Freshman Rep. Josh Riley earlier this month joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce a bill expanding a federal program designed to help low-income families save on energy costs.

Introduced by Rep. Paul Tonko of New York’s 20th Congressional District, the bill would expand the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program to help “make homes more energy efficient with improvements like enhanced insulation, air sealing and moisture control.

Under the program, the Department of Energy allocates funding to states and territories according to a specific formula. Millions of low-income households since 1976 have benefited from the program, with the average home saving an estimated $372 in annual energy costs as of June 2022, according to a fact sheet from Tonko’s office.

“Families across Upstate New York are sitting around the kitchen table every week trying to figure out how to make ends meet,” Riley, who represents a district centered around Binghamton and Ithaca, said in a press release. “And as if things aren’t hard enough, big utility companies are proposing double-digit rate hikes, all while bragging to their investors about their record profits. Enough is enough. This bipartisan bill helps families make home improvements to save on utilities while creating good-paying union jobs. The big utility companies don’t deserve another break, but working families do, and I’m fighting every day to deliver.”

He drew attention to the effort on Saturday when he was ceremonially sworn into office in Endicott, his hometown.

The bill would reauthorize the program through fiscal year 2030 and allocate $50 million in funding each year. The cap on household assistance, or the average cost per unit, would be raised from $6,500 to $12,000, allowing contractors to pay higher wages and better maintain their workforces, according to the fact sheet.

Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican from the lower Hudson Valley, cosponsored the bill alongside Riley; Tonko; Rep. Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat; and James Moylan, a Republican who is Guam’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The Weatherization Assistance Program has been a lifeline for low-income households, but it hasn’t kept pace with rising costs for materials and wages, limiting its effectiveness,” Lawler said in a press release. “By increasing access to the Weatherization Assistance Program we can ensure more families get this critical aid.”

Households are eligible for assistance if they earn at or below 60 percent of the state median income or if a member of the household receives public assistance, Supplemental Security Income or benefits from the Home Energy Assistance Program.

New York State Electric and Gas, a utility company, supports the effort through the Affordable Multifamily Energy Efficiency Program, which “offers incentives for the installation of energy-efficient equipment and technology to help reduce overall energy use in affordable multifamily buildings of five or more units,” a communications manager, Alexis Arnold, told Pipe Dream.

The company said it offers several energy-saving rebates to customers installing “high-efficiency equipment” like wifi thermostats and natural gas dryers, running partnerships with local retailers to provide in-store discounts on products that promote energy efficiency, like weather stripping, insulation and hot water heaters. Its Empower+ program offers low to moderate-income households free energy assessments, helping them save money on home energy improvements.

“NYSEG conducts outreach with many organizations in our service area throughout the year hosting and attending numerous events promoting our energy efficiency programs,” Arnold wrote. “We are always looking to expand our outreach opportunities and partnerships, especially with our local institutions of higher learning.”

The company encourages customers with questions about energy-efficiency programs and rebates to reach out to energy_efficiency@nyseg.com.