Apply for the Affordable Home Electrification Program (AHEP) - Multifamily
Take advantage of the DCSEU’s no-cost program for income-qualified District residents that will help you cut costs and emissions in your building.
Important Notice: FY 2026 AHEP for Multifamily Buildings Applications
Funding for the AHEP for multifamily buildings is limited for Fiscal Year 2026 (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026). All applications received this year will be placed on a waitlist until further notice.
Each application will be checked for basic property eligibility, and you will be notified of your eligibility status for AHEP for multifamily buildings within 30 days of submission. If needed, you will also be provided with methods for collecting additional information from your tenants. Depending on when your application is received and when funding becomes available, you may need to provide updated building documentation before your project can proceed. The DCSEU will send you a notification if updated documentation is required.
Before you apply, gather the following documents & check your eligibility
Read this application guide in full before you apply
Step 1: Determine your property eligibility
You must:
- Own a multifamily building (between 2 and 20 units / apartments) in DC.
- Meet whole-building income eligibility or tenant-level income eligibility requirements specified below. Additionally, for a property to have access to US Department of Energy (US DOE) Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program funding, the property must also have at least 50% of the units occupied at the time of income verification by income-qualified households, as demonstrated through income verification and/or categorical eligibility (see below).
- Be willing to enter into an affordability agreement to maintain building income eligibility for 5 years, or provide an existing affordability covenant for review that meets this requirement.
Properties with existing natural gas equipment that can be replaced with efficient electric equipment will be prioritized. Please note: electric-to-electric equipment upgrades may be approved on a case-by-case basis only for water heaters based on the age of the appliance or system. This application is intended for affordable multifamily property owners and decision makers. Individual unit owners who do not represent their entire building (e.g. condo or townhouse owners) should apply using the Affordable Home Electrification Program Application. Unit owners must live in a multifamily building between 3 and 20 units as well as have eligible equipment for replacement within their own unit.
Step 2: Determine your building's method of eligibility
For whole-building eligibility, you will need the following documentation:
- One of the following income verification documents qualifying the entire building:
- Covenant Agreement with federal or DC government that demonstrates one of the following:
- The building is public housing (housing owned and operated by the DC Housing Authority).
- The building is a privately-owned multifamily building receiving project-based assistance (Section 8, Section 202, Section 811).
- The building is a privately-owned multifamily building that houses residents receiving tenant-based assistance (e.g. Section 8).
- The building has a deed covenant and/or land disposition agreement that restricts at least 50% of dwelling units as Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs) to be occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% AMI. These restrictions may or may not include Inclusionary Units (D.C Official Code §6-1041).
- Proof of participation in the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) within the previous 2 years.
- Tax Credit Letter showing your building's eligibility for the Section 42 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
- Covenant Agreement with federal or DC government that demonstrates one of the following:
- The most recent copies of the complete Pepco and Washington Gas utility bills for the building - only if you, the property owner, are responsible for any energy bills and have any utility accounts.
- If you are not, please note that as an owner, you will be responsible for collecting and submitting the utility bills and authorization forms for your tenants.
If your building is not categorized with the above requirements, then individual tenants will need to submit the following documents to verify at least 50% of all households in the building have total annual household income equal to or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Tenants will provide these documents to the DCSEU in a separate online form to be shared later. Please note the project cannot move forward until the DCSEU has the following documentation:
- A Social Security Card and government-issued ID for every household member.
- Income verification documentation for each household member earning an income.
- See the Homeowners & Renters Income Verification Guide for more detailed information for proof of income.
Step 3: Prepare for utility information collection
Complete the property owner's application and submit with the following supporting documentation:
- Most recent copy of the Washington Gas and PEPCO Utility Bills for the property if you, the property owner, are responsible for the bills and have utility accounts. This must be the full bill (including energy usage charts).
Be prepared to collect the following utility information from your tenants (if applicable):
- Most recent copy of the Washington Gas and PEPCO Utility Bills for ALL tenants if the building is sub-metered and tenants are responsible for their own bills. This must be the full bill (including energy usage charts).
Step 4: Apply online or by mail
Apply online:
- Visit the Online Program Application below
- Follow the on-screen prompts to fill in information about you and your home, then upload your supporting documentation and utility information.
Or apply by mail:
- View and complete the program application form.
- Follow the form instructions and mail the print application along with the above documentation to:
DCSEU AHEP
1 M Street SE
3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20003
What's next: How long does the process take?
- A DCSEU program staff member will contact you within 30 days to confirm receipt of your application and eligibility. Depending on when your application is received and when funding becomes available, you may need to provide updated building documentation before your project can proceed.
- If you are proceeding with the tenant income verification method, the AHEP program team will follow up with an online form or you will be required to share the Tenant Proof of Income Form (Attachment E) with EACH tenant household, where they can upload the necessary information and documentation until at least 50% of all occupied units are verified.
- If your building has sub-metered gas or electricity for which tenants are responsible, EACH tenant household will also need to complete the online form or you will be required to share Attachments C and D with all households within the building for signature.
- The DCSEU will verify your income qualification documents and inform you of your eligibility to participate in the AHEP multifamily program offering.
- Our team will schedule an initial walkthrough of your building with a DCSEU staff member and a subcontractor to determine if your building qualifies for program. The DCSEU and/or its subcontractors will need access to every unit for this site visit.
- During this site visit, we will complete a Limited Home Assessment for every unit impacted in the building in accordance with DOE HEAR funding requirements to collect information about the existing systems.
- If your building qualifies, a Homeowner Agreement and an Affordability Agreement (if an existing qualifying covenant is not provided) will be issued for your signature before equipment installation can begin.
- Tenants will receive a Notice of Work to be conducted, basic program information, and DOEE and DCSEU website and contact information. If tenants are responsible for utility bills, they’ll also receive a Utility Impact statement.
- Once all documentation has been verified and all agreements are signed, the DCSEU’s subcontractor can begin installation. Once installation is completed, the District Department of Buildings (DOB, formerly DCRA) inspection will be scheduled. Please note DOB inspections require one full business day of availability for DC code adherence. Additional days may be required if reinspection is required.
- Once your building passes the DOB inspection, a DCSEU Quality Control inspection will be scheduled. Please note additional days may be required if reinspection is required.
- District residents who live in a condo or apartment and meet the income requirements may be eligible to receive bill credits on their PEPCO account through the Solar for All Community Renewable Energy Facility (CREF) Program. This program supports the development of CREFs in the District to provide solar energy benefits to income-eligible residents who cannot install solar systems on their own homes. All buildings participating in the AHEP are encouraged to inform their residents/tenants of this opportunity. Doing so helps ensure that all residents have access to the benefits of solar power and may help offset any potential increases to their electricity bills resulting from electrification.
- For you building residents / tenants to participate in Solar for All Community Solar, they must:
- Have a Pepco utility account (pay their own Pepco bill).
- Be individually income-qualified by DOEE or live in a building that has been qualified by DOEE.
- Apply online, by mail, or by email with DOEE. These applications and instructions can be found at doee.dc.gov/solarforall.
- Once approved, residents/tenants will receive their first solar credits from Pepco after they are added to the Pepco list of subscribers, which could take up to 4 to 9 months.
- For more information about Solar for All, contact the DOEE Solar for All hotline at (202) 299-5271 or [email protected]