The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) is accepting comments in response to its proposed 2024-2025 Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) State Plan. WAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and helps low-income households retrofit their homes to be more energy efficient, safe, and healthy.
The current WAP program is geared toward funding specific services that tend to be limited to weatherization. DCED has an opportunity to expand the eligible services offered through the program by leveraging additional funding sources. Offering a comprehensive set of energy-related services by combining various funding sources will help low-income households access more holistic building upgrades. For example, building electrification is not included under WAP but will be covered by future Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) residential rebates. Including these IRA funds as a part of WAP programming can help applicants access electrification services with weatherization. Similarly, the WAP program can prioritize health by supporting fuel switching and providing for cooling assistance during hot months.
Tell DCED that their WAP State Plan should leverage additional funding sources and prioritize the health of recipients by covering more holistic retrofit services.