HUD - DOE Partnership
Multifamily Weatherization of Public and Assisted Housing

Program Description

On January 25, 2010, the Department of Energy implemented a new rule for its Weatherization Assistance Program (71 CFR 3847). Under the new rule, if a public housing, assisted multi-family or Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) building is identified by HUD and included on a list published by DOE, that building meets DOE's weatherization program income requirements without the need for further evaluation or verification, and may meet certain other program requirements. The DOE lists are posted on DOE's web site (http://energy.gov/eere/wipo/housing-and-urban-development-multifamily-properties-eligible-weatherization-assistance). The rule is a result of a partnership between HUD and DOE established on May 6, 2009.

Program Requirements

Program requirements for the Weatherization Assistance Programs are set and administered by the Department of Energy's Office Energy Efficiency and Renewal Energy (EERE). Information about program regulations and guidance and information on how the weatherization program works can be found on DOE's website (apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/state_contacts.cfm).

HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule

Effective April 22, 2010 local weatherization agencies are required to comply with EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Repainting (RRP) requirements for most pre-1978 residences or child-occupied facilities. HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule may also apply when weatherizing pre-1978 HUD-assisted and public housing if certain conditions are met. These are described here.

Questions?

Regional Points of Contact: HUD has established Regional points of contact to assist HUD's public and assisted housing stakeholders with general questions about the HUD-DOE Weatherization Initiative and contacting state and local agencies administering DOE-funded weatherization programs. See HUD's Regional Weatherization points of contact.

Property Listings: For questions about project eligibility or other policy or implementation issues pertaining to weatherizing HUD supported public and multifamily properties, please review the procedures outlined here. If you have questions, please direct them to energyaction@hud.gov. Your questions will be referred to the appropriate office for response.

Resources

Guidance and Reference Materials

Points of Contact 		Eligible Applicants

The DOE rule indicates that income qualified public housing, assisted housing, and LIHTC properties may be eligible recipients of DOE weatherization funds. A minimum requirement for inclusion on the lists is that at least two-thirds of the residents of a multifamily building (50% for 2-4 unit buildings) must meet DOE's income eligibility requirement, which is currently set at 200% of the federal poverty level.

A description of what buildings are included on the DOE lists is provided here.

The rule does not, however, require states or local service providers to set aside weatherization funds for these properties. The state and/or the local service provider retain the authority to set priorities for the use of weatherization funds in their service areas. Funding for individual projects will be a function of state or local program priorities and funding availability.

Additional Potentially Eligible Buildings

Procedure For Supplementing the List With Additional Buildings

DOE's January 25,2010 rules requires that each individual building within a project meet DOE's income qualification requirements, whereas HUD data are often at the property level (which may include more than one building). Properties are excluded if, due to data limitations, HUD cannot verify with certainty that every building in a project meets the DOE income requirements, or that an individual building qualifies. For information on what buildings are currently included on DOE's lists, see HUD Data on Properties Eligible for Weatherization Assistance.

Effective February 4, 2011, HUD has established a new self-certification procedure for adding individual properties that may not be on the list, and for which property owners have reason to believe qualify for the program. If you would like your property reviewed by HUD for possible inclusion on the list, please follow the self-certification procedures outline in the attached Multifamily Occupancy Guidance, and upload the required data into the attached Worksheet. (See Instructions).

 
Content Archived: March 29, 2017