Qualifying homes may receive attic insulation from Michigan's weatherization grant program.
A relatively small investment in weatherization reaps benefits in the cost of reduced heating and cooling costs for the lifetime of the house. The Michigan Department of Human Services teams with Michigan Community Action Agency Association to provide weatherization services at no cost to qualifying homeowners. Because the state only provides funding to MCAAA organizations which then administer the program, the qualifications and application process to receive a grant vary around the state, although guidelines for program eligibility are relatively consistent around the state.
Granting Agencies and Eligibility
The Michigan Department of Human Services provides funding for local agencies to administer their weatherization programs locally. Applicants should locate the MCAAA member that serves their county, and contact the agency to begin the application process. While each agency enforces its own guidelines for eligibility, most homes in which the owners earn below 200 percent of the poverty level -- about $44,000 annually for a family of four as of 2011 -- may be eligible for the program in most areas. In most cases, financial eligibility is the sole criteria in qualification for the program. All Supplemental Security Income and Family Independence Program recipients automatically qualify for the program.
Priority Eligibility
Homes in which senior citizens and infants live receive priority funding from the program, although all qualifying low-income families may be considered for a grant. Although weatherization grants aim to help homeowners battle utility costs in the winter, one of its primary stated goals is to reduce unsafe conditions in homes with infants, helping to eliminate dangerous reliance on space heaters and potentially dangerous sleeping arrangements.
Available Funding
The Michigan Department of Human Services authorizes local agencies to make up to $6,500 in repairs and upgrades to each qualifying home, although many homeowners don't receive that amount of weatherization upgrades. After a homeowner demonstrates financial eligibility to the administering agency, the agency inspects the home to determine modifications that will be most cost-effective in reducing the residents' energy bills. Improvements may include weather-stripping windows and adding insulation to walls and attics. Private weatherization contractors perform specified improvements on homes once a local agency draws up its improvement plans.
Grants' Impact
The average household spends about $1,300 on energy costs each year, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Weatherizing improvements typically cut a homeowner's utility costs by an average of about 25 percent, or between $200 and $300 annually per household. In some of the state's most poorly insulated homes, utility costs may account for up to 40 percent of a low-income family's wages each month.
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