Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act of 2025
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The bill would reauthorize the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program through fiscal year 2030 and nearly double the per-home spending cap, from $6,500 to $12,000, to help low-income households cut energy costs.
It would also require the Department of Energy to report annually on how new weatherization innovations affect who qualifies for assistance, keeping the decades-old low-income energy-efficiency program funded and up to date.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides Department of Energy grants to help low-income households make their homes more energy efficient. It would raise the cap on average per-home assistance from $6,500 to $12,000, and would set new authorized funding levels of $300 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2028, $325 million for fiscal year 2029, and $350 million for fiscal year 2030. The bill would also require the Department of Energy's existing annual report to Congress to include a new section describing how enhancement and innovation readiness efforts affect household eligibility for the program. It does not create a new program or change the underlying eligibility rules for weatherization assistance itself.
Key provisions
- 1Would raise the cap on average weatherization assistance cost per home from $6,500 to $12,000
- 2Would reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program with set funding levels through fiscal year 2030
- 3Would require the Department of Energy's annual report to Congress to address how readiness and innovation efforts affect program eligibility
Who would be affected
Low-income households that receive or apply for home weatherization assistance, the Department of Energy office that administers the program, and the state and local agencies and contractors that carry out weatherization work funded by the program.
Why it matters
Raising the per-home spending cap would let local weatherization providers cover more extensive efficiency upgrades, such as insulation, air sealing, and HVAC repairs, that can exceed the current $6,500 limit. The multiyear reauthorization would give the program funding certainty through 2030 rather than requiring year-to-year renewal.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Energy Conservation and Production Act, 42 U.S.C. 6865(c)(1) (Sec. 2(a))
Raises the average per-dwelling-unit weatherization assistance cost cap from $6,500 to $12,000
Reauthorizes Energy Conservation and Production Act, 42 U.S.C. 6872 (Sec. 2(b))
Replaces prior funding levels with new authorized amounts for fiscal years 2026 through 2030
Amends Energy Conservation and Production Act, 42 U.S.C. 6864d(i) (Sec. 3)
Adds a required report item on how readiness and innovation efforts affect program eligibility
Agencies directed to act
Funding and costs
- $300,000,000
Weatherization Assistance Program grants to low-income households
- $325,000,000
Weatherization Assistance Program grants to low-income households
- $350,000,000
Weatherization Assistance Program grants to low-income households
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates H.R. 1355 would cost $876 million over the 2026–2030 period and $1,562 million over the 2026–2035 period in discretionary spending subject to appropriation, with no effect on direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 1355 would reauthorize the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides grants to help low-income households improve home energy efficiency, authorizing $300 million per year from 2026 through 2028, $325 million in 2029, and $350 million in 2030. CBO estimates implementing the bill would cost $876 million in discretionary outlays (spending that requires annual appropriations) over the 2026–2030 period and $1,562 million over the 2026–2035 period. The bill has no effect on direct (mandatory) spending or revenues, so it would not increase the deficit under pay-as-you-go rules. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The Department of Energy would continue distributing formula grants to state and local weatherization agencies, now under the higher $12,000 average per-home cost cap, using the newly authorized funding levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The department would also begin including, in its existing statutorily required annual report to Congress, an assessment of how weatherization enhancement and innovation readiness efforts affect household eligibility, giving Congress ongoing visibility into program access as it evolves.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 410.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 and modifies the Weatherization Assistance Program. Under the program, the Department of Energy (DOE) provides grants for low-income households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
The bill increases the cap on the average assistance provided per home from $6,500 to $12,000.
The bill also directs DOE to include in its annual report to Congress a description of the impacts of enhancement and innovation readiness efforts on eligibility for assistance under the program.
Legislative subjects
Building construction; Energy; Energy efficiency and conservation; Government lending and loan guarantees; Low- and moderate-income housing
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-480