Today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) State Energy Office (SEO) announced a $10 million Home Repair Weatherization Readiness Program to supplement North Carolina’s existing Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The new funding covers counties damaged by Hurricane Helene and identified as "Most Impacted and Distressed" under the State of North Carolina Action Plan.
SEO is awarding $6 million in readiness funding to the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and $4 million to the following current WAP service providers:
- Blue Ridge Community Action
- Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission
- Community Action Opportunities
- Four Square Community Action
- ICARE Inc.
- Macon County Government
- Mountain Projects Inc.
- WAMY Community Action
- Yadkin Valley Economic Development District
The program’s goal is to serve more than 575 households.
As part of North Carolina’s Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 – Part II (SL 2024-53), these funds provide flexibility to resolve home repair issues for affected homes on the WAP deferral lists. Households are placed on the deferral list if a house needs major repairs or other work that is not eligible for WAP funding. This program seeks to also address households on the WAP’s waitlists.
“This new weatherization readiness funding is an important piece of the comprehensive effort to accelerate long-term recovery and strengthen energy resilience in communities hit hard by Helene,” said Reid Wilson, DEQ Secretary. “These projects will drive down home utility bills and ensure safer, healthier and more energy-efficient homes for families who need it most.”
“For years, some households that have applied and qualified for weatherization assistance still ended up on waitlists because the demand is higher than the funding available, and this readiness funding will help get families in those communities off our weatherization providers’ waitlists,” said Julie Woosley, SEO Director. “Families may have also been deferred in the past because their home needed a repair that wasn’t covered by weatherization funds. These readiness funds can also be used to make some home repairs so that more homes are moved off the deferral list and eligible for the WAP program. This effort is going to increase western NC’s sound and efficient housing stock, reduce energy costs for the most vulnerable families and individuals, and make homes safer and more comfortable.”
Weatherization can reduce energy usage at the household level by making energy-efficient upgrades such as installing insulation, replacing inefficient HVAC systems and sealing air leaks. By making households energy efficient, DEQ is helping to lower carbon emissions, while reducing overall strain on the electric grid, making the grid and homes more resilient to extreme weather.
For more information about the DEQ State Energy Office, visit deq.nc.gov/state-energy-office
For more information on the DEQ Weatherization Program, visit: deq.nc.gov/energy-climate/state-energy-office/weatherization-assistance-program
For more information on the Western Piedmont Council of Governments, visit: wpcog.org