke alarms in 66%. Homes were also tested for lead paint hazards and moisture problems that can lead to mold. State program data also indicates that the project reduced carbon dioxide emissions by approximately one ton per household, while helping families stay in affordable housing they otherwise may have lost.

There is research that explains the importance of the safety side as well. A 2023 study, ‘Cascading benefits of low-income weatherization upon health and household well-being,’ in the journal Building and Environment followed low-income households before and after weatherization and found what its authors called a “cascading” effect. Better insulated and better sealed homes were associated with better general health, fewer money worries and higher reported life satisfaction a year later, the study found. Turns out, sealing a leaky attic can ripple into parts of a family’s life that have nothing to do with the thermostat.

Why this 2017 data still matters

It is tempting to look at figures from 2017 and think that they're old news. They are not. Energy costs have not become any more favorable since then, and those same kinds of houses, leaky and costly to heat, exist in all states, including Iowa. Millions of renters and young families deal with this exact problem today, just without a name for it. Program outcomes like these show that basic home repairs can save money and protect people's health at the same time. For 1,200 families in one state, in one year, it was the difference between an energy bill that devoured groceries and one that didn't.