Residential Weatherization RCW Update
Agency
Commerce, Department of
Title of action
Residential Weatherization RCW Update
Date significant agency action was initiated
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Category
Agency-request legislation
Brief description of significant agency actions for which the agency is initiating an environmental justice assessment.
RCW 70A.35 (Low-Income Residential Weatherization Program) is outdated and restrictive.
As of 2016, the state weatherization program is no longer a matchmaker program, where state funds are matched dollar-for-dollar based on utility contributions. The state weatherization program is now Weatherization Plus Health, which is funded out of the capital budget. The state and utilities now fund weatherization separately via local agencies (Community Action Partnership agencies, municipalities, tribes).
Currently, the state weatherization program can only serve projects that involve whole-home weatherization and is limited to serving low-income households. Updating this policy and increasing its flexibility support Commerce and the ED’s goals to serve more overburdened communities (from a community approach) with less friction and more efficiencies.
We first recommend updating the outdated matchmaker program language to the current Residential Weatherization program language. This will increase compliance as the RCW has not been updated in years, and the program has evolved significantly.
Low-income verification is required for local agencies to use federal dollars. Local agencies typically use federal and state dollars together on projects. As such, we recommend maintaining this low-income verification process, but also recommend adding categorical eligibility (e.g., OFM Overburdened Communities Map). Additionally, we propose allowing both partial (some measures) and whole-home weatherization (all cost-effective measures that apply). This will allow us to serve more communities (e.g., weatherizing homes in an at-risk neighborhood with scalable measures and without having to income qualify all residents). This also may make it easier for agencies to work with utilities and the state, as if the state reduces barriers, the utilities will likely follow suit.
These updates will benefit Washington residents, weatherization providers (local agencies), utilities, other state agencies, and other Commerce programs.
With new staff across Commerce, the current federal and state landscape, increased state investment in weatherization, and the fact that this policy has been outdated for many years, it is pertinent to accurately reflect this legacy program to grow it.
As we encounter new programs and pilots from other state agencies, utilities, and Commerce, and increased community need, there is a greater opportunity to run new, more flexible, innovative, and scalable weatherization programs.
Public comment open for draft EJA: https://deptofcommerce.box.com/shared/static/ddst08sww7mtxc5fx47mpublklbeguio.pdf.
Methods for providing public comment for agency consideration as part of the environmental justice assessment.
Advisory Groups
Link to agency webpage where the action is posted.
Status