Using LIHEAP and WAP to Expand Low-Income Solar Access
Low- and moderate-income households make up fewer than 20% of solar adopters, despite representing over 40% of U.S. households. Federal assistance programs—like the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)—can address this solar access gap through a variety of pathways for low-income households. Just last year, WAP and LIHEAP issued guidance to support the inclusion of solar.
A new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “Solar Pathways in Federal Energy Assistance Programs: Expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP),” chronicles NREL’s efforts to document successful implementation pathways through analyzing LIHEAP and WAP annual plans, surveying LIHEAP grant recipients and WAP Grantees about obstacles to solar implementation, and conducting interviews and workshops with program administrators. Read it here: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy24osti/88519.pdf
In this webinar hosted by the Clean Energy States Alliance, report authors will discuss their findings and explore effective ways that WAP and LIHEAP state agencies can bring solar to their clients.
Contribute to this discussion
You must be logged in to post a comment.