Heinrich Welcomes Federal Guidance on the Home Electrification Rebates He Secured
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Electrification Caucus, is welcoming the U.S. Department of Energy’s announced guidance for State and Territorial Energy Offices on the implementation of the Home Energy Rebate Programs, which Senator Heinrich secured in the Inflation Reduction Act and was based on his Zero-Emission Homes Act. Specific guidance on implementation for Tribal energy offices is still forthcoming.
“This federal guidance is an important first step in implementing the Home Energy Rebate Programs, which will make electric appliances and whole-home retrofits more affordable for eligible families,” said Heinrich. “It is now incumbent on state energy offices—including the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department in New Mexico—to stand up and staff these programs to maximize the benefits to American families. The faster we are able to deliver these rebates, the sooner we will be able to lower home appliance costs for families and create healthier homes.”
Last December, Senator Heinrich announced that $87,742,040 will be available to the State of New Mexico and Tribes in the state from the Inflation Reduction Act to establish Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates and Home Efficiency Rebates programs.
Senator Heinrich secured the inclusion of the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program—based on a bill he authored called the Zero-Emission Homes Act—in the landmark climate, clean energy, and cost savings legislation that President Biden and Democrats in Congress passed into law last year.
The point-of-sale Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates will have a $14,000 cap per household. That includes a $8,000 cap for heat pump costs, $1,750 for a heat pump water heater, and $4,000 for panel/service upgrades. Other appliances eligible for rebates will include electric stoves and clothes dryers, and insulation and air sealing measures.
Once the programs are launched, more than 70 percent of U.S. households will eligible for these rebates. The rebates are projected to cover up to 100% of costs for low-income households and up to 50% of costs for moderate-income households.
In addition, the Home Efficiency Rebates Program will allow States, Territories, and Tribes to create rebates to help reduce the upfront cost of whole-home energy efficiency upgrades in both single-family and multi-family homes. The value of an eligible home’s rebate will depend on the predicted energy savings attributable to the project.
These rebates will not be retroactive. Consumers are advised to wait until their State, Territory, or Tribe has officially launched its program.
To learn more about all of the home energy efficiency and electrification rebates available through Inflation Reduction Act, you can visit the White House’s Clean Energy webpage at https://cleanenergy.gov/.
