Community Collaboration Expands Program Reach in Indiana

About the Project

In many places, an ecosystem of local organizations may help connect community residents with weatherization services funded by the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). In Indiana, multiple community partners collaborated with the utility company to improve and simplify local weatherization processes and increase the program’s reach. 

Challenge

Duke Energy (an Indiana utility company) had low participation in their customer-funded low-income weatherization program. For example, in 2017, $140,301 was spent of their $1.9 million allocation.  

Other program gaps included a complicated tiered rebate system that did not complement the existing WAP system and offered low dollar rebates with labor intensive paperwork for claiming the rebates. Duke Energy program administrators did not understand WAP rules, regulations, and needs. 

Solution  

The Indiana Community Action Association and several partners such as Duke Energy Indiana, Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, and Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana came together to advocate for changes to Duke Energy Indiana’s Ratepayer-Funded Low Income Weatherization Program. The group created an oversight board to help identify problems and work on solutions together and designated a Duke Energy point of contact to streamline communications. The first steps toward solutions began with educating Duke Energy on WAP rules, regulations, and needs. Indiana Community Action Association then provided recommendations on increasing rebate prices, increasing health and safety dollars, removing the tiered rebate system, and lessening the complicated paperwork for requesting rebates. The initial conversations related to solutions began in 2020 and the newly revamped program was initiated in 2022.

Positive Impact  

The diligent collaboration of stakeholders over the 2-year period allowed positive changes to the Ratepayer-Funded Low Income Weatherization Program. For example, the program expanded to allow for renters of homes to be eligible participants, not just owners. The collaboration also increased the dollar limit on health and safety expenditures, allowing for mini-split heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system installations and an increase in the maximum per home expenditure.

As of September 2023, $752,000 has been spent with a yield of 226 MWh gross reduction in energy consumption. Encouraged by the success of the revamped program, Duke Energy initiated the Duke Energy Supplemental Health and Safety Pilot Program, which allocated an additional $265,405 to allow for Subgrantees to utilize the funding to complete work needed to get homes out of deferral status and weatherized with WAP funding. In total, the programs dollars are predicted to reach 270 to 280 eligible homes.

This story was developed using content from a U.S. Department of Energy webinar. Watch the webinar on the National Community Action Partnership website.