Alachua County, Florida’s rental housing efficiency program cuts utility bills and improves comfort while capping rent increases, providing an innovative model. ACEEE offers technical assistance to local governments and community-based organizations seeking to develop or strengthen similar programs.
When summer heat pushed through the gaps around her windows and doors, Gainesville resident Betty Mack’s air conditioner could not keep up, and she suffered through Florida’s hot summer months without much relief inside her home. As the air conditioner worked overtime, her utility bills shot up. But that changed after she enrolled in the Alachua County Energy Efficiency Program (ACEEP), which installed new windows, air sealed doors and windows, and replaced a ceiling fan in her rented home.
Betty Mack in her home with Janae Johnson of Rebuilding Together and Katie Greenshaw of the Community Weatherization Coalition after ACEEP made efficiency upgrades to the home. (Photo credit: ACEEP)“My light bill was way higher than what it is now,” Mack said. “In the summertime I remember sweating inside when the air was on. Now we have to turn it up because it gets too cold at the temperature I used to keep it on. The wintertime is the same, it gets pretty warm in there. It’s much more comfortable now.”
The county created the program because most existing efficiency programs served homeowners, but low-income renters are often more burdened by utility bills while living in less efficient homes. Though the program has been cutting bills for Alachua renters since last year, it was at risk of losing its funding in 2023 after a slow start.
The county planned to enact energy efficiency requirements for rental housing and enroll homes that didn’t meet the requirements in the program. But the Florida legislature soon after prohibited localities from requiring landlords to make efficiency upgrades, and the county did not have a plan to entice landlords to participate. The Alachua County Commission planned to provide $3 million for ACEEP, but with no homes having been upgraded by the close of the first pilot in September 2023 and no plan to entice landlords to participate in the voluntary program, county commissioners questioned whether to fund the program beyond the $337,000 allocated for an initial pilot.
Around the same time, the local nonprofits that operate ACEEP, Community Weatherization Coalition and Rebuilding Together North Central Florida, learned about ACEEE’s Energy Equity for Renters program, which provides no-cost technical assistance to local governments and community-based organizations pursuing programs to improve energy efficiency and affordability in rental housing. After being accepted to the program, the county and the two local groups worked with ACEEE to identify barriers that were limiting participation and to make adjustments so the program would be more accessible to renters and landlords. With ACEEE’s help, the county revamped its program and launched a successful pilot, convincing the commission to continue funding ACEEP.
ACEEP had originally excluded homes in Gainesville, the largest city in Alachua County, because the city’s utility had its own rental efficiency program. But the county discovered the Gainesville program had exhausted its limited funding, so ACEEP opened eligibility in the city, which contains half of all rental units in the county. Working with ACEEE, the county discovered other factors limiting participation, such as restricting the program to properties of a certain size.
ACEEE conducted a survey of landlords and renters in the city and county to gauge interest in participating in the program. The survey found many renters in the county faced hardships with their utility bills. Of the 162 renters surveyed, 76% reported having struggled to pay utility bills at some point in the previous year and 38% reported that they had their electricity shut off due to nonpayment in the past. More than a quarter said they had kept their home at an uncomfortable or unhealthy temperature in an effort to keep their utility bills down.
Amid these affordability challenges for renters, the survey of landlords found 62% were considering raising rents in the following year, most saying the reason was increasing costs, such as property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. When asked about different potential program offers, a majority of the 38 landlords surveyed—53%—said they would consider accepting a $15,000 per unit grant for efficiency upgrades in exchange for capping rent increases to inflation.
ACEEP redesigned its program and began enrolling new properties in the spring of 2024. It provided up to $15,000 per house or apartment for a range of energy upgrades, including insulation, air sealing, window and door replacement, heat pumps, and more efficient water heaters, washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Participating property owners must agree to cap rent increases at the consumer price index for seven years if they receive $15,000 in upgrades, five years if they receive $10,000, or three years if they receive $5,000.
Elaine Ross’s house was the first to receive upgrades under the program. ACEEP installed attic insulation, weather stripped doors and windows, and provided a new heat pump, water heater, washer, dryer, showerheads, and faucets. “I was getting an electric bill over $200. Now our electric bill is down by half, if not more,” Ross said. “And the house is just so comfortable. It’s a small home, so it didn’t need much, and this just made it so comfortable.”
Now she enthusiastically spreads the word about the program in her community.
“You hear everybody talking about electric bills. When I’m out at the grocery store, if they’re talking about electric bills, I immediately tell them about this program,” Ross said, adding, “I have the gift of gab.”
Elaine Ross's old air conditioner and her new heat pump from ACEEP. (Photo credit: ACEEP)ACEEP went from struggling to find participants and at risk of losing its funding to becoming a countywide program lowering utility bills and increasing comfort and safety inside homes. Thoughtful program design, strong community partnerships, and technical assistance helped turn it around. For residents like Mack and Ross, the upgrades mean lower bills, more comfort, and stable rents. With dozens of homes already upgraded and many more in the pipeline, ACEEP illustrates how efficiency improvements can support affordability for the households that need it most.
For other local governments and community-based organizations seeking to create, improve, or implement programs that support rental efficiency upgrades while also preserving or expanding housing affordability, ACEEE has opened a new round of no-cost technical assistance. Applications are due January 9, 2026.
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