Unemployment and the shift to remote work have confined many U.S. workers to their homes for much of the past year and half. But some are struggling to keep their homes adequately lit, heated, and cooled. According to a recent Census Bureau survey, more than 37 million Americans have been unable to pay an energy bill in the past year. The impact has been immediate: Since March of 2020, the Center for Biological Diversity estimates that more than a million U.S. homes have seen their utilities shut off–and as pandemic moratoriums on utility shutoffs expire, millions more are vulnerable to backlogged bills and potential shutoffs.

Clearly, more equitable approaches to energy are needed. Weatherization—modifications to buildings with the goal of increasing energy efficiency—offers a way to lower utility bills while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It also brings the potential to create green jobs and improve the health and safety of American homes.

Unlike many other environmental issues, funding for weatherization tends to draw broad bipartisan support. For example, in Georgia, the non-profit Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) has been working for the past two decades to mobilize a religious response to global warming. In 2010, GIPL established Power Wise, a program designed to help congregations reduce their carbon emissions by improving energy efficiency. Since then, the program has funded more than 400 energy efficiency projects and distributed nearly a million dollars in grant money.

“We believe one role of the faith community is to hold bad actors to account. We should be taking care of our communities, no matter what our political affiliations might be,” says Codi Norred, GIPL’s Executive Director.

Read the full article about the benefits of weatherization at Grist.