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. The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have published new resources to help integrate solar into these services for low-income households, including a decision guide, implementation toolkit, case studies, and more.

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.

In this webinar hosted by the Clean Energy States Alliance, report authors discussed their findings and explored effective ways that WAP and LIHEAP state agencies can bring solar to their clients.

Speakers:

• Juliana Williams, Energy Markets and Policy Specialist, NREL
• Jenna Harmon, Researcher, Decision Support Analysis, NREL
• Matt Ohloff, Clean Energy States Alliance (moderator)