Our discussion on how to save energy at home briefly hits on more than 30 changes you can can make in and around your home, from cheap-yet-effective steps to upgrades that require upfront spending, but quickly pay for themselves from lower utility bills to systems and renovations that minimize what you pull off the grid, but come at steep prices.

Often, the extra costs of energy-saving improvements can be reduced by tax credits and utility company rebates.

Below are the energy-saving rebate programs available at the time of this writing. Check EnergyStar.gov for up-to-date info. Also check with your utility company and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE).

We didn’t include low-interest loan programs or incentives available for new home construction. We also didn’t look for community grants for multi-home projects or programs for owners of commercial buildings. There are also many programs available to landlords of apartment buildings.

Federal Tax Credits and Rebates

There are two federal programs that provide incentives for home-energy-saving improvements: One provides tax credits; the other will create rebates, but the rebates aren’t yet available in this area.

Tax Credits

The “Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit” provides tax breaks to homeowners who make green improvements to their primary residences. The credit is equal to 30 percent of the cost of eligible improvements made between 2023 and 2032. Here’s a list of eligible projects; for some there are individual annual maximum allowable credits:

• Air-sealing and insulation improvements—no cap
• Central ACs—$300 cap for most systems
• Energy audits—$150 cap
• Exterior doors—$250 per door, $500 limit for multiple doors
• Gas and oil furnaces—$600 cap for units with 97+ AFUE
• Windows and skylights—$600 cap

If you do more than one of the projects listed above there’s a maximum tax credit of $1,200 each year.

A separate tax credit of up to $2,000 is available if you buy a qualifying heat pump, biomass stove (for example, one that burns wood pellets), or boiler.

If you install a ground-source heat pump or solar panels you may qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit with no cap. In 2033, these credits drop to 26 percent and then to 22 percent in 2034; after that, they’ll disappear unless new legislation gets passed.

Many local governments also provide incentives for residential solar-energy projects.

Rebates Coming Soon

New rebates will soon be available, funded by the federal government’s “High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate” program. These aren’t tax credits; they’re point-of-sale rebates that homeowners will receive as discounts as they make approved improvements.

At the time of this writing, this program hadn’t been finalized for Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. The law requires the Department of Energy to provide guidance to states and then each submits program proposals for review and approval; so far, only New York and Wisconsin have rebate programs up and running. Rebates for local residents probably won’t be available until sometime in 2025.

Once in place, the rebates most consumers will tap into will be tied to household income. To get the full rebate amount, your household income must be less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI); if your household income is 80 percent to 150 percent of the AMI you can get 50 percent of each rebate amount; households with AMIs higher than 150 percent do not qualify for the program.

According to Fannie Mae, the AMI for the Delaware Valley area is $114,700. That means those with household incomes of less than $91,760 will qualify for the full rebate amounts, listed below; those with incomes between $91,760 and $172,050 can qualify for 50 percent of these amounts:

• $8,000—heat pumps when installed to replace existing gas-, oil-, or propane-burning furnaces or baseboard heat as the home’s sole heating source
• $1,750—heat pump water heaters
• $840—heat pump clothes dryers
• $840—replace gas stove with electric one
• $4,000—electrical panel upgrade if needed to power any of the above improvements
• $2,500—electrical wiring upgrades if needed to power any of the above improvements
• $1,600—insulation, air sealing, and ventilation improvements

For households that make more than one of the above improvements, there is a maximum $14,000 rebate.

There will also be a separate program that provides rebates of up to $8,000 for homeowners who take steps to reduce their residence’s overall energy usage by more than 20 percent. We’re still awaiting details from Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on how they will calculate rebate amounts or impose income limits.

Confused by all this math? We are, too! Rewiring America built a brilliant calculator that can estimate which rebates you might qualify for. We’ll also update you on program details as they become available.

Local Incentive Programs

Listed below are incentives from local utility companies in effect in fall 2024. Programs come and go; check with your utility and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) for up-to-date info.

Before starting a project, confirm that you qualify. Rebate programs usually require homeowners to work with the utility’s “approved” contractors or to file paperwork before installations.

Energize Delaware

Customers must first sign up for an energy audit, which costs $50. For no additional cost, during the assessment advisors will install up to $250 of energy-saving products (LED light bulbs, faucet aerators, pipe insulation, etc.).

For any additional recommended work, Energize Delaware will pay 75 percent of the costs for air sealing and duct sealing work and 50 percent of the costs of other projects, with the following caps:

• Air sealing—$900 to $1,800, depending on improvement attained
• Crawlspace encapsulation—$1,000
• Duct sealing—$550 to $700, depending on improvement
• Insulation, attics—$900 to $1,100, depending on level of improvement
• Insulation, floors—$650
• Insulation, foundation walls—$650
• Insulation, knee walls—$400
• Insulation, rim joists—$200
• Insulation, siding/sheathing—$1,200
• Insulation, walls—$1,800

If recommended, Energize Delaware will also pay 50 percent of costs for the projects listed below, up to the following caps:

• Central ACs—$650 or $1,250, depending on energy efficiency
• Furnaces, boiler—$850 for units with 90+ AFUE and equipped with modulating controls
• Furnaces, condensing boiler with on-demand hot water—$1,100 for units with 95+ AFUE
• Furnaces, gas—$750 for units with 96+ AFUE and equipped with electrically commutated motors
• Heat pumps, air-source—$800 or $1,600, depending on unit’s energy efficiency
• Heat pumps, mini-split—$550 or $1,100, depending on energy efficiency, for first unit, then $350 or $550 for each additional unit
• Heat pump + furnace hybrid systems—$1,450 or $2,250, depending on energy efficiency
• Heat-pump water heaters—$1,100 for Energy Star-certified models
• Smart thermostats—$150 for Energy Star-certified models when bundled with other measures
• Tankless water heaters—$650 for Energy Star-certified models
• Ventilation equipment—$400 for approved models
• Whole-home dehumidifiers—$400 for Energy Star-certified units

Jersey Central Power & Light

• Free energy audits
• Appliance recycling—$50 rebate for turning in an old refrigerator or freezer
• Central ACs—$325 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER2 15.2+; $500 rebate for units with SEER 17.1+
• Clothes dryers—$100 rebate for Energy Star-certified models; $300 rebate for Energy Star “Most Efficient”-certified models
• Clothes washers—$50 rebate for Energy Star-certified models; $75 rebate for Energy Star “Most Efficient”-certified models
• Dehumidifiers—$25 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Ductless mini-split heat pumps and ACs—$400 to $500 rebate
• Furnace fans—$100 rebate for units with electronically commutated motors
• Heat pumps, air-source—$600 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER2 15.2+ and HSPF2 7.8+; $1,000 rebate for units with SEER2 17.1+ and HSPF2 7.8+ or for cold-climate units
• Heat pumps, ground-source—$500 rebate for replacing an existing air- or ground-source heat pump with a new ground-source unit; $1,500 rebate for replacing an electric forced-air furnace with a new ground-source unit
• Heat pump water heaters—$750 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Programmable thermostats—$100 rebate for approved models
• Refrigerators—$50 rebate for Energy Star-certified models; $75 rebate for Energy Star “Most Efficient”-certified models
• Room ACs—$30 rebate for Energy Star-certified models

PSE&G New Jersey

• Free energy audits
• Air purifiers—$50 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Appliance recycling—$50 for turning in an old refrigerator or freezer; $25 rebate for each room AC and dehumidifier
• Central ACs—$210 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER 16+; $300 rebate for units with SEER 18+
• Clothes dryers—$200 to $300 rebate for Energy Star-certified electric models
• Clothes washers—$75 to $100 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Dehumidifiers—$35 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Dishwashers—$25 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Ductless mini-split heat pumps and ACs—$240 to $300 rebate
• Heat pumps, air-source—$450 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER 16+; $600 rebate for units with SEER 18+ or cold-climate units
• Furnace blower motors—$60 rebate for installing an electronically commutated motor
• Furnaces, gas—$390 rebate for units with 95+ AFUE; $450 rebate for units with 97+ AFUE
• Furnaces, gas boilers—$450 rebate for units with 90+ AFUE; $510 rebate for units with 95+ AFUE
• Power strips—$15 to $25 rebate for advanced models
• Programmable thermostats—up to $100 rebate for approved models
• Refrigerators and freezers—$75 to $100 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Room ACs—$30 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Ventilation fans—$20 rebate for approved models
• Water heaters, gas tank—rebate up to $750, depending on model
• Water heaters, heat pump—up to $1,000 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Water heaters, gas tankless—rebate up to $750, depending on model

South Jersey Gas

• Free energy audits
• Clothes washers—$50 to $100 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Clothes dryers, gas—$200 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Furnaces, gas—$650 rebate for units with 95+ AFUE; $750 rebate for units with 97+ AFUE
• Furnaces, gas boiler—$750 rebate for units with 90+ AFUE; $850 rebate for units with 95+ AFUE
• Programmable thermostats—$100 rebate for approved models
• Water heaters, gas tank—$250 to $450 rebate for eligible models
• Water heaters, tankless—$500 rebate for eligible models

PECO

Rebate amounts listed below are for completing just that project; there are bonus rebates available for those who complete more than one of the following projects:

• Air purifiers—$25 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Central ACs—$150 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER2 15.2+; $200 rebate for units with SEER2 16.0+
• Clothes dryers, electric—$15 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Clothes dryers, gas—$15 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Clothes dryers, heat-pump—$75 rebate
• Clothes washers—$25 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Dehumidifiers—$50 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Furnace blower motors—$50 for models equipped with electronically commutated motors
• Furnaces, gas—$350 rebate for models with 95+ AFUE; $600 rebate for models with 97+ AFUE
• Furnaces, gas boiler—$350 rebate for models with 90+ AFUE; $600 rebate for models with 94+ AFUE
• Heat pumps, air-source—$200 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER2 15.2+ and HSPF2 7.8+; $300 rebate for units with SEER2 17.1+ and HSPF 7.8+
• Heat pumps, ductless mini-split—$150 rebate for Energy Star-certified units with SEER2 15.2+ and HSPF2 7.8+; $300 rebate for units with SEER2 17.1+ and HSPF 7.8+
• Programmable thermostats—$50 rebate for approved models
• Power strips—$15 rebate for advanced models
• Refrigerators—$20 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Room ACs—$10 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Water heaters, gas tank—$125 rebate for Energy-Star certified models
• Water heaters, heat-pump—$350 rebate for Energy Star-certified models
• Water heaters, tankless—$400 rebate for Energy-Star certified models

PGW

• Furnaces, gas—$400 rebate for units with 95+ AFUE
• Furnaces, gas boiler—$1,000 rebate for units with 94+ AFUE
• Programmable thermostats—up to $70 rebate for approved models
• Tankless water heaters—$400 rebate for eligible models

Additional Resources to Help You Go Green at Home

Consumer Reports
Ratings of appliances, lightbulbs, window AC units, etc.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Rebates and tax incentives available from utilities and governments

Earth911.com
Green tips, plus database of recycling centers and where to dispose of hazardous household waste

Efficient Windows Collaborative
Help with window selection and estimating cost savings

Energy Star
Certifies energy-efficient appliances and HVAC equipment

National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Research and publications on renewables; offers a calculator that estimates energy production and cost of solar installations

Passive House Institute U.S.
Certification and training for net-zero energy-use builders, contractors, and manufacturers

Residential Energy Services Network
Certification for energy auditors

Rewiring America
Educational resources; tracks public policy for electrification projects; offers a nifty calculator that helps consumers figure out eligibility for rebates and other incentives

Snugg Pro
User-friendly web-based energy-auditing software

YouTube.com
Thousands of DIY videos from experts (but also non-experts)

Zero Energy Project
Advice and lists of products and suppliers for home buyers, builders, and designers interested in net-zero energy-use homes