City of Bangor Offering Residents Up to $2,000 For Heat Pumps, Weatherization

Maine winters are tough and the city of Bangor is looking to lessen the burden of cost for those with lower incomes within the city to update their homes by incentivizing the purchase of a heat pump or weatherizing for their dwellings.

The City of Bangor is offering heat pump and weatherization assistance grants worth up to $2,000 for homeowners across the city. These grants, along with rebates already being offered through Efficiency Maine for both heat pump installation and weatherization, could provide homeowners with a little-to-no-cost solution to warming their homes more efficiently.

These grants are available through June 30, 2022.

Who should apply?

This grant is being provided by Bangor's Community Development Block Grant program. Recipients of the grants must meet a few eligibility requirements, including:

• Recipients need to be income-eligible (see info on that below)
• The dwelling must be a single-family unit
• The dwelling must be owner-occupied
• The home must sit within the city limits
• Must get work through an Efficiency Maine vendor (here is a list of more than 30 vendors supplied by the City of Bangor as qualified with this program - all of whom install heat pumps while only a few do weatherization/insulation)

Income eligibility

To qualify for this program, income eligibility must meet the threshold or be below 80% of the Area Median Income as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Here's a breakdown of family size and the income threshold to be eligible for the program:

• 1 Person: $40,750
• 2 Persons: $46,550
• 3 Persons: $52,350
• 4 Persons: $58,150
• 5 Persons: $62,850
• 6 Persons: $67,500
• 7 Persons: $72,150
• 8 Persons: $76,800

Free Money For Home Upgrades

Not only could homeowners get free money to make their homes more comfortable but the grants can be used alongside Efficiency Maine Heat Pump and Weatherization rebates already in place.

Once homeowners are approved for the program, funds will be distributed directly to the vendor doing the installation or weatherization.

For more information about this program, visit the City of Bangor's website or call the Community and Economic Development Department at (207)992-4280