LANSING — As the days get colder, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging residents to weatherize their homes.

Monday was Weatherization Day, and Gov. Rick Snyder declared October as Weatherization Month in Michigan.

The MDHHS Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity wants Michiganders to know that weatherization services help reduce the energy burden on low-income families by installing cost-effective, energy-efficient measure, officials said.

“We encourage all Michigan residents to weatherize their homes to stay warm during the cold winter months,” said MDHHS Director Nick Lyon. “For low-income residents who turn to MDHHS for assistance when they are having difficulty paying their energy bills, weatherizing your home helps protect many from reaching that point.”

In the past year, more than 1,500 Michigan households benefitted from the state’s weatherization assistance program. Administered by MDHHS with grant dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy, the program has weatherized more than 300,000 homes since its inception in 1976.

From air sealing to improving ventilation to adding insulation, home weatherization helps consumers save money by saving energy, as well as improves the health and safety of families by identifying carbon monoxide hazards, poor indoor air quality, mold, and other health threats. Weatherization services also provide a variety of jobs statewide.

MDHHS partners with 26 local community action agencies throughout the state to perform energy-conservation services that reduce energy use and utility bills to create more self-sufficient households. A recent weatherization conference hosted in Bay City updated the state’s weatherization operators on best practices and new regulations for program administration.

Residents who want to find a weatherization assistance program operator near them can see the list and map on the MDHHS website.