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WASHINGTON, D.C. -Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and a Toledo Democrat whose 9th congressional district extends to Cleveland, held a public oversight hearing on Wednesday to explore the successes, challenges, and innovations of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

Committee members heard from weatherization experts at the local, state, and federal levels.

WAP works to ensure the health and safety of low-income and middle class households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing energy costs.

"Today's oversight hearing could not have come at a more critical time for the tens of thousands of Americans who rely on DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program each year," said Rep. Kaptur. "Last week, it was colder in parts of the Midwest than it was in Antarctica, and if it weren't for WAP, many low-income and middle-class Americans would not have been able to sufficiently weatherize their homes and keep themselves and their families safe. "

Through DOE funding, WAP provides weatherization services to 35,000 homes each year and supports 8,500 jobs, and through weatherization improvements and upgrades, households save on average $283 or more every year.

Since the program began in 1976 after the 1973 oil crisis, WAP has helped improve the lives of more than seven million families through weatherization services. When  the program was created , the price of oil had quadrupled from $3 per barrel to nearly $12 per barrel, causing severe disruptions nationwide.

The longest serving woman in congress, Kaptur said that "because investments in weatherization pay off, it is a tragedy that this administration continually targets this program for cuts."

In 1983, the program received $473 million in 2010 dollars.  Since then, it has been on a downward curve in terms of funding.

This fiscal year, the program received only $266 million.

But despite these funding challenges, as of 2012, 3.2 million units have been weatherized, averaging about 110,000 units per year.

Low-income individuals, particularly in cold weather states who relied on oil to keep warm, suffered greatly.

Kapur said that WAP saves lives.

"The WAP mission is about more than helping Americans cut down on the cost of energy, it is about saving lives," the congresswoman said."Despite misguided attempts to gut the program, WAP has successfully accomplished its vital mission for over 40 years and it is our job to ensure that WAP remains strong for the next 40 years."

Data show that DOE's weatherization program has a direct, positive impact on the lives and pocketbooks of every day Americans, particularly elderly and low-income Americans, and this success spans all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Native- American tribes.

Poorer households rely on alternative temperature regulating devices such as space heaters, which, according to the National Fire Protection Association, cause about one third of all winter house fires and 80 percent of all winter fire deaths.

"This goes to show how crucial DOE's Weatherization dollars are in ensuring low-income energy insecure families can protect themselves, their homes and mobile homes from the elements," said Kaptur.