Low-Income Programs

Both Eversource and Connecticut Natural Gas provide the Home Energy Solutions—Income-Eligible Program to qualified low-income residential customers in both single and multifamily buildings. Eversource also runs New Construction, Retail Products, and Residential Financing programs for income-eligible customers. The Home Energy Solutions program provides no-cost weatherization measures and low-cost energy efficiency upgrades. Weatherization measures include air sealing, duct sealing, lighting fixtures, water efficiency measures, and insulation. Energy-efficient upgrades include appliance replacements, water heaters, HVAC systems, and windows. The program also includes funds to address health and safety issues. The utilities streamline eligibility with the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) requirements, as well as the CT Green Bank application. The program is supported by Energize Connecticut and utilities partner with community action agencies to cost share for WAP-funded projects.

Additionally, the utilities have implemented its retail lighting programs directly targeted at the low-income segment of the market. They have done this through outreach to local retailers who serve the hard-to-reach (“HTR”) customer market segment. HTR markets are defined as customers not typically reached through conventional retail and marketing channels, and are typically described in demographic terms (i.e., income-eligible, ethnic, urban, or rural). The utilities’ efforts regarding this market segment began in 2017 with a focused effort of offering LED incentives, marketing, and educational focus to HTR retail outlets and local retailers. Eversource and Connecticut Natural Gas partner with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to administer and provide cost-sharing opportunities with the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The utility has limited funding for health and safety barrier remediation and can leverage funding from other sources.

In 2021, according to Eversource, it achieved 6,496 MWh in energy savings while spending $19,925,765 on its low-income programs and served 14,363 low-income customers. In 2021, according to Connecticut Natural Gas, it achieved 0.27 MMtherms in energy savings, while spending $3,696,772 on its low-income programs and served 4,300 low-income customers.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the City of Hartford organized an Energy Equity Challenge, and worked in partnership with a variety of organizations, including Community Renewal Team to promote this voluntary challenge for local residents and property owners. By convening a group of stakeholders dedicated to expanding access to renewable energy and efficiency programs, the City is providing in-kind support that allows for better outcomes across a series of programs related to weatherization, fuel delivery, and utility bill assistance. The City of Hartford also has a Housing Preservation Loan Fund Program, which is administered by the Department of Development Services. The fund offers financing for deep retrofit projects to owners of 1-to-4-unit properties. The City also partners with Eversource to secure the implementation of their Home Energy Solutions Program that leverages selected energy contractors to implement energy efficiency programs to low-income residents in Hartford.

Multifamily Programs

Both Eversource and Connecticut Natural Gas participate in Energize Connecticut’s Multifamily Initiative. The Multifamily Initiative accomplishes comprehensive energy efficiency upgrades by assessing the property holistically throughout the building’s dwelling units, common areas, and exterior spaces. A combination of residential and commercial energy savings measures is evaluated, and custom incentives are offered through an incentive commitment letter provided to the property owner. Tenant-occupied areas (e.g., apartments and condominium living spaces) can receive direct install dwelling unit measures as part of these Multifamily Initiative services. These measures include building envelope air sealing, domestic hot water (“DHW”) savings measures, sealing of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) ductwork, and the installation of energy-efficient lighting. The Multifamily Initiative also provides incentives for many measures beyond the direct-install dwelling unit measures, called add-on measures, which includes insulation, HVAC equipment, DHW heating equipment, HVAC and DHW controls, appliances, windows, connected Wi-Fi Thermostats, lighting fixtures and lighting controls in dwelling units, exteriors and common areas and other custom measures.

The Multifamily Initiative is tailored to the multifamily segment and combines aspects of the Companies’ residential energy efficiency programs, such as Home Energy Solutions (“HES”) and HES-Income Eligible, with the Companies’ commercial and industrial (“C&I”) programs, including the Energy Opportunities, Energy Conscious Blueprint, and Small Business Energy Advantage (“SBEA”) programs. This approach offers flexibility to multifamily property owners and their tenants to save energy and money under a seamless umbrella initiative.In 2021, according to Eversouce, it achieved 4,697 MWh in energy savings from its multifamily program while spending $5,039,953. It served 15,301 housing units in 238 multifamily properties. In 2021, according to Connecticut Natural Gas, it achieved 0.3MMtherms in energy savings from its multifamily program while spending $2,138,162. It served 3,915 housing units in 86 multifamily properties.

Last Updated: August 2023