NYSERDA - Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

The Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program provides grants to low-income homeowners in 1-4 family buildings for up to 50% of costs for energy efficient improvements. The household income eligibility cut-off is set at 80% of the Median State Income or 80% of the Median Area Income (by county), whichever is higher. County level income eligibility levels based on household size are available on the program web site.

Single-family homeowners that meet the income eligibility guidelines generally qualify for grants of up to $4,000. An income-qualified owner that occupies a unit in a 2-4 unit building can receive a subsidy of up to $4,000 for the whole building without any income verification required for the tenants. A higher subsidy, up to a total of $8,000 per building, may be available if tenants also are income eligible. Incentives are reduced if only a portion of the tenants are income eligible (e.g., the maximum incentive is 30% if only two out of four total tenants meet the income requirements). Renters cannot directly apply for the program. The remaining costs of installation and purchase may be covered by the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Financing Program.

In order to apply, the homeowner must contact a qualified Building Performance Institute (BPI) contractor listed on the program website. The contractor will perform a Comprehensive Home Assessment (CPA) to determine what measures need to be installed. Eligible measures and minimum equipment standards for this grant program are somewhat more limited than those eligible for the financing programs above. 

Eligible customers are electricity and natural gas customers in the state that pay the Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS) surcharge on their energy bills. This includes most investor-owned electric and gas utilities within the state, but does not include municipal utilities.