1. Twenty-five percent of the money in the Fund must be distributed to the Housing Division for programs of energy conservation, weatherization and energy efficiency for eligible households. The Housing Division may use not more than 6 percent of the money distributed to it pursuant to this section for its administrative expenses.

2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 702.150, after deduction for its administrative expenses, the Housing Division may use the money distributed to it pursuant to this section only to:

(a) Provide an eligible household with services of basic home energy conservation and home energy efficiency or to assist an eligible household to acquire such services, including, without limitation, services of load management.

(b) Pay for appropriate improvements associated with energy conservation, weatherization and energy efficiency.

(c) Carry out activities related to consumer outreach.

(d) Pay for program design.

(e) Pay for the annual evaluations conducted pursuant to NRS 702.280.

3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, to be eligible to receive assistance from the Housing Division pursuant to this section, a household must have a household income that is not more than 150 percent of the federally designated level signifying poverty, as determined by the Housing Division.

4. The Housing Division is authorized to render emergency assistance to a household if the health or safety of one or more of the members of the household is threatened because of the structural, mechanical or other failure of:

(a) The unit of housing in which the household dwells; or

(b) A component or system of the unit of housing in which the household dwells.

Such emergency assistance may be rendered upon the good faith belief that the household is otherwise eligible to receive assistance pursuant to this section.

5. The Housing Division shall adopt regulations to carry out and enforce the provisions of this section.

6. In carrying out the provisions of this section, the Housing Division shall:

(a) Solicit advice from the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services and from other knowledgeable persons;

(b) Identify and implement appropriate delivery systems to distribute money from the Fund and to provide other assistance pursuant to this section;

(c) Coordinate with other federal, state and local agencies that provide energy assistance or conservation services to low-income persons and, to the extent allowed by federal law and to the extent practicable, use the same simplified application forms as those other agencies;

(d) Encourage other persons to provide resources and services, including, to the extent practicable, schools and programs that provide training in the building trades and apprenticeship programs;

(e) Establish a process for evaluating the programs conducted pursuant to this section;

(f) Develop a process for making changes to such programs; and

(g) Engage in annual planning and evaluation processes with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services as required by NRS 702.280.

(Added to NRS by 2001, 3235)