FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2025

City of Charlottesville Partners with Local Energy Alliance Program to Provide City Residents up to $2,000 in Home Energy Support

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The City of Charlottesville and the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) are excited to launch a new Residential Retrofit Mini-Grant. This program provides financial assistance to Charlottesville residents who wish to implement energy efficiency improvements in their homes.

“We believe everyone should have access to a comfortable, efficient home,” says Katie VanLangen, Co-Executive Director of LEAP. “This new program removes financial barriers and helps residents take meaningful action to lower their energy bills, reduce carbon emissions, and improve home comfort. It’s a win for families and a win for our climate.”

Eligible households can receive up to $2,000 to support home energy upgrades, which include measures like heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, duct sealing, attic insulation, and electrical upgrades. The funds can be combined with other incentive programs and support both energy savings and the community’s emissions reduction goals.

“We are really happy to be partnering with LEAP on this program,” says Emily Irvine, Climate Program Manager for the City. “We understand the importance of helping community members save energy, cut costs, and contribute to our community-wide climate goals. With this program, we are trying to do all three.”

To apply, residents must reside as either a renter or homeowner in the City of Charlottesville and receive an energy assessment with the Local Energy Alliance Program (link). To learn more, visit the City’s program page (link) and then sign up through the Energy Resource Hub (link) by selecting “Charlottesville Retrofit Mini Grant” as the topic of interest. Additional questions regarding the process can be directed to resourcehub@leap-va.org.

“Applications will be accepted until funds run out, but we’ll absolutely do our best to help as many households in the area as we can,” Jala Tyler, Outreach Manager for LEAP, adds. “It’s vital to our organization’s mission that we make these upgrades as accessible to residents as possible.”

Learn more and apply for a home energy assessment and mini-grant with LEAP at www.energyresourcehub.org.

Media Contacts
Tray Biasiolli
Climate Program Specialist
City of Charlottesville
434-996-7928
biasiollit@charlottesville.gov

Jala Tyler
Marketing & Outreach Director
LEAP
jalat@leap-va.org

Rosina Snow
Energy Navigator
Energy Resource Hub
rosinas@leap-va.org