Breaking Down Energy Efficiency Credits and Rebates

NBC 5 Responds to a North Texan who wanted to know about tax credits and rebates for consumers who make changes to their homes to reduce their carbon footprint. Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year. Read on for more information on what’s available to consumers now and what is still in the works.

LOOKING FOR HOME UPGRADES

Frederick Range Junior’s home in Dallas has been in his family for more than five decades.

“May of 1972. My parents, we moved here. I turned from eight to nine years old in this house,” said Range.

Built in 1960, the home still has some original elements, including the air conditioning condenser unit.

“Some of the internal parts have been changed and updated, but it's still the old piping, still the old wiring,” said Range.

Range also pointed out the original single-pane windows.

“The windows sweat, that lets me know something's not right,” said Range.

Range said his energy bills can hit hundreds of dollars in Texas’ extreme heat and cold. He wrote to NBC 5, asking about the Inflation Reduction Act. He wanted to know where to find direct rebates for making changes that cut down on energy use.

“It’s vague,” said Range. “You know, give me details. Is there something I can do, something that I can't do? Is it a little bit or a lot?”

TAX CREDITS AND REBATES

The new law lays out federal income tax credits and consumer rebates - money the consumer would get back right away. Tax credits, the nonbusiness energy property credit and residential clean energy credit are available now.

The law increased and extended some existing tax breaks, a credit against the amount a taxpayer owes in federal income taxes, for the purchase and installation of things like insulation, heat pumps or solar panels in homes.

When it comes to the rebate portion, the Act creates two rebate programs for consumers. Those are not available yet.

“Later this year, probably in the fall, you're going to be seeing more communication from the states as to how their programs are going to roll out and how residents can sign up for those benefits,” said Chris Castro, Chief of Staff for Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Castro explained the DOE plans to issue guidelines for the programs. From there, individual states can apply for funding.

In Texas, the state’s Energy Conservation Office told NBC 5 Responds it would be the agency to handle those rebates, but it's waiting on further guidance from the DOE.

Consumers can expect one of the rebate programs to be performance-based. The amount of the rebate would be tied to how much a household trims its energy usage. According to information published on the DOE’s website, a household could get a max rebate of up to $8,000 or $4,000 depending on household income level.

The second rebate program would offer rebates for certain energy-efficient appliances like heat pumps or electric stoves to lower and moderate-income households. There would also be rebates for wiring and ventilation.

EXAMINING HOME EFFICIENCY

“The states will be developing their own programs. So, there could be some difference from state to state and how these programs will finally roll out,” explained Jennifer Amann, a senior fellow in the buildings program of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. 

Amann said consumers could start with a home energy audit to identify places where air leaks or energy is wasted to help prioritize projects.

“We know that's particularly important in times of extreme weather and there are power outages. If your home is more efficient, it'll stay warmer longer in the winter without power, and it will stay cooler longer in the summer without power,” said Amann.

Low-income Texans can also apply for help through weatherization assistance programs. You can read more about weatherization here.

You can start your search for programs here. Select “find help here” in English or Spanish, then select “weatherization” and enter the name of your city or county, then “find help”. This pulls up a list of providers to contact.

You can also dial 211 and ask for weatherization program information in your area.

If you’ve applied in the past and were deferred because you needed a repair that wasn’t covered, Amann said now is a good time to check back.

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