Advocacy
Trump Administration Releases New Guidance to Accelerate Multi-Billion Dollar Home Energy Rebates Program
The Building Performance Association (BPA) welcomes today’s U.S. Department of Energy actions that set a pathway to releasing billions of dollars in State Home Energy Rebate Funds. Appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act and fully obligated to the states under the Biden Administration, the majority of these funds had been paused while the Trump Administration…
Read MoreCongressman Tonko Receives Home Performance Champion Award at Clean Energy for Homes Conference
The Building Performance Association (BPA) honored Congressman Paul Tonko with their Home Performance Champion Award at The Clean Energy for Homes Conference and Trade Show in Saratoga Springs, New York. This year’s conference was attended by more than 470 building performance contractors and professionals from New York and across the region. The event, sponsored by…
Read MoreHome Energy Rebates Are Coming: DOE Confirms Plans to Release Billions in Funds to States
The Building Performance Association (BPA) applauds the U.S. Department of Energy’s commitment to release billions of dollars in State Home Energy Rebate Funds. This afternoon, in the administration’s first public statement on the status of the programs, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright assured members of the House Appropriations Committee that his agency is completing its…
Read MoreProposed Maryland Legislation Could Cut EmPOWER Program Funding
Update: April 13, 2026 Maryland EmPOWER Program Funding UpdateThe House and Senate passed the final negotiated version of the Utility RELIEF Act, sending it to Governor Moore for expected swift signature. The final bill is estimated to reduce the EmPOWER Maryland market-rate energy efficiency programs by up to 50%, but preserve low-income programs. This is…
Read MoreFY2027 Appropriations Are Underway. Our Industry Needs to Be Heard Again.
Thanks to our advocacy, we secured increased funding for home performance in Fiscal Year 2026. Now, Congress has begun its annual appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2027. Funding for several key federal programs that support our industry—including the Residential Buildings Integration Program (RBI), Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), and State Energy Program (SEP)—are under discussion. YOUR support can help to ensure these programs…
Read MoreDefend State Contractor Training Grants and Home Energy Rebates
Update: House Passes H.R. 4758 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 210–199–1 to pass the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act (H.R. 4758). The bill would repeal funding for: If enacted, the legislation would eliminate unspent funding for these programs, impacting energy affordability for households and reducing workforce development and project opportunities for contractors. To become…
Read MoreFY26 Appropriations Update: Funding Increase for LIHEAP
On February 3, President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) bill, as part of a minibus package, into law. This package includes $4.045B for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides assistance to eligible low-income households with the goal of managing and meeting their immediate home…
Read MoreFY26 Appropriations Update: Funding Increases Finalized for Key Energy Efficiency Programs
On January 23, President Trump signed H.R. 6938—the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations package containing annual funding for several Federal agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—into law. Thanks to BPA’s advocacy and collaboration with other stakeholders, the package maintains or increases funding for several core programs that support energy…
Read MoreHouse Energy & Commerce Committee Unanimously Advances Bipartisan Weatherization Reauthorization Legislation
The bill would extend authorization of the Weatherization Assistance Program through 2030, reducing energy bills and supporting contractor jobs Today, the full House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously advanced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) through 2030 in a 50-0 vote. The legislation would also nearly double the statutory Average Cost Per…
Read MoreWAP Reauthorization Legislation Gains Traction in Congress
This summer, a bipartisan group of Senators took an important first step towards reauthorizing the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). On July 31, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the bipartisan Energy Savings and Weatherization Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 2570). This bill, in combination with the…
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