Weatherization Help for Drafty Homes

Choose the right kind of help

Not sure which door to use? Start with our home repair starting guide, then call the WAP provider and utility that serve your address.

Weatherization Assistance Program: the main starting point

The U.S. Department of Energy funds WAP, but states, territories, Tribes, and local organizations deliver the work. Most households apply through a local community action agency, nonprofit, county agency, or other approved provider. The federal government does not send a weatherization check for you to spend.

DOE issued 2026 allocation guidance on July 9, 2026. The program remains active, but local staffing, waitlists, and funding schedules control how quickly homes are served.

What WAP may cover

DOE describes WAP as a whole-house program. The provider looks at the building shell, heating and cooling equipment, electrical loads, moisture, ventilation, and health and safety together. Depending on the audit, local rules, and the home’s condition, work may include:

• Blower-door testing and other energy testing
• Air sealing around penetrations, attic bypasses, rim joists, or other leaks
• Attic, wall, floor, foundation, or crawl-space insulation when cost-effective
• Duct sealing, duct insulation, or heating-pipe insulation
• Cleaning, tuning, repairing, or replacing heating or cooling equipment when allowed by the audit
• Water-heater or hot-water-pipe measures
• Mechanical ventilation needed for safe indoor air
• Combustion-safety testing and limited venting corrections
• Smoke or carbon monoxide alarms when required
• Small repairs needed to protect the energy work, such as a minor leak near planned insulation

The official whole-house list includes possible window and door work, but that does not mean every drafty window will be replaced. The energy model usually gives priority to measures that save more energy for the cost.

What WAP usually does not provide

• Cash paid directly to the household
• A guaranteed dollar amount for each applicant
• A cosmetic remodel, room addition, kitchen upgrade, or new flooring for appearance
• Automatic replacement of all windows and doors
• A full roof, foundation, sewer, septic, or structural rebuilding project
• Any contractor or product the applicant chooses without program approval
• Payment for work completed before authorization

The audit is the point where the provider tests the home and decides which measures are safe and cost-effective.

Who may qualify in 2026

Under DOE’s national starting rules, a household may be income eligible if its income is at or below 200% of the HHS poverty guideline or if the household receives Supplemental Security Income under DOE rules. A state or territory may instead choose the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program standard of up to 60% of state median income. Your local provider makes the final decision and may use a specific income period, definition of household, and document list.

The table below doubles the official 2026 HHS guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia.

For households larger than eight, add $11,360 for each additional person. Alaska and Hawaii have higher guidelines. Do not reject yourself based only on this table. Your state may use 60% of state median income, a different income period, or another allowed eligibility route.

Who may receive priority

Income eligibility does not guarantee immediate service. DOE gives priority to households with older adults, a person with a disability, or children, and to high-energy users or households with a high energy burden. Both owners and renters may apply; renters usually need the owner’s permission.

How to apply without losing time

1. Find the correct provider. Use DOE’s state, territory, and Tribal map on the WAP application page. Follow the state link to the agency that serves your county, city, or Tribal area. Most states do not take every application at one central office.
2. Ask whether intake is open. Confirm the service area, application method, current waiting list, income period, priority rules, and whether one form also screens for energy-bill help.
3. Gather the documents. Do this before the appointment. An incomplete packet can delay or close the file.
4. Submit the application. Keep a copy, date, worker name, and confirmation number. Ask when to follow up and how to report a change in income, household members, address, or utility emergency.
5. Wait for eligibility and home selection. Income approval often places the household on a waiting list. It does not mean the work scope has been approved.
6. Do not hire a contractor for the proposed work. Ask the provider before starting anything other than an immediate safety step. WAP normally uses its own crews or approved contractors.

Documents commonly requested

• Photo identification for the applicant and possibly other adults
• Names and household information for everyone living in the home
• Pay stubs, benefit letters, pension statements, unemployment proof, or other income records for the period the agency uses
• Recent electric, gas, fuel, or other energy bills
• Proof that you live at the address
• Deed, tax record, mortgage statement, or other ownership proof for an owner
• Lease and landlord contact information for a renter
• Utility shutoff notice, no-heat notice, medical priority document, or other urgent proof when relevant
• Photos or notes showing leaks, drafts, moisture, damaged equipment, or rooms that will not heat or cool

What happens after the application

When the home reaches the top of the list, an auditor reviews bills, inspects accessible areas, tests air leakage, checks insulation, ducts, and equipment, and performs combustion and ventilation safety tests. Audit software identifies work that meets cost and safety rules.

Read our broader home repair assistance guide if the inspection finds repairs that fall outside weatherization.

The work order is not a homeowner wish list

The provider chooses the work. A crew may seal and insulate the attic when the homeowner expected windows, repair a furnace instead of replacing it, or skip a measure that fails cost or safety rules. A final inspection checks the work and equipment. Ask for instructions, warranties, and a contact for later problems.

Protect indoor air while stopping drafts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that air tightening can trap carbon monoxide, smoke, chemicals, and moisture if ventilation and combustion safety are ignored. Improper work can also disturb lead paint or asbestos. Review EPA’s weatherization safety guidance before doing major do-it-yourself sealing in an older home or around fuel-burning equipment.

Tell the auditor about asthma, breathing problems, smoking in an attached unit, visible mold, musty smells, sewage odors, a ventless heater, a wood stove, a fireplace, or any fuel-burning appliance that backdrafts or shuts off. These details affect the safe work plan.

If the home is deferred instead of weatherized

A deferral means the provider must postpone work because a condition makes weatherization unsafe, ineffective, or impossible. It is not always a permanent denial. DOE gives a simple example: attic insulation should not be installed under a leaking roof because the leak will ruin the insulation.

Possible barriers include a major roof leak, severe moisture, extensive mold, structural instability, unsafe wiring, serious combustion problems, pests, sewage, inaccessible work areas, hazardous materials, or conditions that put the household or crew at risk. The exact deferral policy is local.

DOE’s active Weatherization Readiness Fund guidance allows WAP grantees to use certain funds for repairs that prepare some homes for weatherization. Availability is not guaranteed in every area or for every barrier.

1. Ask for the deferral reason and required corrections in writing.
2. Ask whether the local provider has readiness funds, braided repair funds, or a partner that can fix the barrier.
3. Ask which correction must happen first and what proof is needed for reinspection.
4. Apply at the same time to local homeowner rehab, USDA rural repair, nonprofit repair, and utility programs.
5. Keep the WAP file open when possible and record the deadline for contacting the provider again.

Use our local program search guide to look for roof, electrical, structural, moisture, or emergency repair help that may clear the deferral.

Renters, manufactured homes, apartments, and Tribal households

Renters

Renters may apply, but the provider normally needs landlord permission. Do not pay anyone for “WAP access.” Ask the provider to explain the owner agreement and local property rules.

Manufactured and mobile homes

Manufactured homes can be served in many areas. The provider may ask about title, serial number, unit ownership, leased land, park permission, and safety. Ask whether it serves mobile homes on rented lots. Our manufactured home guide explains title and land barriers.

Apartments and multifamily buildings

Apartment weatherization may require a building-wide project, owner agreement, and review of multiple units. Give the provider the property manager’s contact information and ask whether the building has been screened.

Tribal households

A Tribe may run WAP, partner with another organization, or use a state network. Use DOE’s map and ask which office serves the exact address.

Backup help when WAP is slow, full, or not enough

LIHEAP energy and crisis assistance

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is mainly a utility-bill and energy-crisis program. The federal LIHEAP fact sheet says states, territories, and Tribes may also use it for weatherization or minor energy-related home repairs. That does not mean every local LIHEAP office repairs heating equipment or insulation.

Ask whether one application screens for bill help, crisis heating or cooling help, furnace repair, and weatherization. Our LIHEAP repair guide explains the difference between bill aid and repair aid.

Utility, state, and local rebates

Utilities may offer assessments, income-qualified weatherization, discounted insulation or air sealing, equipment rebates, or on-bill financing. A rebate repays part of an approved cost; financing creates a payment obligation.

Search the official ENERGY STAR rebate finder by ZIP code. Then verify the offer with the utility before buying equipment or signing a contract. Many programs require a participating contractor, preapproval, an eligible model, or installation before a fixed deadline.

Home Energy Rebates

DOE’s Home Energy Rebates include the HOMES program and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program. DOE lists potential HOMES rebates up to $8,000 based on modeled whole-home savings and potential electrification rebates up to $14,000 for eligible measures. Insulation, air sealing, ventilation, wiring, panels, and efficient equipment may be included.

These are rebates, not universal grants. Availability and amounts depend on local rules, income, project design, and funding. Check status and eligibility before starting work.

USDA Section 504 for a rural repair barrier

A very-low-income rural homeowner may use the USDA Section 504 program for a larger health, safety, repair, or modernization need. USDA currently lists a maximum $40,000 loan, a maximum $10,000 grant, and a combined maximum of $50,000. In a presidentially declared disaster area, USDA lists a $15,000 grant maximum and a $55,000 combined maximum. Loans are fixed at 1% for up to 20 years. The grant side is for qualifying owners age 62 or older and must be repaid if the home is sold in less than three years.

The loan is debt, and the grant has age, income, use, and resale rules. Rural eligibility and local funding apply. See the official Section 504 page and our rural repair guide.

Federal tax credit: important 2026 change

Do not plan a 2026 air-sealing or insulation job around the federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. The IRS says the credit is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. People with qualifying 2025 work may still claim it on a 2025 return or, when allowed, amend an earlier return. The Form 5695 instructions contain the current termination rule.

Our energy credit guide explains the closing date and filing questions. A tax credit reduces eligible tax; it is not an upfront repair grant.

Help finding or comparing programs

A HUD-approved housing counselor can help with home-improvement options, budgets, predatory financing, and local referrals. Use HUD’s housing counseling page or call 1-800-569-4287. Some counseling types may have a reasonable fee, so ask before the appointment.

Common mistakes, delays, and unsafe offers

A simple plan for the next seven days

1. Write down the exact symptoms: rooms affected, seasons, drafts, high bills, moisture, equipment trouble, and safety concerns.
2. Photograph visible gaps, water stains, damaged ducts, equipment labels, and any problem area that is safe to approach.
3. Use DOE’s map to find the WAP provider and ask about open intake, income rules, wait time, and documents.
4. Apply for LIHEAP or utility crisis help at the same time if bills are overdue, service may be shut off, or heat or cooling is unsafe.
5. Search utility and state rebates, but get written eligibility and preapproval before buying.
6. If WAP defers the home, request the reason in writing and apply immediately for the repair that blocks weatherization.
7. Keep a call log with dates, names, confirmation numbers, deadlines, and the next promised step.