HOME HEATING HELP IS HERE!

Home heating help is here, and WCAC is ready to help! We are now accepting applications for the 2023-24 heating season.



WCAC’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), best known as ‘fuel assistance or home heating assistance’, helps homeowners and renters pay home heating bills and past due balances on utility bills. Assistance is available for income-eligible households to help pay home heating bills incurred between November 1 – April 30 of each year. Assistance is available for oil, gas, propane, electric heat - even when heat is included in unsubsidized rent. Learn more here about applying for help whether you are a returning client or someone finding themselves struggling with home heating bills for the first time.

Email LIHEAP@wcac.net to connect with a member of our fuel assistance staff with any questions.

• The online portal is available 24/7 and can be used to do a first-time application or to recertify if you have applied in previous years. 
• First time applicants will have an interview, either in person, via telephone or online. 
• Returning applicants will need a PIN which is located on the recertification application that is being mailed out through the office. 
• Complete applications list all members of the residence, adults and children and their combined income from any source: employment, Social Security, rent, unemployment and more. Complete information about forms required is available on our website.  

Tips for completing your application online:

• When you start an application online, you may save your information and return to it at a future date.
• Please be sure to include all members of your household on your application, including children. Your benefit is determined by the number of people who live in the household and your combined income.
• Online applicants should be prepared to upload supporting documents listed below from your phone, tablet or computer.  It is strongly recommended to have them with you before you start the process. Incomplete applications will delay approval process. Complete applications are processed faster!
• Please refrain from emailing personal information. Additional documents may be uploaded to the portal at any time.
• You may also mail, or fax documents to the agency after you submit the application. Fax# 508-463-9696
• The office is open to the public weekdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (excluding holidays). Please mail or bring documents to us at 18 Chestnut Street, Suite 500, Worcester, MA 01608.

CITIES/TOWNS SERVED BY WCAC’S ENERGY SAVING PROGRAMS: Auburn, Brookfield, Boylston, Charlton, Charlton City, Charlton Depot, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holden, Jefferson, Leicester, Cherry Valley, Rochdale, Millbury, North Brookfield, Oakham, Oxford, North Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Fiskdale, Sutton, Manchaug, Warren, West Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield and Worcester.

If your community is not listed, please click this link to contact an alternate agency for help.

AMPED UP FOR SAVINGS

WCAC has contracts with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the major local utility companies to install energy conservation measures in income eligible homes throughout Central and Southern Worcester County as a means of maximizing home heating assistance resources, reducing carbon emissions, and ensuring that residents have a safe and comfortable place to live.

Full scale weatherization and heating system upgrades are completed at no cost to the tenant or homeowner. WCAC is helping many households convert to energy-efficient air source heat pumps for their heating and cooling needs.

The Appliance Management Program (AMP) helps tenants and homeowners to save energy and money by replacing light bulbs and inefficient appliances with new, efficient ones. See the savings on your bill right away with the following upgrades:

• Light bulbs – incandescent bulbs will be replaced with long lasting LED bulbs
• Refrigerator or freezer – must be replacing an inefficient model
• Washing Machines – must be replacing a working top loader with an agitator AND meet other criteria.
• Dehumidifier – must be replacing an inefficient model
• Air Conditioners (Window) – must be replacing an inefficient model

Please note, however, this is NOT an emergency replacement program - a standard 6-8 weeks from point of order to delivery may apply.

Email us at ENERGY@wcac.net to determine your eligibility and request and energy audit.

FOND FAREWELL

After twelve years of service at WCAC the time has come for us to bid a fond farewell to WCAC's Weatherization Manager Amanda Porter. Hired initially as an energy auditor, Amanda learned the ropes and worked her way up the ladder serving as a senior auditor before taking over as manager. The first female in the state to earn her Quality Control Inspector (QCI) certification in 2015, she has long been a leader in the industry and an invaluable resource to both WCAC clients and the many contractors doing the weatherization work. We wish her all the best as she begins the next chapter of her professional career as a Field Monitor for the state's Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities.

AGGREGATE SAVINGS?

Municipal aggregation is the process by which a municipality (meaning a town or city) purchases electricity in bulk from a competitive supplier on behalf of the residents and businesses within the community. Does your community participate in a municipal aggregation program? Find our here.