Energy Efficiency and Weatherization of Affordable Housing Grant Program

The Energy Efficiency and Weatherization of Affordable Housing Grant Program is designed to help lower utility bills for Alachua County residents by creating a fund to improve the energy efficiency of rental units. Participating units can re-quest home upgrades ranging from better attic insulation to more energy efficient electrical appliances such as stoves and air conditioners.

Participants can receive up to $15,000 per rental unit. Participating property owners will be asked to commit to maintain-ing the affordability of the unit for a length of time depending on their chosen award amount. Participation in the program requires the consent of both the renter and the property owner.

You can select the "Property Owner" or "Renter" tab at the top of this page to find more information about qualifying for the program, or the "FAQ" tab to read Frequently Asked Questions about the specifics of the program.

This program is for renters in the unincorporated areas of Alachua County, and the County's smaller municipalities. View information on a similar program run by the City of Gainesville.

This program is being administered in conjunction with upcoming code requirements which address energy efficiency in rental units. The intent of the program is to provide a fund for landlords to bring their units into compliance with these new code requirements. For this reason, only those units impacted by the new code requirements are eligible for participation. This means that to qualify, your property must have:

In addition, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners is committed to ensuring equitable access to programmatic funds. This means that your current tenants must also meet certain requirements in order for your unit to be eligible to participate (you can find these requirements under the "Renters" tab). Renters using Section 8 vouchers automatically qualify for this program.

Homeowners are not eligible for improvements in their own home. However, low- to moderate-income GRU electric customers may be eligible for a similar program through GRU and the City of Gainesville​.

Special exception: If your unit is currently or soon-to-be unoccupied, but exists in a low income or marginalized neighborhood, please reach out to program managers to see if you are eligible for the program, as some neighborhoods have been pre-qualified.

The following upgrades are allowable expenses under this program:

Alachua County is dedicated to ensuring that the housing improved by this program will remain affordable to low-income residents. We are asking participating landlords to commit to keeping their property affordable as a condition of this program. This means that landlords that choose to participate in this program are agreeing not to raise their rent above the amount of inflation (as determined by the Consumer Price Index) for a length of time corresponding to the amount of funding they receive. The following table outlines the affordability commitment that corresponds to each award level.

Participating landlords can use the County's affordability calculator (coming in 2024) to input their original rental rate from the start of their participation in the program to see the new maximum rent amount they can charge, based on the Consumer Price Index account of average annual inflation. Property owners who wish to sell their property before the end of the affordability commitment period will be asked to refund the program dollar amount along with a ten percent administrative fee.

See the "Frequently Asked Questions" tab above​.

This program is being administered in conjunction with upcoming code requirements which address energy efficiency in rental units. The intent of the program is to provide a fund for landlords to bring their units into compliance with these new code requirements. For this reason, you can only qualify for this program if:

If your rental unit is within the City of Gainesville, you can find information on a similar program you may be qualified for here.

In addition to these requirements for your unit, you (the renter) also have to meet certain requirements. These requirements are outlined by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a condition to use awards from the American Rescue Plan Act, which funds this program. There are many different ways to qualify for this program. If you do not qualify in one way, please keep reading, as you may qualify another way.

The following are all pathways for eligibility in this program. If any of the following apply to you, please complete an application and someone will reach out to you.

If you can answer yes to ANY of these questions, please email us here.

The following upgrades are allowable expenses under this program. Please note that the program carries a maximum award amount of $15,000 per unit.

Alachua County is dedicated to ensuring that the housing improved by this program will remain affordable to low-income residents. Participating landlords must keep their property affordable as a condition of this program. This means that landlords that choose to participate in this program are agreeing not to raise their rent above the amount of inflation (as determined by the Consumer Price Index) for a length of time corresponding to the amount of funding they receive. The following table outlines the affordability commitment that corresponds to each award level.

Participating landlords can use the County's affordability calculator (coming in 2024) to input their original rental rate from the start of their participation in the program to see the new maximum rent amount they can charge, based on the Consumer Price Index account of average annual inflation. Renters who use this tool to determine that their rent has been raised beyond the allowable amount are encouraged to contact us.

See our "Frequently Asked Questions" tab above​.

Under the current pilot program, only areas outside of the Gainesville municipal area qualify for participation. This is because the City of Gainesville has its own program, which you can find out more information here.

Any Alachua County resident who lives in the unincorporated areas of Alachua County, or one of the smaller municipalities may be eligible for the program.

Units must have the following qualifications:

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have determined that certain Census tracts have higher development needs and these tracts are automatically eligible for inclusion in all programs which use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, such as this one. These areas are called "Qualified Census Tracts" and residents in these areas automatically qualify for this program, as long as they meet the geographic, structural, size, and utility requirements outlined in the "Which rental units potentially qualify for the program?" section above.

In addition, your County officials in the SEEDS Office have expanded which tracts qualify based on the guidelines outlined in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Final Rule. HUD requirements for Qualified Census Tracts are much stricter than the ARPA guidelines for program inclusion. ARPA allows neighborhoods to qualify if the median family income is at or below 185% of the federal poverty guideline for a household size of three. The SEEDS Office has identified which Census tracts have median incomes which meet this standard and have qualified residents for this program. Residents in these areas automatically qualify for this program, as long as they meet the geographic, structural, size, and utility requirements outlined in the "Which rental units potentially qualify for the program?" section above.

Yes! The colored-in area of the map is the official Gainesville city limits, but many people who live near the city still have "Gainesville" in their official street address. Any home outside of the Gainesville municipal area can potentially qualify, even if "Gainesville" is in your address.​

You are qualified if you qualify for any of the following federal programs:

You can reach out for more information:

[email protected]​352-450-4965

Input your address below for more information on whether your location qualifies for the program. Please note that living in a qualified location does NOT automatically qualify you for the program. You will still need to submit an application to be reviewed by the County and/or the Community Weatherization Coalition to confirm whether your home is eligible.

This program is for renters in the unincorporated areas of Alachua County, and the County's smaller municipalities. View information on a similar program run by the City of Gainesville.