California Launches $80M Rebate Program for Energy Upgrades

California opens the first phase of an $80 rebate program for energy efficiency projects.Photo byImage by HarmvdB from Pixabay

The State of California has launched a new rebate program that will help Californians make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. The program provides $80 million for households that retrofit their homes with efficient electrification projects.

Single-family homeowners will be able to apply for Home Electrification and Appliance (HEERA) rebates in the next several weeks. Available single family home rebates will range between $4,000 and $8,000 depending on household income.

Apartment building owners can already apply for up to $8,000 in rebates to install new heat pumps, which provide both cooling and heating.

Rebates will include not only cooling and heating appliances, but other energy-efficient improvements as well, such as electric stoves, cooktops, laundry dryers and water heaters.

The program, as announced by the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy, is made possible by provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in 2022. The rebates are aimed at households in low- and moderate-income communities.

Applications are open on the TECH Clean California website.

Low-income households — those earning 80% or less of the area median income — will be eligible for the higher rebates, while moderate-income families, earning up to 150% of the area median income, will qualify for lower amounts. The California Energy Commission estimates that about one-third of Californians qualify as low-income, while half fall within the low- or moderate-income brackets.

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