Last year, NYSERDA helped many low income households switch from expensive fossil fuels to efficient electric heat pumps at little to no cost to them, through NYSERDA’s Heat Pump Demonstration Study. Many homes and HeatSmart CNY participants in Central New York benefitted. We are thrilled to announce that it’s back, and you are among the first to know!
New Limited-Time Funding
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has made $26.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding available to help Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) recipients move their homes towards beneficial electrification. This additional funding will allow for up to $20,000 per home for insulation, air sealing and the installation of heat pump technology through NYSERDA’s EmPower New York Program.
One of the more exciting details: Customers of ALL utilities are eligible, including municipal utilities such as the Oneida-Madison Electric Coop, Solvay Electric, Hamilton Electric, and Skaneateles Electric.
If you are eligible and think your house could be a good fit, connect with a contractor right away. We cannot emphasize this enough. The catch to this funding is New York State must spend it by Sept. 30 2022. Working backwards, that means systems likely need to be installed by the end of August – and some contractors are already scheduling work into June at this point. To take advantage of this funding, you will want to get started as soon as possible.
To access these funds, enroll with HeatSmart CNY and note that you receive HEAP in the “anything you want to tell us” section. If you’ve already enrolled, call or email Lindsay at 315-313-5050 or lindsay@heatsmartcny.org to update your enrollment.
Eligibility
To be eligible a home must meet the follow guidelines:
- Be a current HEAP recipient with award letter with CIN (This includes HEAP customers on Long Island). Award letter must be dated October 1, 2021, or later.
- The building must meet the minimum insulation standards by the end of the project.
- For oil, propane, kerosene, electric, coal, and wood heated homes, heat pumps will be pre-qualified measures. For natural gas heating homes, the efficiency of the equipment being replaced cannot exceed 80% and the total project for a natural gas heated home must have positive bill savings.
The Details
This is more information than most people need to know; the contractors handle these details. But, some of us are energy nerds and want these details, so here you go!
Projects must be completed by September 30, 2022, and customers will need to have a valid HEAP award letter (dated October 1, 2021, or later) with a Customer Identification Number (CIN) to be eligible to receive the funding.
To participate in the program, the home must meet the following minimum insulation requirements by the completion of the project.
| Area Required | Insulation Level |
|---|---|
| Walls | R-14 |
| Attic | R-30 Average |
| Attic Hatches | R-20 |
| Pull-Down Stairs | R-13 |
| Air Tightness | 7 ACH |
| Mobile Home Walls | R-6 |
| Mobile Home Attic | R-24 |
| Mobile Home Belly | R-21 |
Incentives for Heat Pumps are as follows:
| Description | Incentive Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Upstate ASHP | $/10,000 btu | $3,000 |
| Downstate ASHP | $/10,000 btu | $2,000 |
| Upstate GSHP | $/10,000 btu | $3,800 |
| Downstate GSHP | $/10,000 btu | $3,800 |
| HPWH | Per Unit | $2,500 |
| Ancillary Service | Panel Boxes, Distribution Improvement | $2,000 |
ASHP= Air Source Heat Pump
GSHP = Ground Source Heat Pump (aka “geothermal”)
HPWH = Heat Pump Water Heater
Incentives can be combined with the NY Clean Heat program but cannot be greater than the total project cost.