Vermont § 2502 - Home Weatherization Assistance Program

§ 2502. Home Weatherization Assistance Program

• (a) The Director of the State Office of Economic Opportunity shall administer the Home
  Weatherization Assistance Program under such rules, regulations, funding, and funding
  requirements as may be imposed by federal law. (b) In addition, the Director shall supplement or supplant any federal program with the
  State Home Weatherization Assistance Program. (1) The State Program shall provide an enhanced weatherization assistance amount exceeding
  the federal per-unit limit allowing amounts up to an average of $15,300.00 per unit
  allocated on a cost-effective basis. The allowable average per unit of multifamily
  buildings will be $4,500.00. In units where costs exceed the allowable average by
  more than 25 percent, prior approval of the Director of the State Economic Opportunity
  Office shall be required before work commences. This amount shall be adjusted annually
  to account for inflation of materials and labor. (2) The State program shall provide amounts for low-income customers utilizing any high
  operating cost fuel, to convert to another fuel source under rules adopted by the
  Director based on the cost effectiveness of the converted facility over the life cycle
  of the equipment. (3) The Director, in collaboration with the weatherization service providers and other
  stakeholders, shall develop the State program so that it will include: (A) Facilitating the development and implementation of a statewide common energy-audit
  tool or tools that work well on all Vermont housing, including multifamily buildings. (B) With regard to multifamily buildings, requiring either of the following requirements
  to be met: (i) At least 25 percent or more of the tenants in the building are eligible for the Program. (ii) At least 50 percent of the units are weatherization affordable, and at least one tenant
  of the building has applied for the Program and has been determined to be eligible.
  For purposes of this subdivision (ii), “weatherization affordable” means a unit having
  a rent that is established at less than 30 percent of the income level established
  by computing 80 percent of the area median income level or 80 percent of the State
  median income level, whichever is higher, for the relevant household size. Relevant
  household size means the number of bedrooms in the unit plus one. (C) Establishing Program eligibility levels at 80 percent of the area median income or
  80 percent of the State median income, whichever is higher. Subject to the priority
  under section 2608 of this title given to participants in the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program, the State program
  shall, when weighing factors to assign priority to buildings or units eligible for
  weatherization assistance, assign the greatest weight to those buildings and units
  that require the highest energy usage. (D) Eliminating the lien requirements on weatherized rental properties, so long as the
  landlord executes a rent stabilization agreement that has a term of at least one year. (E) Generally, allowing flexibility to accommodate special circumstances in which greater
  energy savings can be realized or health and safety problems may be alleviated. (F) Increasing the number of low-income homes weatherized each year, or the scope of services
  provided, or both, to reflect increased revenues in the Home Weatherization Assistance
  Fund. (G) With respect to multifamily buildings housing recipients of home heating fuel assistance
  under chapter 26 of this title, targeted outreach efforts to ensure the highest weatherization
  participation rates by owners of such buildings. (4) Funding for the installation of solar domestic hot water systems and other renewable
  energy systems on eligible homes, where cost-effective and consistent with other Program
  needs. (c) The Director shall require landlords that are not income eligible to enter into a
  rent stabilization agreement that takes into account the energy cost reductions projected
  to be obtained by eligible tenants of the unit. The time periods established for rent
  stabilization shall be set taking into account the size of benefits received by tenants
  and landlords as well as the effect on Program participation. (d) Subject to budgetary approval by the General Assembly or approval by the Emergency
  Board, amounts in the Home Weatherization Assistance Fund created by section 2501 of this title may be transferred to the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program and used for energy
  assistance to persons with low income, provided that such transfer does not reduce
  the fiscal capacity of the State Office of Economic Opportunity to meet the budgetary
  obligations of the Weatherization Program as set forth in this chapter and that in
  the event of approval by the Emergency Board, the Emergency Board so certifies. (e) [Repealed.] (Added 1989, No. 272 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1991, No. 262 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2001, No. 63, § 129c, eff. June 16, 2001; 2007, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 31; 2007, No. 209 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 2013, No. 50, §§ E.324.1, E324.2, E.326.1; 2013, No. 89, § 16; 2017, No. 85, §§ F.4, F.6, F.7, eff. June 28, 2017; 2019, No. 72, § E.326.2; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 611, eff. July 1, 2022; 2021, No. 164 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 1, 2022; 2023, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § E.326.1, eff. July 1, 2024.)