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SB 1030

Community Scale Weatherization + Health.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Val Applewhite and 5 co-sponsors

Expands weatherization to include health/safety and enables community-scale projects serving multiple units to reduce energy costs and improve indoor air quality.

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Bill Summary · SB 1030

Summary of SB 1030 (Session 2025) — Community Scale Weatherization + Health (North Carolina)

Purpose and intent

  • Expand North Carolina’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) for low-income families to explicitly include health and safety improvements and to authorize community-scale weatherization projects.
  • Enable multi-dwelling, geographically proximate projects (community-scale) to address environmental, social, and economic conditions that affect resident health and energy efficiency.

Key provisions

Section 1: Weatherization and health/safety integration

  • The State Energy Office within the Department is responsible for administering the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Families and the Heating/Air Repair and Replacement Program.
  • The WAP must integrate health and safety measures to:
    • Reduce energy costs
    • Improve indoor air quality
    • Address health risks such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses
  • The Department will adopt rules to ensure effective delivery, including:
    • Soliciting proposals from potential sponsors
    • Prioritizing projects
    • Allocating funds
    • Reporting requirements
  • Funding sources may include federal funds, State appropriations, utility contributions, and other sources.
  • No entitlement to services and no automatic obligation for General Assembly appropriations.

Section 2: New definitions, proposals, and funding allocation

(a) Definitions

  • Applicant: Resident or owner (or designated agent) of a dwelling unit seeking services.
  • Community-scaled project: A weatherization or healthy housing improvement project serving multiple dwelling units in the same neighborhood or area with overlapping environmental, social, or economic conditions.
  • Department: North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
  • Healthy housing improvements: Energy efficiency work combined with indoor environmental quality and health/safety measures.
  • Sponsor: Any entity submitting a proposal (local community action agency, tribal nation, community service agency, utility, municipality, etc.).
  • Sponsor match: The sponsor’s share of the project cost.
  • Weatherization: Typical energy-efficiency work such as caulking, weather-stripping, insulation.
  • Weatherizing entity: Approved entity responsible for implementation and performance.

(b) Proposals and allocation

  • The Department will solicit sponsor proposals for low-income weatherization programs, contingent on appropriations.
  • Sponsors may propose weatherization for individual residences or community-scale projects; proposals must include sponsor match and requested funds.
  • Sponsor funds cannot be used as a match for previously started weatherization or community-scale projects to secure new funds under this section.
  • Proposals must commit to installing full, cost-effective, structurally feasible, sustainable weatherization measures unless the project is a community-scale project.
  • The Department may accept, partially accept, or reject proposals.
  • Funding priority to projects that maximize energy efficiency, extend affordable housing life, and improve health and safety.
  • Allocation considerations may include sponsor match, other funds, preservation of affordable housing, and proportional participation relative to low-income population.

(c) Community-scaled projects

  • Sponsors may request grant and matching funds for community-scale projects covering multiple units in a single community.
  • Proposals must identify priority communities using Department-determined indicators, including environmental health disparities, housing vulnerability, and pollution exposure.
  • Department may use publicly available socioeconomic data to prioritize proposals serving areas with many low-income households.
  • The Department must approve or deny proposals within 90 days of receipt of the completed application.

Section 3: Appropriation

  • In FY 2026-2027, the General Fund allocates $10,000,000 (nonrecurring) to the Department of Environmental Quality for the WAP as enacted by this act.
  • Up to 10% of these funds may be used for administrative costs.

Section 4: Effective dates

  • Sections 1 and 2 become effective December 1, 2026.
  • The remainder of the act becomes effective July 1, 2026.

Affected parties

  • Low-income households eligible for weatherization/healthy housing improvements.
  • Sponsors (local CAA, tribal nations, utilities, municipalities, schools, or other entities) that apply to implement weatherization or community-scale projects.
  • Department of Environmental Quality (through its State Environmental programs) and the State Energy Office (via the Weatherization Assistance Program).
  • Communities prioritized by environmental health disparities, housing vulnerability, and pollution exposure indicators.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Rulemaking: Department to adopt rules for program delivery, proposal solicitation, prioritization, funding allocation, and reporting.
  • Proposal timeline: Sponsors submit proposals; DEQ/State Energy Office reviews; approval or denial within 90 days for community-scale proposals.
  • Funding cycle: $10 million nonrecurring from General Fund for 2026-2027, with up to 10% for admin.
  • Effective dates: Specific provisions effective December 1, 2026 (Sections 1–2); rest effective July 1, 2026.

Potential impact

  • Enhanced integration of health and safety into weatherization, potentially reducing asthma and respiratory risks while improving indoor air quality.
  • Increased emphasis on community-scale approaches to address localized environmental health disparities.
  • Expanded opportunities for multi-unit housing improvements within priority neighborhoods.
  • Additional administrative and reporting requirements for sponsors and the Department, with a defined 90-day review window for proposals.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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