The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) Sustainability Department is accepting applications from local nonprofit organizations to seek funds from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program Appliance Replacement Initiative, a residential energy-efficiency program serving income-qualified Athens-Clarke County homeowners.

The initiative uses $177,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for eligible energy-efficient equipment and related components.

Local 501(c)(3) nonprofits can apply to serve as subgrantees, managing projects for income-qualified households in Athens-Clarke County to replace appliances that are 12 years old or older with new energy-efficient models. Selected nonprofit organization(s) will work directly with eligible homeowners to verify eligibility, coordinate home assessments and necessary weatherization, and oversee equipment replacement and installation. 

Participating households must be owner-occupied, single-family homes in Athens-Clarke County with household income at or below 80% of the Athens-Clarke County Metropolitan Statistical Area's Area Median Income (AMI). The AMI varies based on the number of persons who live in a household. For fiscal year 2026, the Athens-Clarke County AMI was set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as $100,100 for a household of four persons, $80,100 for a household of two persons, and. A four-person household counts as low income below $80,100 (HUD's 80% tier).

Eligible nonprofit organizations only may apply through an online form available at www.accgov.com/green through Wednesday, December 23 at 11:59 PM. Only nonprofit organizations can apply to administer the program; there is no direct homeowner application for this initiative.

Sustainability Department staff will host an online question and answer session about the program on Monday, November 23 at 11:00 AM. The webinar will be available through www.accgov.com/green. 

For complete program requirements and funding information, visit www.accgov.com/green or contact the ACCGov Sustainability Department at 706-613-3138 or by email at [email protected].