Community Scale Weatherization + Health.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 1030

Short Title: Community Scale Weatherization + Health. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Salvador, Mohammed, and Grafstein (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 4, 2026
*S1030-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO EXPAND THE WEATHERIZATION ASSI STANCE PROGRAM FOR 2
LOW-INCOME FAMILIES TO INCLUDE HEALTH AN D SAFETY IMPROVEMENT S 3
AND TO AUTHORIZE COMMUNITY-SCALE PROJECTS. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 143B-344.46 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 143B -344.46. Weatherization Assistance Program and Heating/Air Repair and 7
Replacement Program. 8
The State Energy Office within the Department may shall administer the Weatherization 9
Assistance Program for Low -Income Families a nd the Heating/Air Repair and Replacement 10
Program functions. The Weatheriz ation Assistance Program for Low -Income Families shall 11
integrate health and safety measures to reduce energy costs, improve indoor air quality, and 12
address health risks such as asthm a and other respiratory illnesses. The Department shall adopt 13
rules to ensure the effective delivery of weatherization assistance and to implement this section. 14
The rules shall include provisions for soliciting proposals from potential sponsors, prioritizi ng 15
projects, allocating funds, and reporting requirements. The Department may use funds from 16
federal sources, State appropriations, utility contributions, and other available sources to fund the 17
programs. Nothing in this Part shall be construed as obligating the General Assembly to 18
appropriate funds for the Program or as entitling any person to services under the Program." 19
SECTION 2. Part 33 of Article 7 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes is amended 20
by adding a new section to read: 21
"§ 143B-344.47. Definitions; proposals and allocation of funds; community scaled projects. 22
(a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this Part: 23
(1) Applicant. – A resident or owner, or designated agent of an owner, of a 24
dwelling unit for which program services are sought. 25
(2) Community scaled project. – A weatherization or healthy housing 26
improvement project that includes multiple dwelling units that are located in 27
the same neighborhood or area where overlapping factors such as 28
environmental, social, or economic conditions may adversely impact 29
residents, as determined by the Department. 30
(3) Department. – The Department of Environmental Quality. 31
(4) Healthy housing improvements. – Improvements that increase the health and 32
safety of a home by integrating e nergy efficiency activities and indoor 33
environmental quality measures. 34
(5) Secretary. – The Secretary of Environmental Quality. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 1030-First Edition
(6) Sponsor. – Any entity that submits a proposal under G.S. 143B-344.46, 1
including any local community action agency, tribal na tion, community 2
service agency, or any other participating agency or any public utility, 3
municipality, or any combination of such entities that jointly submits a 4
proposal. 5
(7) Sponsor match. – The share of the cost of weatherization or healthy housing 6
improvements to be paid by the sponsor. 7
(8) Weatherization. – The modification of homes and home heating and cooling 8
systems to improve heating and cooling efficiency by caulking and weather 9
stripping, as well as insulating ceilings, attics, walls, and floors. 10
(9) Weatherizing entity. – Any entity that has been approved by the Department 11
and that bears the responsibility for ensuring the performance of 12
weatherization or healthy housing improvements in accordance with this Part. 13
(b) Proposals and Allocation of Funds. – 14
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, 15
the Department shall solicit proposals for low -income weatherization 16
programs from potential sponsors. A proposal shall state the amount of the 17
sponsor match, the amount requested, the name of the weatherizing agency, 18
and any other information required by the Department. 19
(2) A sponsor may propose to utilize grant awards and matching funds to 20
weatherize or make healthy housing improvements to residential housing or 21
to undertake community scaled projects. 22
(3) A sponsor may not use its own funds or funds provided by landlords, 23
charitable groups, government programs, or other sources to use as the 24
sponsor match for previously started weatherization and community scaled 25
projects in order to secure funds provided under this section. 26
(4) A proposal must provide that full levels of all cost -effective, structurally 27
feasible, sustainable residential weatherization materials, measures, and 28
practices, as determined by the Department, will be installed when a 29
low-income household is weatherized or improved, unless the proposal is for 30
a community scaled project. 31
(5) The Department may in its discretion accept, accept in part, or reject proposals 32
submitted under this section. 33
(6) The Department may prioritize allocating fu nds to projects that maximize 34
energy efficiency, extend the usable life of an affordable home, and improve 35
the health and safety of its residents. 36
(7) When allocating funds, the Department may, to the extent feasible, consider 37
local and State benefits , including pledged sponsor match ; available energy 38
efficiency, repair, and rehabilitation funds from other sources ; the 39
preservation of affordable housing; and balance of participation in proportion 40
to population amount low-income households. 41
(c) Community Scaled Projects. – 42
(1) A sponsor may submit a proposal to the Department for the use of grant and 43
matching funds for a community scaled project. The proposal may include full 44
or par tial weatherization, energy efficiency measures, or structural 45
rehabilitation and repairs for multiple dwelling units within the same 46
community. 47
(2) A sponsor must identify priority communities to be served by the community 48
scaled project using indicators determined by the Department, which shall 49
include data reflecting environmental health disparities, housing vulnerability, 50
and pollution exposure. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 1030-First Edition Page 3
(3) The Department may consider publicly available socioeconomic data to 1
prioritize community scaled project proposals that serve areas with 2
low-income households. 3
(4) The Department shall approve or deny a proposal pursuant to thi s subsection 4
within 90 days of the receipt of the completed application." 5
SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to t he Department of 6
Environmental Quality the sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for 7
the 2026-2027 fiscal year to be used for the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income 8
Families, as enacted by this act. Up to ten percent (10%) of these funds may be used for 9
administrative costs. 10
SECTION 4. Sections 1 and 2 of this act become effective December 1, 2026. The 11
remainder of this act is effective July 1, 2026. 12