Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP): energy repairs for your home

If your home loses heat in winter or cool air in summer, you overpay every month. The Weatherization Assistance Program, known as WAP, exists for exactly that: it fixes homes of low-income families so they use less energy and are safer.¹ This guide explains who qualifies, what gets done in your home, how to apply and what protects you if you rent.

Of the poverty level: up to that income you qualify under DOE's rules

200%²

Of the units in a rental building generally must be eligible

66%³

For repairs in program year 2026, according to DOE

$328 million⁵

What WAP is and what it does for your home

WAP is a Department of Energy (DOE) program. It lowers energy costs for low-income households by making their homes more efficient, while protecting their health and safety.¹ The money comes from the federal government, but states and local agencies run the program.² For program year 2026, the appropriations law signed on January 23, 2026 funded it through September 30, 2027, including $328 million for the repair program.⁵

DOE says the program focuses on proven measures: air sealing, insulation and heating and cooling equipment upgrades.⁵ Each state builds its own list. In Oregon, for example, services may include:⁶

• Ceiling, wall and floor insulation.
• Energy-related minor repairs.
• Air leak reduction.
• Furnace repair or replacement.
• Heating duct improvements.
• Education on saving energy.

Oregon’s agency says it provides these services at no cost to eligible households.⁶ Ask your state how it works there.

Who qualifies

Under DOE’s rules, a home is eligible if the family living there meets one of these conditions:³

• Income at or below 200% of the poverty level.
• A member who received cash assistance, such as SSI, in the last 12 months.
• Eligibility for LIHEAPLIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) is a federally funded program that helps with home energy costs, such as heating and cooling. According to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), it can help with bills, energy crises, preventing shutoffs or reconnecting service, weatherization and minor energy-related repairs. It targets low-income households with a high energy burden or with members who are elderly, disabled or young children. You apply through your local LIHEAP office, and the program does not charge a fee for help.See the full definitionClose, if your state chooses to use that test. DOE explains that test is 60% of state median income.²

The regulation also gives priority to five groups: older people, people with disabilities, families with children, households that use a lot of energy and households that spend a high share of their income on energy.⁴ Each state may define more. In Oregon, for example, priority includes people 60 or older and households with children under six.⁶

Both owners and renters can apply.² The provider will ask for proof of the prior year’s income, such as pay stubs or Social Security payments.² Ask which documents they accept before your appointment, and do not give information you are not asked for.

How to apply, step by step

From your call to a repaired home

1. 1. Find your state administrator

   Today

   DOE's site has a map with the agency for each state, territory or tribe.²

2. 2. Find your local provider

   This week

   Your state's site usually lists providers by county, with phone and address.²

3. 3. Fill out the application

   When you call

   You will be asked for proof of your household's income for the prior year.²

4. 4. Wait for your turn

   It can take a while

   If you are income eligible, you go on a waiting list; the program's priorities count.⁴

5. 5. The energy audit

   When your turn comes

   An auditor reviews your bills, runs an air-leak test and inspects the whole home.²

6. 6. The work and the final inspection

   On the plan's schedule

   They explain the work and dates; at the end an inspector checks that everything runs safely.²

What happens in the energy audit

The audit is the heart of the program. An energy auditor visits your home and runs a computerized assessment of how you use energy. The auditor reviews your bills, runs a test with a fan in the door (a blower-door test) to measure how much outside air gets in, and inspects the energy equipment and every area: the living space, the attic, the basement. The auditor also looks for health and safety problems.²

From there, the auditor gives you a list of the most cost-effective measures for your home. The auditor or a crew leader explains how the work will be done and how long it will take. When it is finished, a provider inspector checks that everything was completed, meets the specifications and that equipment runs safely.² The regulation does not allow a home to be reported as finished until all materials are installed and the final inspection is done.⁴

Get ready for the visit:

• Have your electric and gas bills for the last year at hand.
• Make a list of what you notice: drafts, cold rooms, an old furnace, windows that do not close.
• Ask which measures they recommend and why, and ask for the plan in writing.

After the work, keep the papers you are given: the plan, the date of the final inspection and the provider’s name. If something stops working, such as the new furnace, call the provider first and ask what warranty the work has. Compare your bills over the next few months with last year’s to see how much you save, and note in your budget what you no longer spend.

If you rent: the owner’s permission and your rent

If you rent, you can also apply for WAP. The provider works with you and your landlord to get permission before starting.² DOE’s regulation sets conditions for rental buildings:³

• The owner must give written permission.
• Generally, at least 66% of the units in the building must be eligible (50% for duplexes and four-unit buildings).
• The benefits must go primarily to the low-income tenants, even if energy is included in the rent.
• For a reasonable period after the work, your rent cannot be raised because of the weatherization. It can only go up for other reasons that can be shown.
• If your rent goes up, you can file a complaint through your state’s procedure, and the owner must show the increase is not because of the work.

The state can also ask the owner to accept a lien or another agreement to protect the federal investment if there is later an eviction or a sale.³ If your landlord will not give permission or raises your rent after the work, look for free legal aidlegal aidLegal aid is the free civil legal help that nonprofit organizations and their lawyers provide to low-income people in civil, not criminal, matters. In housing, that includes representing families facing eviction or foreclosure, alongside matters such as custody, child support, protection from domestic violence and access to benefits. In the United States, the Legal Services Corporation, created by Congress, funds a nationwide network of these organizations; its finder points you to the one in your area. Each sets its own income limits.See the full definitionClose. Our guide Repairs and housing conditions explains what the owner must fix on their own.

Owner or renter

You apply

You own

• You apply for weatherization with proof of income
• The audit decides which measures make sense for your home
• An inspector reviews the work at the end

The owner gives permission

You rent

• The provider asks for the owner's written permission
• The benefits must go primarily to you
• For a reasonable period your rent cannot be raised because of the work

Either way, ask your county's provider for the application and how long the waiting list is.

While you wait: other help

The waiting list can be long. In the meantime, DOE mentions other federal programs for low-income families:²

• LIHEAP, to help you pay energy bills for a while. Our LIHEAP guide explains how to apply and the crisis help.
• LIHWAP, to help with water service, where it exists.
• Community Action Agencies, which receive CSBG funds for housing, utility and employment services.
• USDA repair loans and grants, for very low-income rural homeowners. Our guide on USDA 504 home repair loans and grants explains the requirements.

If your service is about to be shut off, read our Utility shutoffs guide today. And to see what you spend on power and gas compared with other homes in your area, use the utility costs calculator.

Example with real numbers

A grandmother who lives alone and is cold at home

An example in words, not a real case, of how an application can move forward.

Her income

She receives SSI, so she qualifies under DOE's rules

Her place on the list

She has priority as an older person

What the audit finds

Air leaks around doors and windows, little insulation and an old furnace

The plan

The most cost-effective measures the auditor recommends

At the end

An inspector checks that the furnace runs safely

The rules in this example come from DOE.³⁴² Use the utility costs calculator to see how much you may be overpaying.

Run it with your numbersElectricity and gas costs

If this is you

You are an older adult

You have priority in the program; tell the provider your age when you apply.⁴

Someone in your home has a disability

Families with a member with a disability have priority.⁴

You rent

The owner must give written permission and your rent cannot be raised because of the work.³

You have young children

Families with children have priority; in Oregon, households with children under six.⁶

You receive SSI

Under the regulation, if someone in your home received SSI in the last 12 months, your home is eligible.³

Your power or gas is about to be shut off

WAP takes time; ask for LIHEAP crisis help first.²

Mistakes that cost you

• Mistake: Thinking WAP is only for homeowners.

  Instead: Owners and renters can apply.²

• Mistake: Waiting for the provider to call without applying.

  Instead: Find your provider on your state's site and ask for the application.²

• Mistake: Showing up to the appointment without proof of income.

  Instead: Bring proof of the prior year's income for your whole household.²

• Mistake: Accepting 'free' solar panels from someone who says they are from the program.

  Instead: WAP no longer installs new renewable electricity technologies; call your official provider.⁵

• Mistake: Staying quiet if your rent goes up after the work.

  Instead: The regulation lets you complain, and the owner must show the increase is not due to the work.³

• Mistake: Stopping payment on the bill while you wait.

  Instead: Ask for LIHEAP help and a payment plan from your utility.²

What to do this week

1. On DOE’s site, find your state’s weatherization administrator.²
2. On your state’s site, find your county’s provider and call to ask for the application.²
3. Gather proof of last year’s income for everyone in your home and your power and gas bills.²
4. If you rent, tell the owner and ask them to be ready to give written permission.³
5. If you cannot pay the bill while you wait, apply for LIHEAP.²
6. Build your family budget with what you pay for energy today, so you can see the savings later.