The free weatherization and heat pump rebate for low income homeowners
A free weatherization and heat pump rebate for low income homeowners now exists inside 1 federal program instead of 2 separate ones. The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program, known as HEAR, pays a household up to 14,000 dollars total, and the United States Department of Energy states directly on its own program page that the money is designed to insulate and seal a home before its heating and cooling gets upgraded, so the 2 jobs happen as 1 project instead of 2 separate errands. Inside that 14,000 dollar total, HEAR sets aside 1,600 dollars for insulation, air sealing and ventilation, the work most people call weatherization. A state running the program may raise the rebate further for a household earning under 80% of the area median income, the local measure of typical earnings, though the amount is left to each state.
What New York EmPower Plus actually delivers
New York runs its own low income energy program, EmPower Plus, through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NYSERDA. It is a separate program from the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, though it performs the same kind of work, insulation and air sealing. A household applies once online, gets assigned 1 contractor, and that contractor completes 1 home energy assessment covering both weatherization and heating and cooling before recommending any work. A qualifying low income household pays nothing for that work up to 12,000 dollars upstate or 14,000 dollars downstate, and a moderate income household pays half up to 6,000 dollars upstate or 7,000 dollars downstate. Comparing those 2 sourced figures shows New York own downstate no cost cap, 14,000 dollars, equals the federal HEAR maximum exactly, evidence the state built that tier to deliver the full federal benefit.
The low income downstate cap matches the federal HEAR maximum household rebate exactly. This site compares the 2 sourced figures, neither source states this match directly.
Show the numbers
| Low income upstate | 12,000 |
| Low income downstate | 14,000 |
| Moderate income upstate | 6,000 |
| Moderate income downstate | 7,000 |
Where the 14,000 dollars goes, category by category
The federal program breaks that 14,000 dollar maximum into 6 categories. A heat pump for heating and cooling can get up to 8,000 dollars, an electrical panel upgrade up to 4,000 dollars, wiring work up to 2,500 dollars, a heat pump water heater up to 1,750 dollars, weatherization up to 1,600 dollars, and an electric stove up to 840 dollars. Those 6 caps add up to more than 14,000 dollars by design, not by error, because a household draws only from the categories its own work needs, and the total payout stops at 14,000 dollars however many categories apply.
These 6 category caps add up to more than 14,000 dollars because a household draws only from the categories its own work needs, never all 6 at once. The federal maximum per household stays 14,000 dollars however many categories apply. Corroborated by source 5.
Show the numbers
| Heat pump | 8,000 |
| Electrical panel | 4,000 |
| Wiring | 2,500 |
| Water heater | 1,750 |
| Weatherization | 1,600 |
| Stove | 840 |
A real weatherization and heat pump project already running
In Thurston County, Washington, the Energize Thurston program has already put 3,071,333 dollars of federal HEAR money behind heat pump work, part of a 4.17 million dollar program running from 2026 to 2027. Tye Menser, chair of the county board of commissioners, said.
Last year, local homeowners installed 227 new heat pump systems, saving each household thousands of dollars, and we're anticipating the savings will only grow as this program expands.
Tye Menser, chair of the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners, Washington. Source 4.
A second, more generous phase opening October 2026 will cover 80% to 100% of costs for a household earning below 120% of the county area median income.
What this rebate does not include yet
The older, separate Weatherization Assistance Program is not shown combining with HEAR by name. It has reached more than 7.2 million families since 1976, but its own Department of Energy page never mentions HEAR or electrification. The combined weatherization and heat pump rebate available now comes from HEAR own design, and from programs like EmPower Plus that build around it.