At this year’s National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) Conference, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven’s HomeEnergy ConneCT program joined Generation Power CT to host a paneling session.
The presentation, “Expanding Access to Energy Affordability and Healthy Homes in Connecticut: A Partnership,” explored how collaboration, flexible funding, and client-centered support have helped Connecticut residents access energy-saving upgrades, reduce utility costs, and improve the health and safety of their homes.
Building Solutions Through Partnership
Generation Power CT (GPCT), a private nonprofit founded in 1977, has spent nearly 50 years helping Connecticut households facing energy insecurity. Through emergency energy assistance, advocacy, research, and community outreach, GPCT works to make energy more affordable for residents across the state.
HomeEnergy ConneCT, a program of the Community Sustainability Department at Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, helps residents navigate energy improvements through personalized energy counseling. Rather than promoting a specific product or service, our team works alongside homeowners to create customized plans that improve comfort, health, energy efficiency, and affordability.
Together, we recognized a common challenge: many low- and moderate-income households qualify for valuable energy efficiency programs but never receive the benefits because of health and safety barriers within their homes. So, we came together to create the Gas Assistance Program or GAP. This program identifies eligible gas customers, collects required documentation, evaluates home compatibility for hybrid heat pump water heaters and other energy upgrades, and assesses for remediation needs. Participants are paired with vetted contractors to complete remediation and installations at no cost to the customer.
The Challenge: When Qualified Residents Get Stuck
A resident qualifies for a home energy assessment and is eager to reduce their energy costs. During the assessment, however, contractors discover issues such as mold, asbestos, knob-and-tube wiring, or failing equipment. These health and safety concerns must be addressed before energy efficiency upgrades can move forward. As a result, the resident is deferred from the program.
The programs themselves are effective. The problem is that many households lack the resources needed to address the issues preventing them from participating. Without assistance, families can remain “stuck” for months or even years, unable to access incentives, rebates, and energy-saving upgrades that would ultimately lower their utility costs and improve their quality of life.
The “Unsticking” Model
In 2025, Generation Power CT and HomeEnergy ConneCT developed a solution. Generation Power CT had flexible funding available to assist qualifying gas customers but needed an efficient way to identify eligible projects and deploy funds quickly. HomeEnergyConneCT had the technical expertise, community relationships, and direct knowledge of residents facing barriers.
By combining these strengths, we created a process that helps move residents. When a homeowner is deferred from a state energy efficiency program due to a health or safety issue, HomeEnergy ConneCT works with contractors to identify the problem, define the scope of work, coordinate remediation, and support the homeowner throughout the process.
Then, Generation Power CT reviews and approves eligible remediation costs using flexible funding. Once the barrier is removed, the homeowner can re-enter the energy efficiency program and access the incentives and upgrades they were previously denied. In other words, we help “unstick” projects that otherwise would never move forward.
One of our contractors observed:
“In many cases the homeowners were unable to afford to pay for the out-of-pocket remediation costs. With Generation Power CT and NHS helping pay for the costs of remediation, many projects came into being.”
Flexible Funding Creates Greater Impact
One of the most important lessons from this work is that strategic, flexible funding can unlock significantly larger investments. It is important to note that the goal is not to replace existing programs. Instead, flexible funding serves as a bridge.
A relatively small investment to address mold, wiring, or other health and safety issues can reopen access to major utility incentives, state rebates, and energy efficiency programs. This approach creates what we call a multiplier effect.
Through this partnership, remediation funding unlocked more than $154,000 in utility incentives that would have otherwise remained inaccessible to residents. For every dollar spent addressing barriers, nearly another dollar in value was unlocked through existing programs. And that calculation does not even include the long-term energy savings residents will experience through lower utility bills and more efficient homes.
The financial breakdown below demonstrates how GAP-funded mold remediation unlocked additional energy efficiency investments, enabling insulation and a heat pump water heater installation funded through a stack of GAP flexible funding, state utility incentives, and state rebates.
Real Benefits for Connecticut Residents
The impact of GAP extends beyond unlocking additional funding. Other benefits include restoring heat and hot water to households in need, preventing future costs of replaced aging and inefficient equipment, reducing energy consumption and utility costs, and opening the door to future energy-saving opportunities.
Since launching this effort, the partnership has supported:
- 73 projects completed
- 40 properties served and 67 housing units impacted
- 31 health and safety barrier remediation projects
Looking Ahead
Too many households continue to face procedural barriers that delay urgent home improvements and energy-saving upgrades. The reality is that programs designed to help residents often have timelines, requirements, and funding structures that do not align with the challenges families face in real life.
Addressing these gaps requires collaboration among program administrators, utilities, regulators, contractors, and community organizations. The success of the partnership between Generation Power CT and HomeEnergy ConneCT demonstrates what is possible when organizations work together to bridge those gaps. By continuing to build partnerships and align resources, we can ensure that more Connecticut residents benefit from the energy efficiency programs that were designed to serve them.
