You asked for a discussion of the feasibility of weatherizing 30% of the housing units occupied by low income households over the next five years. sHB 6536 sets this goal for households with incomes up to 200% or less of the federal poverty level using funds administered by the Department of Social Services and utility conservation programs.

According to the Census Bureau's 2007 Current Population Survey, Connecticut has approximately 153,000 families with incomes of 200% or less of the federal poverty level (the definition of low income under sHB 6536). We have not been able to find comparable data for households, although this number would be somewhat higher since some households are single individuals rather than families. Thus, meeting the goal contained in sHB 6536 would require the weatherization of more than 45,900 housing units.

The goal's feasibility depends on (1) how much money is available for weatherization and (2) how much it costs to weatherize each housing unit. A major funding source for weatherization is the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Historically, Connecticut has received approximately $ 2. 5 million per year for this program. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dramatically increases funding for this program for the next three years. During this period, Connecticut will receive $ 64. 3 million, which initially goes to the Department of Social Services (DSS). Under the spending plan DSS has submitted to the federal government, $ 28. 5 million of this funding will go to community action agencies for weatherizing private sector housing and $ 20 million will go to the Department of Economic and Community Development to weatherize state-funded public housing units (a total of $ 48. 5 million). The remainder of the funding will go special projects, such as weatherizing homeless shelters, training and workforce development, and administration. ARRA permits this funding to go to households earning up to 60% of state median income and DSS has proposed using this limit in its plan. This limit is substantially higher than 200% of the federal poverty level; for a four person household the former is $ 56,293 compared to $ 42,400 for the latter. ARRA also increases the average amount that can be spent per unit from $ 2,500 to $ 6,500. DSS's plan is based on the new limit.

DSS anticipates that the state will continue to receive approximately $ 2. 5 million annually under the basic weatherization program ($ 12. 5 million over five years). Thus the total amount of weatherization funding flowing through DSS will be approximately $ 61 million over the next five years ($ 48. 5 from the ARRA and $ 12. 5 million in base funding), assuming no changes in federal funding.

In addition to the DSS funding, the electric companies and municipal electric utilities will spend about $ 12. 6 million this year on conservation programs specifically targeted at low-income customers. They spend additional money on the Home Energy Solutions program, which serves residential customers of all income levels. Presumably some low income customers are served by this program, but we were unable to obtain information on the number of such customers who are served. Assuming this level of spending is maintained, there will be approximately $ 63 million in utility funding available over the next five years. It is important to note that these programs provide conservation measures other than weatherization, such as lighting efficiency measures. In addition, the low income electric company programs are open to households earning up to 60% of the state median income.

The combined DSS and utility funding will be $ 124 million over the next five years, barring changes in federal and utility funding. This amount of funding could weatherize approximately 49,600 units at $ 2,500 per unit, somewhat more than the goal contained in HB 6536. But this goal could only be met if (1) the maximum eligible income for the DAS and utility programs is reduced from 60% of state median income to

200% of the federal poverty level and (2) all of the utility funding is spent on weatherization. Moreover, the goal cannot be met if spending per unit is increased, as is proposed in DSS's spending plan. If the cost per unit is increased to $ 4,500 (halfway between the old and new limits), the number of units that could be weatherized would be approximately 27,600, substantially below the goal.

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