Rebates

Avista Utilities Home Improvement and New Home Construction Rebate programs offer a variety of incentives for residential customers to save energy in homes. Offers apply to residential homeowners in Washington and Idaho who heat homes primarily with Avista electricity or natural gas. Incentives vary depending on technology, and generally apply to both existing and new construction homes. Interested customers should see the web site for more information including individual program requirements, specifications, and all application forms.

A $800 incentive is available for the builder of new construction manufactured homes that meet the ENERGY STAR/ECO-Rated Homes criteria and are verified as

Avista Utilities Home Improvement and New Home Construction programs offer a variety of incentives encouraging residential customers to save energy in their homes. The rebates listed apply to residential homeowners in Washington who heat homes primarily with Avista electricity or natural gas. Incentives vary depending on technology, and generally apply to both existing and new construction homes. Interested customers should review the website for more information including individual equipment requirements and to access application forms.

Benton PUD offers rebates to builders of homes which meet ENERGY STAR standards. Qualified homes are independently verified to be at 10% more efficient than the state energy code. If the constructed home meets the program requirements, the builder is eligible to receive a rebate of $1,200 to  $1,400. 

Additionally, new and existing homes are eligible for rebates on qualifying energy efficient heat pumps.

Contact Benton PUD or visit the program website for additional information.

Benton PUD offers a $750 rebate to purchasers of NEEM Certified Manufactured homes. These homes must be electrically heated and located in Benton PUD's service territory to receive the rebate. Contact Benton PUD for any additional information on this offering.

Benton PUD offers residential customers a variety of rebates when they make certain weatherization improvements. Appliance rebates are available for energy efficient hot water heaters. The rebate application must be completed and turned in within 60 days of product purchase. 

Benton PUD also offers incentives for HVAC equipment and weatherization measures including heat pumps, ductless heat pumps, duct sealing, and insulation.  Visit the program website or contact Benton PUD directly for more information.

Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.

Changes to the state energy code are submitted to the State Building Code Council (SBCC) on standardized forms. Code changes must be received by March 1 of each year. The SBCC sends the change to a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for review. The TAG members have varying expertise in the construction industry related to the proposed change. After

Cascade Natural Gas offers a variety of incentives to residential customers for making energy efficiency improvements to existing homes. Eligible equipment includes furnaces, water heaters, insulation, radiant heaters, and air sealing. Incentives are available directly from Cascade Natural Gas in Washington and are administered by Energy Trust of Oregon in Oregon. Incentives listed here apply to Washington residential customers of Cascade Natural Gas. Fuel for the home’s primary heat source must be provided by Cascade Natural Gas for all heating incentives and home’s water-heating fuel must be provided by Cascade Natural Gas for all water-heating incentives. Check the Cascade Natural

Cascade Natural Gas offers a variety of incentives to residential customers including energy efficiency measures in new and existing homes in Washington and Oregon. Incentives listed here apply to Washington residential customers of Cascade Natural Gas. Fuel for the home’s primary heat source must be provided by Cascade Natural Gas for all heating incentives and the home’s water-heating fuel must be provided by Cascade Natural Gas for all water-heating incentives. For new homes, ENERGY STAR Whole Homes Incentives and Upgrades or stand-alone incentives are available. Check the Cascade Natural Gas website for application forms and further equipment requirements.

Chelan County PUD offers cash rebates to residential customers who make energy-efficient weatherization improvements to eligible homes. Eligible measures include efficient windows and doors as well as insulation for walls, floors, ceilings, and attics. Offer applies to existing single and multi-family homes of up to ten units in Chelan County with electric heat.

Application deadlines vary. Customers who complete work without a licensed contractor will be subject to a mandatory inspection of installed measures. Incentives are paid directly to customers by check. Contact Chelan County PUD for more information.

The Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program encourages customers to install alternative power generators such as solar panels and wind turbines and connect them to the Chelan County Public Utility District's (the PUD's) electrical distribution system by offering an incentive payment based on the system's production. The PUD distributes SNAP payments annually, on or around Earth Day. The amount paid per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to SNAP Producers is determined by dividing the total amount contributed by SNAP Purchasers through the utility's green pricing program, divided by the total electricity generated by all SNAP Producers. The greater the amount contributed by SNAP

Community Power Works, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Program, offers loans and rebates for eligible energy efficiency improvements to homes.  In addition, Community Power Works partners with Seattle City Light to offer energy assessments at a reduced rate of $125 for homeowners. 

Once a home is assessed, customers select energy efficiency improvements, choose a contractor from a pool of approved contractors, and apply for financing.  Loan amounts are calculated after factoring in other rebates and incentives.  Loans are available from two lending partners.  Craft3 loans are available for $1,500 to $30,000, with interest rates fixed at

Clallam County PUD offers a variety of rebates for residential customers for energy efficiency improvements. Eligible measures and incentives include window upgrades, insulation, air and duct sealing, heat pumps, and high efficiency water heaters. All incentives must be approved by the PUD prior to installation and must be installed by a participating PUD-approved contractor. These incentives are awarded to the installer and then subtracted from the installation bid price. See the website listed above for more details.

Clark Public Utilities offers financing available to its customers for the purchase and installation of residential solar equipment. Loans up to $30,000 are available.

Loans under $10,000 have repayment terms of up to 5 years, but a minimum monthly payment of $25 is required. Loans over $10,000 have a maximum term of 7 years. All loans carry an interest rate of 3.5%. Loans of less than $5,000 have a loan processing fee of $230, and loans of $5,000 or more have a loan processing fee of $450. Loans are not transferable.

Clark Public Utilities offers a rebate of $500 to customers who install a solar water heating system. Customers must own the residence or business where the solar water heating system is installed and must have an electric water heater. 

In addition, Clark Public Utilities offers a loan program for eligible solar water heater equipment. For additional information, call Energy Services at (360) 992-3355.

Columbia Rural Electric Association (REA) offers a number of rebate programs to encourage its residential customers to conserve energy. Eligible programs include heat pump water heaters, clothes dryers/washers, smart thermostats, HVAC, weatherization, and NEEM. 

Cowlitz County PUD offers various incentives for the installation of energy efficient measures in homes. All measures must be pre-authorized by Cowlitz PUD to be eligible for financial incentives. Visit the program website listed above or contact Cowlitz County PUD directly for further information.

The Washington State Department of Commerce created the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard (ESDS), a set of green building criteria that is required for any affordable housing project applying for state funds through the Washington State Housing Trust Fund (HTF) beginning in July 2008. The standard is based on a point system which awards points for a variety of sustainable building practices including:

• Site location and neighborhood planning;
• Water conservation;
• Energy efficiency and the incorporation of renewable energy technologies; and
• Environmentally-conscious construction practices, building materials and improved indoor-air quality.

The standards were updated in 2018 to ESDS Version 4.0. A complete

Franklin County PUD's Residential Rebate Program offers rebates for energy efficiency improvements for electrically heated homes located in the Franklin PUD service area. Rebates are currently offered on energy efficient clothes washers and dryers.

For more information, visit the program website or contact the utility directly.

Grays Harbor PUD's net metering program differs slightly from what is required by Washington state law in that Grays Harbor PUD reimburses customers for net excess generation (NEG), at the end of each year, at 50% of the utility's retail rate. State law allows utilities to require customers to surrender NEG to the utility, without reimbursement, at the end of a 12-month billing cycle. Grays Harbor PUD has voluntarily gone beyond the state requirement in order to encourage customers to use renewable energy systems.

Washington's original net metering law, which applies to all electric utilities, was enacted in 1998 and

Requirements

With the passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5509 – Related to High Performance Green Building, State facilities in Washington must be designed and built to the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards. The bill has been transferred into statute at RCW 39.35.D. 

All new major facility project construction and renovation projects over 5,000 sq. ft., where the renovation costs exceed 50%, as defined in RCW 39.94.020, must be designed, constructed, and certified to at least the LEED Silver standard.

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) was given

Inland Power & Light offers a variety of rebates for the purchase of energy efficient equipment. Customers should see the program web site for rebate applications and full program details.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) adopted interconnection standards for distributed generation (DG) systems up to 20 megawatts (MW) in capacity in 2007, and revised these standards in July 2013. The rules apply to the state's investor-owned utilities (Avista, PacifiCorp, and Puget Sound Energy), but not municipal utilities, public utility districts, or cooperative electric utilities. 

The revised standards provide for three separate levels of interconnection based on system capacity and other requirements. The first level, Tier 1 systems, applies generally to systems up to 25 kilowatts (kW) using inverter-based interconnection equipment. The second tier applies generally to systems sized

Lewis County offers loans for owner-occupied residential and non-residential buildings. Applicants must pay a $350 loan origination fee, and abide by other program requirements. Interested customers should refer to the website above for more details. 

Lewis County PUD offers rebates for a variety of residential technology upgrades. Eligible upgrades include insulation for the inside the residence, cost of installation for windows and exterior doors, and appliances .  Interested customers should have an energy audit performed before any work is authorized and seek pre-approval to be eligible for incentives. Additional information and equipment requirements can be found on the utility’s web site.

In May 2001, Washington enacted legislation (EHB 2247) that requires all electric utilities serving more than 25,000 customers to offer customers the option of purchasing renewable energy. Eligible renewables include wind, solar, geothermal, landfill gas, wave or tidal action, wastewater treatment gas, certain biomass resources, and "qualified hydropower" that is fish-friendly.

Beginning January 1, 2002, each electric utility must inform its customers on a quarterly basis of the voluntary option to purchase green power. The details of each utility's program must be approved by the state, and annual reports must be submitted from October 1, 2002, to October 1, 2012

Mason County PUD 3 encourages customers to use energy efficient products and home equipment by offering incentives for the purchase of qualifying products. The utility offers residential customers rebates for various measures. Incentives for low-income households are also available, matching dollar for dollar for certain measures.

Washington's net-metering law applies to systems up to 100 kilowatts (kW) in capacity that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydro, biogas from animal waste, fuel cells, or combined heat and power technologies. All customer classes are eligible, and all utilities -- including municipal utilities and electric cooperatives -- must offer net metering.

Net metering is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the earlier of either June 30, 2029 or the first date upon which cumulative generating capacity of net-metered systems equals 4% of a utility’s peak demand during 1996.* At least one-half of the utility’s available aggregate net metering

Builders with new construction projects in NW Natural’s Washington gas service territory are eligible to receive cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon for gas heated homes that receive Energy Star or Earth Advantage certification. Starting in February, 2016 an Energy Performance Score (EPS) incentive will be available for all newly built homes heated by NW Natural. Builders are also eligible to receive an incentive for installing a tank water heater. For more information on the incentive program for builders, see the program web site.

Energy Trust of Oregon administers energy efficiency rebate programs for both residential and commercial customers of NW Natural in Washington. Interested customers can see the program website listed above for more details. Residential customers must follow all NW Natural procedures in applying for rebate.

Public Utility District No. 1 of Okanogan County provides rebates to residential customers for purchasing energy efficient appliances. The qualifying appliance must be installed in a location that receives electrical service from the Okanogan PUD. Interested customers need to call the utility to get the actual rebate amount for each appliance.

Okanogan PUD provides financial assistance for its qualified customers to improve the energy efficiency of homes and facilities. They offer loans for a variety of conservation measures including insulation, doors, air-sealing, duct work, lighting, Energy Star heat pumps and windows. Before funds are provided for new windows, door and/or heat pumps, the insulation levels must meet the program guidelines. Loans in excess of $4,000 will require that a Real Estate Mortgage be signed prior to loan approval. Applications are available on the program web site listed above. Interested customers should call the Energy Conservation Department for more information.

Orcas Power and Light (OPALCO), an electric cooperative serving Washington’s San Juan Islands, provides a performance-based incentive for residential and commercial members who generate energy from photovoltaics, wind, micro-hydroelectric and other small-scale renewable energy sources. The Member Owned Renewable Energy (MORE) Program is funded by voluntary member donations to provide a production credit to local renewable member generators. 

Incentive payments will be paid per kilowatt hour (kWh) of production, with a rate based on the year in which the system is interconnected. In 2014, incentive rates were adjusted to accommodate faster growth in MORE installations than voluntary contributions. 

Orcas Power and Light Cooperative offers incentives for residential customers to pursue energy efficiency upgrades in eligible homes. Rebates are offered for Energy Star rated appliances, water heaters and heat pumps.

Pacific Power's Blue Sky program is a voluntary program for customers to support renewable energy. A portion of the voluntary payments through the program is used to fund new community-based renewable energy projects within Pacific Power's service territory.

Eligible renewable energy resources include wind, solar PV, geothermal, low-impact hydropower, pipeline or irrigation canal hydropower, wave or tidal energy, and low-emissions biomass. Projects must be grid connected, less than 10 MW, locally owned, and non-residential. 

Funding awards are made annually. Projects are evaluated based on project feasibility, costs, financing, community benefit, and recognition of the Blue Sky program. Total funding

Pacific Power provides an incentive for home builders in Washington to build energy efficient houses through the Energy Star New Homes Program. Single-family and multi-family homes which are built to the specifications of NW BOP Energy Star are eligible to participate. Visit the program website for more information.

Pacific Power offers incentives for residential customers to improve the energy efficiency of homes through the Home Energy Savings Program. Full details are available on the program website.

Pacific Power offers net metering for customers with distributed power generation capabilities.

Pend Oreille PUD offers cash incentives up to $800 to residential customers who purchase an ENERGY STAR-certified manufactured home. All program requirements must be met in order to receive rebate. See the program web site for more information.

Pend Oreille PUD offers cash incentives to residential customers for energy efficient upgrades. ENERGY STAR clothes washers may receive a rebate of $30. Ductless heat pumps are also incentivized. View the program web site for equipment and installation requirements.

Peninsula Light Company offers a rebate program for residential customers who want to install energy efficient products in homes. Rebates are provided for heat pump water heaters, heat pumps, duct sealing, and ductless heat pumps. Completed applications should be emailed to [email protected]. More information on this program can be found at the program website.

Port Angeles Public Works and Utilities offers a rebate program to encourage residential customers to increase the energy efficiency of their homes. The rebates apply to qualifying installations in homes with electric heat. The City also provides a rebate for an Energy Star-rated new home, and offers incentives for manufactured homes and multi-unit buildings. To qualify, the equipment must be installed by a City Authorized Contractor. Additional restrictions may apply.

Some measures vary by efficiency or rating.  The Residential Energy Conservation Rebate Brochure is available on the program website. Contact the City of Port Angeles for full details.

Puget Sound Energy's (PSE) Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Programs offer a variety of incentives for customers who purchase energy efficient appliances and equipment. Rebates include furnaces, boilers, air-source heat pumps, ductless heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, insulation, energy audits, clothes washers, light fixtures, appliance recycling, refrigerators, equipment conversions, water heaters, and heating equipment upgrades. Some rebates vary according to the capacity or efficiency of equipment. Please contact PSE’s Energy Advisors or go to pse.com/rebates to find specific equipment requirements. All efficiency requirements must be met in order to receive incentives. More information and incentive applications are available on the program web

Puget Sound Energy provides energy-saving programs, including direct rebates, valuable offers, and useful energy efficiency tips.

Note: The initial application deadline for the Renewable Energy Manufacturing Program was June 30, 2016. Applications will be accepted following that date only if there are remaining funds available for interest cost subsidies.

The Washington Economic Development Finance Authority (WEDFA) and the Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce) are jointly offering a two-part financing program for renewable energy manufacturing projects. The first component is bond financing through WEDFA, and the second component is an interest cost subsidy from Commerce. Projects must qualify for WEDFA Bonds before receiving an interest cost subsidy. Borrowers must arrange for the ultimate source of credit

In Washington State, there are sales tax exemptions for the sale of equipment used to generate electricity, as well as for the sale of "hog fuel," defined as wood waste and other wood residuals including forest-derived biomass. It does not include firewood or wood pellets. Hog fuel must be used to produce electricity, steam, heat, or biofuel. Hog fuel is fully exempt from sales tax, though the buyer must provide the seller a completed sales tax exemption certificate and must complete an annual tax incentive survey. The exemption was originally set to expire June 30, 2024, but was extended to

With the passage of Initiative 937 in 2006, Washington became the second state after Colorado to pass a renewable energy standard by ballot initiative. Initiative 937, which was enacted as the Energy Independence Act (EIA), calls for electric utilities that serve more than 25,000 customers in the state of Washington to obtain 15% of their electricity from new renewable resources by 2020 and to undertake all cost-effective energy conservation. Investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and public utility districts are subject to this standard.* Of Washington's 62 utilities, 18 are considered qualifying utilities, representing about 80% of Washington's load

Note: This program has reached its budget cap 

In May 2005, Washington enacted Senate Bill 5101, establishing production incentives for individuals, businesses, and local governments that generate electricity from solar power, wind power or anaerobic digesters. The incentive was amended by Senate Bill 6658 in June 2010. The incentive amount paid to the producer varies by the use case for the system and the fiscal year in which the system is installed. 

Ownership of the renewable-energy credits (RECs) associated with generation remains with the customer-generator and does not transfer to the state or utility.

The state's utilities will pay the

Washington's State Building Code sets requirements for the installation, inspection, maintenance and repair of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. Local jurisdictions have the authority to issue building permits, or exempt systems from building permit requirements. Through an emergency rulemaking procedure, the State Building Council adopted revisions to the residential building code effective July 1, 2014. These amendments specify that installations meeting standard requirements are exempt from the roof covering specifications in the code, meaning they do not require an engineering report or stamped drawings. 

Jurisdictions still have authority over the permitting process for rooftop solar installations, but the rule change

The City of Richland provides low-interest loans to encourageit residential customers to pursue equipment upgrades and home improvement measures that will increase the energy efficiency of their homes. Loans can be taken out for up to 10 years with interest rates ranging from between 3% and 4%; the interest rate generally decreases with shorter loan payback periods. Interest rates can also be reduced by choosing equipment and measures which exceed the program's minimum efficiency standards. Individual measures have maximum loan amounts, and the maximum loan per customer for multiple measures is $15,000. To qualify for a loan, the customer must

Richland Energy Services (RES) provides a number of rebates encouraging energy efficiency for its residential customers.  Rebates exist for Energy Star home appliances, HVAC equipment and improvements, and also window and insulation upgrades.  Rebates for insulation upgrades vary according to the prexisting insulation levels present in a home. All work must be performed by an approved contractor to qualify for rebates. For further information or any questions, please visit the program website listed above or contact RES directly.
 

Seattle has created a guide to help home and business owners install a solar electric system. The guide gives advice and outlines important steps to take to install a solar PV (photovoltaic) system.

The guide includes electrical, building, land use, and set-back yard permit requirements. Any solar electric project must obtain an electrical permit secured by an electrical contractor. An electrical permit fee is approximately $239 (3/4 base + $65.65 admin fee) if you system size is less than 7.7 kW.

A building permit is not required under the following conditions:

• The solar electric (photovoltaic) system is designed and proposed

Seattle City Light provides rebates to its customers for energy audits and purchasing and installing energy saving clothes washers and dryers, heat pump water heaters, and ductless heat pumps. SCL rebates are limited offers. Funds and dollar amounts may change. Additional details regarding program requirements and incentive amounts are available on the program website.  

The City of Seattle offers free weatherization services to residents who meet income qualifications. Services are available to both homeowners and renters, and may include energy audits, insulation, heating systems, air sealing, bathroom fans, and more. The City also offers low-interest loans to low- and moderate-income residents through its Home Repair Loan Program. 

For income qualifications and more information, visit the website above.

The Build with Energy Star Program from Snohomish County PUD No 1 is designed to encourage builders to include energy-efficient measures in new homes being built in Snohomish County and on Camano Island. Contact Snohomish PUD No 1 or see web site listed above for additional information.

Snohomish County PUD No 1 offers financial incentives for residential customers to increase the energy efficiency of homes. Rebates are available for a variety of measures including heating, weatherization, heat pumps, and appliances.

In March 2009, Snohomish County PUD introduced the Solar Express Program. This program provides rebates to support residential and commercial installations of solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar water heating (SWH). 

This rebate program provides $300 per kilowatt (kW) of installed PV, up to a cap of $2,000 for residential premises and $8,000 for commercial premises (as determined by the PUD rate class). A flat rebate of $500 per system is provided for solar water heating. 

Interested customers must get a site assessment and bid from an approved installer, and get PUD approval prior to installation.The PUD will conduct a pre-

Washington's solar easement laws are similar to those in many other states. The law does not create an automatic right to sunlight. Rather, the law allows parties to enter into solar easement contracts voluntarily for the purpose of ensuring adequate exposure of a solar-energy system.

In April 2009, Washington enacted S.B. 5136, restricting homeowner's associations from prohibiting the installation of solar energy panels. A homeowner's association may issue guidelines related to visibility and aesthetic aspects of solar panel placement, but it may not prohibit a resident or owner from installing solar panels, provided that the solar panels meet certain

Tacoma Power offers a variety of incentives for residential customers to improve the energy efficiency in participating homes. Prescriptive rebates are available for equipment and measures such as heat pumps, duct sealing, windows, insulation, and lighting upgrades. All equipment must meet the program requirements to be eligible for rebates. Additional programs are available for zero-percent interest loans on energy efficiency equipment.

Senate Bill 5111, signed by Washington's governor in May 2005, created a reduced business and occupation (B&O) tax rate for Washington manufacturers of solar-electric (photovoltaic) modules, stirling converters, or silicon components of those systems.

In May 2009, Washington enacted SB 6170, effective July 1, 2009. This bill reduced the B&O tax rate to 0.275%, effective October 1, 2009. This tax rate is 43% lower than the standard manufacturing B&O tax rate. This reduced tax rate applies to manufacturers of photovoltaic modules, stirling converters, solar grade silicon, silicon solar wafers, silicon solar cells, thin film solar devices or compound semiconductor solar

Vera Water and Power offers several rebates to electric customers who purchase and install energy efficient equipment. Rebates are available for water heaters, heat pumps, clothes washers, duct sealing, LED lighting, clothes dryers, new manufactured homes, and insulation. All efficiency standards must be met in order to receive water heater or window rebates. Window rebates are based on the square footage replaced. For further information on any of these rebate offers, visit the program website or contact the utility.

Beginning July 1st, 2017, under Revised Code of Washington Title 82, Chapter 82.16.170 (RCW 82.16.170), the state of Washington granted community solar administrators the ability to organize and administer community solar projects. Stipulations surrounding community solar projects include a maximum direct current (DC) nameplate capacity of 1 megawatt (MW), as well as a minimum of 10 participants or 1 participant per 10 kW DC nameplate capacity, whichever is greater. Projects exceeding 500 kW will be subject to a standard interconnection agreement. Members participating in any community solar project must be customers of the utility providing service at the

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s (WSHFC) Sustainable Energy Trust (SET) provides low-interest loans for energy-efficiency or renewable energy projects. The Commission can finance up to $1 million at favorable interest rates (subject to underwriting), with a preferred minimum loan of $50,000. SET loans are typically issued for the three categories of projects listed below.

New construction of high efficiency single-family homes

Eligible projects must exceed Washington State Energy Code by at least 15%. Construction loans are available to housing developers. Individuals seeking financing for their own homes are not eligible.

Energy and water efficiency upgrades for multifamily housing and