Weatherization Assistance: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Under DOE guidelines, households at or below 200 percent of the poverty income guidelines, or that receive Supplemental Security Income, are eligible. Each state can instead elect to use the HHS LIHEAP criteria of 60 percent of state median income. Homeowners and renters can both apply.

Source: HHS ASPE, 2026 poverty guidelines, 100 percent amounts doubled for illustration. Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines, and states may use 60 percent of state median income instead, so your state's limit can differ.

Even when a household qualifies, priority is given to the elderly, families with one or more members with a disability and families with children, along with high energy users and households with a high energy burden. If you fit more than one, say so when you apply.

1. Find your state weatherization administrator. DOE's how to apply page links to a map of state agencies.
2. Find the local provider. The state website usually lists providers by county.
3. Contact the local provider and send proof of income for the prior year, such as pay stubs or Social Security statements.
4. Expect a waitlist. If you are income-eligible you are placed on a list.
5. Renters need landlord permission before work begins.

In some states one application serves both heating assistance and weatherization. Massachusetts, for example, uses its heating assistance application for weatherization too. Ask your local agency.

The Department of Energy describes the process in three parts. First an energy audit, which includes an analysis of your energy bills, a blower-door test for air leakage and an inspection of energy equipment and living areas for health and safety issues. Then a recommended scope of the most cost-effective energy conservation measures for your home. Then work by local crews or contractors, followed by an inspection against the Standard Work Specifications.

The measures chosen depend on what the audit finds, which commonly includes sealing air leaks and adding insulation. The program does not pay for everything, and the audit decides the list.

The audit decides the list for each home, so no two jobs are the same. Weatherization commonly addresses the ways a house loses heat or cool air:

• Sealing air leaks around doors, windows, the attic hatch and where pipes and wires pass through walls.
• Adding insulation to the attic, walls or floor where the audit shows it will pay off.
• Sealing leaky ducts, and tuning or repairing a heating or cooling system.
• Health and safety checks, such as testing a combustion appliance for dangerous gases.

Ask the provider for the written scope before work starts, so you know what will be done and what will not.

1. Gather twelve months of energy bills, or ask your utility to print them.
2. Write down the comfort problems you notice, such as drafts, cold rooms, ice dams or high humidity.
3. Clear access to the attic, crawl space, furnace and water heater.
4. If you rent, get the owner's written permission early, because work cannot begin without it.
5. Ask how long the waitlist is, and ask to be told if your place on it changes.

Weatherization lowers the kWh you need, so it makes every future bill smaller, including bills you pay with LIHEAP help. It is separate from the federal home energy rebates, which have their own rules. See home energy rebates. DOE's new rebate guidance also asks that homes generally get insulation and air sealing before heating and cooling upgrades.

• U.S. Department of Energy, how to apply for weatherization assistance
• HHS ASPE, 2026 poverty guidelines
• 42 U.S.C. 8624, LIHEAP state plans and eligibility