According to the Office of State and Community Energy Programs, four States—California, Hawaiʻi, New Mexico, and New York—are about to receive nearly $9 billion in federal funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Home Energy Rebates program.
Once these four states’ applications for the rebate program are approved, they can create their own programs, and low-income residents can save millions on upgrading their home appliances, adding insulation, installing heat pumps, and more.
According to DOE, this funding will 50,000 jobs and save Americans $1 billion by lowering their yearly energy bills.
The Energy Rebates are a part of President Joe Biden‘s Inflation Reduction Act.
The good news is that half of the rebates will go to low-income families, ensuring everyone has a green home and can save their energy bill.
The energy rebates will be available to residents who earn 80 percent or less of their area median income.
To monitor whether the rebates are going to the correct place, states, and territories are required to submit plans that they are creating jobs and new opportunities in low-income communities.
Dr. Henry McKoy, director of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the Department of Energy, said in a newsletter, “It has been incredible to watch these states, the first in the nation, work so quickly and effectively,”
“There’s still much work to be done, but these states are knocking it out of the ballpark and working incredibly hard to save their residents money as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing which states submit their applications next and providing continued assistance to help states get their applications in as quickly as possible,” he added.
Commissioner Andrew McAllister, lead for energy efficiency at the California Energy Commission, said, “We are thrilled to be one of the first states moving forward with a Home Energy Rebates application,”
“This is an important step towards getting these federal dollars to Californians eager to update their homes and realize energy bill savings. Our close partnership with DOE is critical for accelerating markets for heat pumps and other clean, low-carbon technologies.” He added.
So When Can Residents Start Cashing These Energy Rebates?
Although the four states are leading and likely to get approved, the Department of Energy is still reviewing their applications.
Once the state application is approved, low-income residents of the states can start applying for the rebate.
Residents can start upgrading their home appliances, adding insulation, installing heat pumps, etc., to save more on energy bills.
These 4 states are just the start; many other states are also sending their application to build a new era of energy-smart homes.
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