Energy Services

Energy and Environmental Services


The Energy and Environmental Services Division is committed to assisting low to moderate income households reduce their energy burden, improve the health and safety conditions of occupied housing and to foster client self-sufficiency. In support of these goals, we provide the following services in Humboldt County: energy efficiency retrofits, health and safety repairs, utility and energy assistance, client education & advocacy, and other energy related services.

We also serve Modoc County eligible residents once per year for weatherization services only.

Utility Assistance Programs

Water Bill Assistance: as of 6/9/2023 there is no more funding for this program.

ENERGY/HEATING BILL ASSISTANCE

RCAA provides help with your heating bills through a program called HEAP or LIHEAP (Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program). We provide assistance with your PG&E bill, wood, propane, and heating oil.
For HEAP / LIHEAP help, call (707) 444-3834 on Monday mornings between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. This help is only good for once a year; as long as you haven't already received assistance from us in the past year we may be able to help you.

** Please be patient. If you get a busy signal, just keep hitting redial as everyone who needs assistance is calling this number during this time. When our appointment slots are filled for the week, you will hear a recording advising you to call back next week.

** If you have a shut-off notice from PG&E (15 day & 48 hour), also call this number, (707) 444-3834 on Monday mornings between 9:00 and 12:00. You can also call after 1:00 on (707) 444-3831 ext. 201, 204 or 206.

** For eligibility questions, call (707) 444-3831 ext. 202. Please leave a message with your name and phone number if we do not pick up, we will call you back.


If you are already on the senior list and have not been contacted yet,  please be patient as the Intake Specialist works their way through the list (the list goes by age, with the oldest being contacted first).

If you are a senior who is new, and is not on the current senior list, you can still get help with your power bill by calling the HEAP line on Monday mornings starting at 9:00 a.m. or 707-444-3831 ext. 201. Follow the instructions above for Energy Bill Assistance

Weatherization

RCAA provides weatherization services to income-eligible households. The Weatherization Program provides high-quality energy efficiency and weatherization services for income-qualified low to moderate households. The services are available for qualified renters and homeowners.
Call 707-444-3831 ext. 204 for questions and eligibility information.

RCAA crews employ the latest technology to identify the most energy saving methods for reducing energy waste, air pollution and related energy costs for the client. Crews also test appropriate appliances for health and safety issues.

Some of the measures we may offer include:

  • Carbon Monoxide testing of all combustion appliances

  • Installation of a Carbon Monoxide Detector

  • Minor home repairs such as: repairing or replacing broken doors, windows, and other health and safety related issues

  • Lighting Retrofits including: Replacement of standard light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) and LED bulbs, or hard wired fluorescent fixtures

  • Replacement of standard shower head and faucet aerators with water-saving devices

  • Replacement of inefficient refrigerators (that are manufactured prior to 1998) with an Energy Star refrigerator

  • Installation of range hoods in mobile homes, as needed

  • Installation of a programmable thermostat when possible

  • Duct repair and replacement

  • Installation of attic, floor, and duct insulation to reduce heat loss

  • Heater and Water heater repairs/replacements

  • Microwave Replacement

  • Toilets

As the cold weather approaches, most families across the country are turning up their thermostats to combat dropping temperatures. For low-income families, however, cranking up the heat is not always an option. These families pay 14.4% or more of their annual incomes for energy compared with only 3.3% for other non low-income families. The Weatherization Program is available to help make low-income households more energy efficient.
 


Online Forms

Please speak with staff at the Energy office before downloading these forms. These forms are not for the HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program)
Application documents submitted without having done so cannot be accepted.

How do RCAA's programs affect you?

  • Natural Resources Services (NRS) works directly with Humboldt County community leaders, schools and parents to improve safety and encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school. NRS helps coordinate both the Greater Eureka and Humboldt County Safe Routes to School Task Forces.
  • The Natural Resources Services works with community members, civic groups, and local jurisdictions to enhance neighborhood street tree planting and support the development of community forests for public access and watershed protection.
  • The TOOTH program: igniting healthy smiles and lifelong dental wisdom in young minds!
  • The Energy & Environmental Services Division provides much needed help to our low-income and elderly community members. The program helps to pay their energy costs, to make their homes warm and cozy, and improve their health by weatherizing their homes against inclement weather.
  • AFACTR AmeriCorps Member states that their experience with the program has been by far one of the best experiences I have ever had at any job. The training's I've had has opened my opportunities for other jobs in ways I never thought possible. The AmeriCorps experience has been a really great experience. I have nothing but good to say about being an AmeriCorps member.
  • AmeriCorps has helped me to understand the imperative need for stabilization services not only in Humboldt County, but on a macrosystem level. It has also allowed me to network with wonderful local nonprofits and federal service agencies to understand how they provide trauma informed services that strengthen family systems and community based models. Based on my term as an AmeriCorps member, I have become more comfortable with providing casework to clients and have developed a meaningful rapport with service agencies in our area. Providing at a resource center has driven my interest in continuing my education to pursue my master's degree in public administration.
  • I began my AFACTR term as an undergrad student and saw it as an opportunity to better define what I wanted to pursue as a career after college. As my term comes to an end, I have committed to gaining a master's in social work degree, something that I 100% attribute to my experiences at the family resource center. It feels like this program was tailor-made for people in a similar situation as me, who feel somewhat uncertain about future direction but have an affinity for or interest in helping professions. Additionally, the relationships I've build with my coworkers and clients have given me a feeling of connection and understanding to the community that was just not present in my life prior to my AmeriCorps term.
  • My AFACTR AmeriCorps service provided me with the confidence I needed to branch out into a whole different field of service.I cannot put into words how much this program means to me. My future looks very positive and full of opportunities I thought I would never have. As a result of AFACTR I now have so many tools at my disposal that I can utilize in my professional future.
  • As a second term AFACTR AmeriCorps member, I can say that AFACTR offers you a unique opportunity to be the best version of yourself. Whatever place you are in your life when you enter the program, you will leave having grown in ways you didn't know were possible. I cannot recommend strongly enough the powerful opportunity of upward mobility through hard work and commitment to your community. I am on my way to getting my master's degree which will be financially supplemented by my educational award and am in a place where I feel seen, valued and supported.