Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, a nonprofit that serves low-income people here, says it will receive $5.1 million in federal stimulus funds over the next two years that will allow its weatherization program to benefit about two times the number of households it usually serves each year.

The influx of $2.55 million in each of the next two years will enable SNAP to weatherize up to 250 homes a year in addition to the about 260 homes it usually weatherizes each year, says Ron Hardin, SNAP's communications manager.

SNAP will add at least 10 employees to its weatherization staff of 34 during the stimulus-funding period, and it might hire private contractors to help keep up with the anticipated work, Hardin says.

Work performed through SNAP's weatherization program includes adding insulation to walls and attics, sealing cracks, and replacing substandard windows and doors, he says.

In some cases the program provides electricians to install energy-efficient light fixtures, carbon-monoxide and smoke alarms, and programmable thermostats, Hardin says. The weatherization program also repairs or replaces furnaces and evaluates water heaters for efficiency.

On average, a homeowner helped by the program saves an estimated $358 a year in energy costs, Hardin says. The average cost to weatherize a home through SNAP's program is about $6,000, he says.

SNAP's weatherization program serves households that earn half or less of the county's median income. A family of four with an annual household income of less than $31,000 would qualify.