Who qualifies for the free weatherization program in Nashville
Weatherization is work that seals and insulates a home so less heated or cooled air leaks out, which lowers utility bills without the homeowner paying for the repairs. The free weatherization program in Nashville is run by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, MDHA, the housing agency for the city of Nashville, and paid for by the United States Department of Energy through a passthrough grant, money that flows through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, THDA, before it reaches Nashville. A household does not have to be destitute to qualify. It has to earn less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline. For a household of 4, that income limit is 64,300 dollars a year, according to THDA, the state agency that sets the number.
MDHA own page describes this as an existing, ongoing program, not a new one. What actually changed, and made local news on July 27, 2026, is that MDHA started taking applications through a new online system, the Neighborly Application Portal, replacing whatever process a household used before.
What the free weatherization work covers
MDHA own page states the program covers insulation of attics, walls or floors, caulking and weather stripping. Local news coverage of the program, in a story published July 27, 2026, adds that the free work also includes heating and cooling system replacement, a detail not listed on MDHA own page. The July 2026 coverage describes the program as serving qualifying low income homeowners. No source states whether a renter can apply directly, the way a renter can under a different Nashville program described below. No source states how many Nashville homes MDHA own program has served or how much money is budgeted for it this year.
The low bound is the general federal poverty guideline. The high bound, twice that amount, is the income limit that actually decides eligibility for this program. Both figures are from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency own income guidelines, effective January 17, 2025. Not 2 sources disagreeing, 1 source stating a low bound and a high bound.
Show the numbers
| 1 person household | 15,650 to 31,300 dollars |
| 2 person household | 21,150 to 42,300 dollars |
| 3 person household | 26,650 to 53,300 dollars |
| 4 person household | 32,150 to 64,300 dollars |
| 5 person household | 37,650 to 75,300 dollars |
| 6 person household | 43,150 to 86,300 dollars |
A second, separate free program pays for more
A second, different free weatherization effort exists in Nashville, run by the electric utility Nashville Electric Service, NES, in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA. Called Home Uplift, it is not the program the July 2026 news story covers. It puts about 10,000 dollars of energy saving upgrades into each home it reaches, covering insulation, duct sealing and low flow shower heads among other work. Unlike MDHA own program, a landlord and a tenant must both apply together before a rental home can qualify for Home Uplift.
How the same federal program works nationally
The same Department of Energy program that funds MDHA own effort weatherizes about 32,000 homes a year nationally, saving each household an average of 372 dollars or more a year on utility bills, according to the Department of Energy. Since the program began in 1976, it has helped more than 7.2 million families nationally and currently supports about 8,500 jobs. These are national figures, not counts of Nashville homes specifically, because no source in this research states a Nashville specific total.
Both figures describe the same federally funded program nationally, not Nashville specific numbers. No source in this research states a Nashville homes served count. Only 2 data points, used because the size of the gap between a single year and the program full history is itself the finding.
Show the numbers
| Homes weatherized a year nationally | 32,000 |
| Families helped nationally since 1976 | 7,200,000 |