Free weatherization program ct

The program also might determine if households qualify for an energy-efficient refrigerator replacement. There are nine Community Action Agencies in Connecticut. Those who want to apply can reach out to those two agencies or can inquire at their local Community Action Agency. To find contact info and which agency serves your town, visit cafca.

Duplexes and four-unit buildings are eligible if at least half of the residents are eligible. Complexes with more than four units must have two-thirds of eligible occupants to be considered eligible. If the home is for sale, is going on the market soon, is in foreclosure or is in mortgage mediation, the home is not eligible. Homes determined to be eligible will be visited for an energy audit. The program will not replace a roof or do any major structural improvements or nonenergy-related repairs to the home.

Weatherization services will permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy-efficient. Residents benefit from the improved energy performance in their houses or apartments; this is accomplished by use of the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry.

Weatherization services are long-lived and add up over time to substantial benefits not only for weatherization clients but for the community as a whole. They also help reduce dependency on state and federal home heating assistance programs. New Opportunities Inc.

For more information, call or email WX [at] NewOppinc [dot] org. The utilities work in partnership on this program with DSS, as described below. The department ' s Weatherization Assistance Program helps improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low and moderate-income households. Participants receive an energy audit to determine the most cost-effective weatherization activities.

Some of the most common measures include attic insulation, sidewall insulation, and air-sealing methods such as caulking or weather-stripping. In limited cases the program will pay for the repair or replacement of windows and doors. Priority is given to particularly vulnerable clients, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children under six years old, and high energy users.

DSS can waive this requirement for units where the household has an elderly or disabled member or a child under six years old. Landlords who participate in the program cannot raise the rents for two years from the date of weatherization for the affected units unless they demonstrate that the increase is not related to the weatherization funded by the program. Under federal law, the funding must flow through local weatherization service providers.

In Connecticut, the basic program is administered by five Community Action Agencies CAAs that provide the weatherization services statewide in collaboration with the other CAAs in the state. The five CAAs are:. The additional funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are being administered by the same agencies, other than the Community Action Agency of New Haven.

The utilities pay for the audits while federal funds pay for such things as insulation. Eligible households can contact either the utilities or the relevant CAA to apply for the programs. Further information about the DSS program is available at www. Public and Assisted Housing. Eligible housing authorities can use this funding for a variety of purposes, including increasing energy efficiency in federally-supported units for the elderly and disabled.

Under both provisions, the funding must supplement and not supplant state and local funds. HUD can enter into agreements with the building owners in which they and the department share the savings produced by energy efficiency measures.

The first priority will be weatherizing housing units for the elderly where heat is not included in the rent. Any additional funds will be used for units with tenants who are disabled or have children under six years old. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. The direct grants are provided to municipalities with a population of 35, or more according to the most recent U. Census data. Most of the remainder of the formula funding goes to state energy offices in Connecticut, the Office of Policy and Management.

Among other things, these funds can be used for:. The Energy Conservation Loan and the Multifamily Energy Conservation Loan programs provide financing at below market rates to single-family and multi-family residential property owners to buy and install cost-saving energy conservation improvements. In addition to insulation, caulking, and replacement windows, program participants can obtain loans for replacement heating systems and heat pumps.

Low-interest loans are available from the USDA Rural Development Program to help very low-income owners of single-family homes repair those homes.