Georgia launched statewide Home Energy Rebate Programs in late 2024, providing the opportunity for thousands of households across the state to keep money in their pocket while making home improvements that save energy and improve home comfort. We wrote about this program in a previous article published a few months ago, and this article provides more details for Georgia residents interested in learning more. While the federal tax credits for home energy efficiency will no longer be available in 2026, these state rebate programs will continue to serve Georgians across the state.
What Do The Rebates Cover, and How Much Do They Cover?
The rebates are divided into two distinct programs:
- Electrification and Appliance Rebates
The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program is designed to encourage people to switch to more efficient electric appliances; therefore, the rebates cannot generally be used for replacing one electric appliance with another of the same type. In general, they must be either for first-time electrification, replacing non-electric appliances, installed in new construction, or replacing less efficient electric resistance heating appliances with more efficient heat pump units.
It covers the following home upgrades up to the indicated dollar amounts. The total amount a household can receive through this program cannot exceed $14,000. This program is exclusively for low- and middle-income households (and property owners renting to low- and middle-income households), with low-income households getting up to 100% of the project cost covered and middle-income households getting up to 50% of the project cost covered.
- Heat pump water heater: up to $1,750 rebate
- Heat pump for heating/cooling: up to $8,000 rebate
- Electric stove/cooktop/range/oven: up to $840 rebate
- Heat pump dryer: up to $840 rebate
- Electrical panel: up to $4,000 rebate
- Insulation, air sealing, and ventilation: up to $1,600 rebate
- Electrical wiring: up to $2,500 rebate
- Efficiency Rebates
The Home Efficiency Rebate (HER) program gives rebates for any work that reduces energy use in the home, so long as the work is estimated to reduce total household energy use by at least 20%. It could be sealing air leaks around windows or doors, fixing leaky air ducts, adding insulation, replacing HVAC or hot water heaters, or any combination of things like this. Participation in this program requires residents to work with an approved contractor who will use specialized diagnostic tests and software to figure out which measures will reduce the most energy use and save the most money.
The efficiency rebate program covers 98% of the project cost up to $16,000 per household for low-income households and 50% of the project costs up to $4,000 for all other households.
Who Is Qualified To Receive Rebates?
Income: The Home Efficiency Rebate program is open to all income levels, but low-income households (making less than 80% of the median income for the local area of the project) have larger rebate amounts. You can check how your household income compares to the area median income here.
The Electrification and Appliance program rebates are reserved for only low- and middle-income households, with low-income households eligible for larger rebates than middle-income households. For this program, low-income is defined as making less than 80% of the median income for the local area of the project and middle-income is defined as making between 80% and 150% of the area median income. You can check how your household income compares to the area median income here.
More information about income qualifications is available here.
Homeowners and Renters: The rebate programs are generally suited for homeowners, but renters can participate with written permission from the building owner.
Landlords/Property Owners: Property owners can participate in the rebate programs to improve their buildings on behalf of renters. Details about the multifamily rebate program are here. Property owners are an important group of people in the program and hold the possibility of positively impacting many family’s lives by utilizing this program for upgrading housing and lowering tenants’ energy bills. If you are a property owner, please examine the details and consider how you can participate, and if you know a property owner, please send this article to them.
Do Rebate Recipients Have To Pay Rebate Money Out Of Pocket And Then Get Reimbursed?
Generally, not! The rebate programs are designed to be largely handled by pre-approved contractors who will knock the value of the rebate off of the bill for the project. In instances where low-income households are eligible for getting 100% of the cost covered, this could mean $0 of total cost and no money out of pocket for major home upgrades!
DIY projects are allowed for kitchen stove/oven/cooktop replacements and heat pump dryers, and in the case of DIY projects, the rebate will be paid retroactively as a reimbursement.
How To Claim A Rebate
Most rebates are accessed by working through a contractor that is participating in the program. There are now nearly 100 contractors participating in the program across the state. Find a contractor here. For those in rural areas that may not have a contractor in the vicinity, 17 participating contractors work statewide.
If you are a contractor who would like to sign up to participate and get business directed to you from the program, you can sign up here. Likewise, if you know a contractor who you think should be aware of this program so they can participate, please send them this article!
For people who want to take the DIY path for a new oven/stove/cooktop or heat pump dryer, the information in the flyer here should be reviewed and followed.
Where Does The Funding Come From?
Georgia’s Home Energy Rebate Programs funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy who was tasked with administering rebate programs in each state in a historic investment program signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Americans need more bold investments into lowering our energy bills through energy efficiency and clean energy, as the Inflation Reduction Act does.
