Rebates

Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) as part of its Efficient Products Rebates Program offers various rebates and incentives for its residential customers to install energy saving measures. Incentives are available for clothes washers, air purifiers, heat pumps, LEDs, and more. See program website for more details.

SWEPCO offers an incentive of $250 to residential customers who own or rent a single-family home to install ENERGY STAR-certified Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers. For more information, visit the program website.

The State of Louisiana provides tax credits to persons or corporations within the state that invest in qualified clean-burning motor vehicle fuel property, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Any person or corporation that purchases such property is allowed a non-refundable credit against income tax liability.

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.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is granted the authority to promulgate amendments, revisions, and alternative compliance methods for the code.

LA Energy Code Requirements and Links are available here.

On January 1, 2015, the effective Louisiana residential energy code became the 2009 IRC Chapter 11

Origin 

In May 2007, the New Orleans City Council adopted net-metering rules that are similar to rules adopted by the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) in November 2005. The City Council's rules require Entergy New Orleans, an investor-owned utility regulated by the city, to offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources. Fuel cells and microturbines that generate electricity entirely derived from eligible renewable resources are also eligible. 

System Size Limits

The City Council's rules apply to residential facilities with a maximum capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW)

On April 15, 2020, the New Orleans City Council adopted a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) via Resolution R-20-104, with the goal to eliminate carbon emissions in 2050 and reach net-zero emissions in 2040. Entergy New Orleans must follow the standard.

Eligible Technologies and Resources

RCPS eligibility is broken down into three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 resources.

Tier 1 resources are any renewable energy resources (solar thermal, PV, wind, geothermal, fuel cell using renewable, hydroelectric, ocean wave, ocean thermal, tidal current, any additions/enchantments to such facilities), certain energy storage resources (batteries, flow batteries, fuel

The Shreveport Energy Efficiency (SEED) program, offered by the City of Shreveport, is intended to complement and enhance the existing Louisiana Home Energy Rebate Option (HERO) program. SEED offers professional energy audit buy-downs and low-interest loans for qualifying retrofits of residential buildings. These incentives are intended to assist in raising program awareness, applicant participation, and diminish costs for improvements.

The SEED program decreases the major cost of the energy audit to Shreveport residents. Energy Audit procedures are performed by the HERO program. Measures which may be eligible for an incentive include air duct improvements, ceiling insulation, building envelope improvements and

Customers who build Power Miser certified homes are eligible for a $1,500 rebate and a 10 percent discount on their electric utility bills from November through April for the first five years in the home.

To participate in the Power Miser program, your new home must receive service from Cleco, be heated by a central heat pump, and have all electric water heating.

After the home is complete, you must submit a Power Miser Verification Form and all required documentation to Cleco within 45 days of Certificate of Occupancy Issue Date.

Cleco Power offers residential customers $250 for a level 2 EV charger, limited to one incentive per year for a total of two ports only.

Cleco's Power Wise™ Residential Program provides a number of incentives to its residential customers for energy efficiency upgrades.

This program allows homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements tailored to each home's energy needs. In order to participate the homeowner must contact a contractor participating in the program. A list of participating contractors is available in the program website. The contractor will submit a bid proposal and a rebate application for the program. The rebates will be included as a discount on the invoice. 

Please visit the program website or contact the program administrator below for more information. 

DEMCO, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, provides residential customers who have a qualified Touchstone Energy Home, a rebate of up to $0.10 per square foot of living area for electric heat pumps and $125 for electric water heaters. The special one-time rebate is not a permanent offer.

The main Touchstone Energy Home features are:
• R-19 composite wall insulation
• R-30 ceiling insulation
• Attic ventilation
• R-19 floor insulation over crawl spaces
• Double pane windows or low-E windows
• Metal insulated door or solid core wood door
• Infiltration control to help prevent air from leaking into the home

Entergy's eTech program offers customers a financial incentive for the purchase of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. A $250 incentive is available for residential Level 2 EV chargers. For commercial incentives and Level 3/DC fast charger incentives, contact Entergy.

Residential customers of Entergy Louisiana, and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana can participate in energy efficiency programs designed to help offset cost of installing energy-efficient equipment and measures. Entergy Solutions offers programs for Entergy Louisiana residential customers to save energy and money by reducing the up-front cost of energy efficiency upgrades. The program partners with participating trade allies and retailers, who will help customers find new ways to save. Check here for a list of trade allies.

Please contact the program manager or visit the program website for additional information about the program. 

Entergy New Orleans offers rebates to residential and commercial customers for Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers, DC fast chargers, electric forklifts, and custom fleet electrification.

Entergy New Orleans has designed an incentive program to help residential customers understand and make energy efficiency improvements in eligible homes. Incentives are geared towards both individual measures and whole home upgrades. Individual equipment incentives include central AC systems, heat pumps, HVAC system tune-ups, and other comprehensive measures. 

The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program provides ENO residential customers with home energy assessments, recommendations for energy savings and incentives towards the cost of those upgrades. A range of insulation, air sealing, ductwork, solar window screens and radiant barriers are eligible for incentives through this program. Residents may qualify for a $150

Loan Option Through the HELP program, a homeowner can obtain a five year loan to improve the energy efficiency of their existing home. “HELP loans function as standard unsecured underwritten residential loans. The lender makes and services HELP energy efficiency improvement loans of up to a maximum of $12,000.00 to participants who go through the normal underwriting process. Qualifying loan improvement measures are provided on a "Prescriptive List of Improvements", from which the borrower selects approved items. The LDNR loans one half (½) of the loan amount, through the lender to the borrower, for up to a maximum

The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted rules for net metering and interconnection in November 2005. Louisiana's rules, based on those in place in Arkansas, require publicly-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives to offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources.* Fuel cells and microturbines that generate electricity entirely derived from renewable resources are also eligible. The rules apply to residential facilities with a maximum capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW) and commercial systems with a maximum capacity of 300 kW.

Utilities must provide customers with a meter capable of measuring

In June 2010, Louisiana enacted solar rights legislation (HB 751) that prohibits certain entities from unreasonably restricting a property owner from installing a solar collector. Solar collectors are generally defined to include photovoltaics (PV), solar water heating, and any other system or device that uses sunlight as an energy source. While this law generally guarantees a property owner's right to install solar collectors, there are some exceptions to the law. For example, historic districts, historical preservation areas, and landmarks designated by a local governing authority are excluded from this solar rights law.

NOTE: The PSC adopted additional changes in September 2019 through a rulemaking proceeding (Docket R-33929), which include: removing the 0.5% cap on solar users; customers that submit a completed interconnection request and have completed installation by December 31, 2019 are grandfathered for 15 years, and will receive credit at full retail rates; those that do the same but after 2019 will be credited at avoided cost; and any RECs owned by the customer will be retained, and can be transferred upon selling the associated property.
Louisiana enacted legislation in June 2003 establishing net metering.
  Eligibility and Availability

Energy Smart offers home energy assessments and instant rebates to residential Entergy New Orleans electric customers. The program uses a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency, and comfort through home improvements.

Contact Entergy to schedule a home energy assessment and see how the energy efficiency of your home can be improved.

In June 2010, the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) unanimously approved a Renewable Energy Pilot Program to determine whether a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) is suitable for Louisiana. The program was concluded in August of 2013 with the determination that, while utilities, staff, and regulators learned a great deal, a mandatory RPS was not needed in Louisianna. Three major reasons given not to pursue an RPS were 1) that renewable energy generation is more expensive than conventional energy generation, 2) that rising natural gas prices have put renewables at a cost disadvantage, and 3) that federal interest in mandatory RPS

NOTE: SB 447 requires that by February 1, 2015 licensed contractors must be in compliance with the Louisiana State Board of Licensing to legally install solar panels. Contractors without solar PV Installer or Solar Heating Installer certifications issued the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) will at a minimum be required to take a written exam to demonstrate competency.

In June of 2014, SB 447 mandated that the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors develop new rules for solar contractors no later than January 1, 2015. Licensed contractors must be in compliance with the new rules no later than

In Louisiana, any equipment attached to an owner-occupied residential building or swimming pool as part of a solar energy system is considered personal property that is exempt from ad valorem taxation. The value of a solar energy system will not be included in the assessment of such buildings or swimming pools.

A solar energy system is defined as "any device that uses the heat of the sun as its primary energy source and is used to heat or cool the interior of a structure or swimming pool, or to heat water for use within a structure or swimming pool." Solar

 NOTE: On July 2016, the Louisiana Department of Revenue issued a notice stating that all the tax credit allocated for the program has been fully claimed until December 31, 2017 (the entirety of the program). The tax credits were allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. The State is no longer accepting any new applications. 

Louisiana provides a tax credit for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2018. The credit may be applied to personal, corporate or franchise taxes, depending on the entity which purchases and installs the system, but

NOTE: On July 2016, the Louisiana Department of Revenue issued a notice stating that all the tax credit allocated for the program has been fully claimed until December 31, 2017 (the entirety of the program). The tax credits were allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. The State is no longer accepting any new applications. 

Louisiana provides a tax credit for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2018. The credit may be applied to personal, corporate or franchise taxes, depending on the entity which purchases and installs the system, but