The Department of Energy’s Weatherization program, a 30-year-old program that improves the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families, is receiving more than a 20-fold increase in funding in the economic stimulus plan. Can this money be spent effectively or is this throwing money at a feel-good program?

The initial answer depends on an accelerated delivery of the expanded program—training the energy retrofit technicians, marketing the program to an enlarged number of recipients, and streamlining its federal–state–local administration. In parallel, the program must expand the participation of its current public and private partners, particularly in southern states. The longterm success depends on constructing links with a broader movement for building energy efficiency, on playing a key role in revitalizing local communities, and on dramatizing the connection between building energy efficiency and climate change. In the end, success will depend on how success is defined—how we balance the urgent need to infuse spending and create jobs with our sustainable future energy, societal, and environmental goals.