Bette Brown said living in an older home has it's pro's and con's.

"You could see a big gap in between the door and the frame," Brown said of her front door.

Things things you've just got to live with, she thought, until she found a program to weatherize her home for free.

"This is my brand new furnace, an energy saving furnace, and they did the whole thing, insulated everything," Brown said.

The green upgrade?? Courtesy of the federal government.

"The weatherization program from the US Department of Energy is a program for low income housholds to obtain weatherization measures installed in their home to produce higher energy efficiency," said Diane Holley of the Michigan Department of Human Services.

And with $244 million in more in stimulus money, the state has a lot more dough to work with.

"Typical things are attic insulation, sometimes furnace replacement or repair, appliance replacement," said Ivan Love, executive director of Capital Area Community Services, an agency in charge of dolling out the funding.

Which means a whole lot more people, just like Brown, could benefit.

"An inspector goes into the home and does an assessment of the homes current conditions," Holley said. "Typically homes that go through the audit have the savings of about 25 percent."

The changes the department made to Brown's laundry room are evident, but she said it's even clearer on paper. She said she already saved $50 on her monthly energy bill.

"I believe a lot of people want to go green, they just don't know how," Brown said. "This is a good start, a very good start."

The state expects to weatherize 28,000 homes statewide with the extra money.

You could save between $500 and $1500 per month depending on your household size by weatherizing.

To see if you qualify for the program, call Tina at Capital Area Community Action Agency at 517- 393- 7077 if you live in Ingham, Eaton, Shiawasee, and Clinton Counties.

If you live in Jackson, call the Jackson Community Action Agency, 517-784- 4800.

You'll have to meet income requirements and fill out an application.