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Iowa LIHEAP Policy and Procedures Manual 15.00 Crisis Assistance

Effective 09/01/2023

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Sometimes, coolant leakage may cause the air conditioning to not work. Because central air conditioning units cannot be effectively recharged during winter months, contractors often return to the home in the spring to ensure the unit is working properly.

A plumbing leak that is dripping into the furnace cannot be repaired with ECIP Funds. The CAA should seek out other funding sources to repair the leak.

Installation of heat tape on pipes cannot be charged to ECIP.

See Appendix H – Heating System Installation Standards regarding replacement furnaces in manufactured homes. Manufactured home furnace roof jacks can be repaired/replaced, if needed.

If a homeowner chooses to use their own contractor, or is seeking reimbursement for heating system repair or replacement already completed, all such work must have been done by a contractor who meets Weatherization Program guidelines (see Section 8.40). Replacements must pass inspection by an agency Weatherization Auditor, HVAC Technician, QCI inspector, or a Weatherization Program staff person who has completed Weatherization-provided Furnace or Combustion Health & Safety training. An ECIP Heating System Repair/Replacement Inspection Sheet is to be completed by the person inspecting the work and maintained in the LIHEAP customer file. Appendix H must be met before a replacement is deemed to have passed inspection. Payments cannot be made to the contractor until the work passes inspection.

Heating unit repair/replacement done by a non-Weatherization contractor in a prior program year is ineligible for reimbursement.

Funds can also be used to pay for hook-up of an LP tank to a replacement heating unit (including the line from the tank to the house and inside the house to the heating unit), and/or LP tank regulators that must be replaced.

Utility rebates are to be filed by the CAA; not by the LIHEAP customer. Rebate funds received by the CAA are to be credited to the ECIP line item. Rebates can only be filed for ECIP-only heating system installations; NOT when done in conjunction with Weatherization (it would be considered double-dipping if a utility paid a portion of an installation and the CAA received a rebate).

When a heating system does not exist and one is needed, contact the state LIHEAP office for further guidance to determine whether a new system can and should be installed.

A fuel switch for a new heating unit from electric to natural gas is allowed, within expenditure limits. If a fuel switch from propane to natural gas is desired, contact the State office for guidance.

Safely functioning heating units are not allowed to be replaced unless the contractor indicates that the existing unit is the wrong size for the home and can show the need for a different unit, by running a Manual J, or there are safety concerns about the existing unit. State approval via email is required before a replacement can be made.

Stationary campers cannot have their heating unit repaired or replaced; however, an electric portable space heater may be provided with ECIP funds, as outlined in Section 15.30.

Heating system contractors are required to warrant their work for 12 months. ECIP may pay for needed repairs after the warranted period. There is no limit to the number of times a heating unit can be repaired using crisis funds. However, should repairs need to be made more than once to a heating unit in a program year, the total amount of repairs cannot exceed $4,000 in that program year without a waiver from the CAA Unit. If a heating unit requires more than one repair in a program year, contact the state for further guidance.