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U.S. Department of Energy
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Evaluation of the Federal Weatherization-Assistance Program in Minnesota

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5327116· OSTI ID:5327116
An evaluation of the Federal Weatherization Assistance Program to determine the fuel savings for participants in Minnesota has been completed. The homes selected in this study were weatherized between April and October 1978. Therefore, a comparison of normalized fuel consumption for the 1976 to 1977 and 1977 to 1978 heating seasons was an appropriate measure of the fuel savings achieved. In addition, a control group was established to reflect fuel consumption changes resulting from the effect of other public energy awareness programs. The results indicate that the average energy savings was 13.43%. This was based on 59 sample group and 37 control group homes representing the population of all weatherized and non-weatherized low-income homes in the state, respectively. The conclusions of this study are: at an average fuel cost of $6 per million Btu, weatherization has been accomplished at a simple payback of 3.5 years; 90% of the weatherized homeowners have expressed varying degrees of positive satisfaction; behavioral changes (example, raising thermostats) are significant in offsetting potential weatherization savings; and the Retrotech Job Book, in its present form, has not been used effectively.
Research Organization:
Mid-American Solar Energy Center, Minneapolis, MN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-79CS30150
OSTI ID:
5327116
Report Number(s):
MASEC-R-79-046; ON: DE82013401
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English