Weatherization Assistance Program

The Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income North Carolinians save energy, reduce their utility bills, and stay safe in their homes. Its mission is to keep North Carolina citizens warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and safe all year long while educating the public about energy efficiency and household safety. The program's focus is on the elderly, the disabled, families with children, high energy users, and the energy burdened.  The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality administers the Weatherization Assistance Program with annual funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

In 2021, over $22.6 million in federal grants allowed more than 1,100 homes to be weatherized and more than 900 heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units in homes to be repaired or replaced throughout the state, including CARES Act funds that supplemented other energy efficiency projects for over 700 low-income households. The program also creates job opportunities in communities where weatherization services are offered because it relies on plumbers, electricians, heating and cooling, and general contractors, among others.