Energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in rental properties can reduce energy use, lower utility costs, and improve comfort for renters. However, rental retrofit programs also need to consider how these projects affect the people who live there in other ways—from construction disruptions and temporary relocation to changes in rents, and other housing expenses.
ACEEE and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law are offering no-cost technical assistance to help New England local governments and community-based nonprofit organizations develop new rental energy programs or strengthen existing initiatives that advance energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in rental properties while keeping renters in homes they can afford. We are accepting expressions of interest for this technical assistance opportunity through Friday, October 23, 2026. A link to an expression of interest form can be found below.
What Our Technical Assistance Will Address
Our technical assistance will help participants identify ways to protect renters while designing programs that are attractive to property owners and realistic for program administrators to implement. Depending on the needs of participating communities, technical assistance may help participants:
- Inform and involve residents in planned energy upgrades
- Manage construction-related disruptions
- Plan for temporary resident relocation when needed
- Maintain housing affordability
- Incorporate renter protections into program design
- Make program requirements workable for renters, property owners, and administrators
ACEEE will bring our expertise in energy efficiency and electrification rental program design and implementation, while the Sabin Center will provide legal research on state and local laws that may affect renter protections and program design. Assistance may include research, review of proposed approaches or materials, development of guidance or templates, and feedback on program design.
How Our Technical Assistance Will Work
We expect technical assistance engagements to focus on clearly defined, manageable projects that can be completed within roughly a period of two to four months. We are particularly interested in projects where participants can use our guidance to inform an upcoming program design, launch, expansion, or implementation decision. Those interested in participating may submit an expression of interest form independently or with partners. Partnerships are welcome but are not required.
Interested organizations should complete a short expression of interest form describing the:
- Rental energy initiative they are planning, launching, implementing, or seeking to improve
- Issue(s) they would like help addressing
- Type of assistance that would be most useful
- Upcoming decisions or deadlines that may affect the timing of the work
Projects that appear to be a good fit for our expertise and available capacity may be invited to a 30-minute scoping conversation. Not all those submitting an expression of interest will be invited to a call.
Before technical assistance begins, ACEEE and the Sabin Center along with each participant will agree on a written scoping document that clearly identifies the work to be completed, the roles of each organization, the expected deliverable or outcome, and the project timeline. We will begin work only after all organizations involved have approved the final scope of work.
Who Should Submit an Expression of Interest?
This opportunity is intended for local governments and community-based nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont that are planning, launching, implementing, or seeking to improve rental energy efficiency or electrification initiatives.
Organizations do not need to have a fully developed technical assistance project idea before submitting an expression of interest, but requests should identify a reasonably focused issue, question, decision, or work product that could be addressed through this opportunity.
Next Steps
Complete our short expression of interest form by Friday, October 23, 2026. The form asks you to briefly describe your rental housing energy initiative, where the work currently stands, the issue you would like help addressing, the type of assistance you are seeking, what you hope to accomplish, and any partners involved.
The form is intended to be a quick first step and should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Submission of an expression of interest does not commit either the applicant or ACEEE and the Sabin Center to a technical assistance engagement.
Questions about this technical assistance opportunity may be directed to localpolicy@aceee.org.
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