Energy efficiency news.
Rebate updates, policy changes, and technology developments — aggregated from 50+ sources, AI-enriched, and scored for relevance.
New Ohio bill could hamstring big wind and solar farms even more
The Ohio Senate has passed a bill, SB294, that would make it harder for large wind and solar farms to get approved in the state, even as lawmakers on both sides agree Ohio needs more electricity supply. The bill would require any "reliable" energy source to hit a 50% capacity factor — a measure of how much power a source actually produces compared to its theoretical maximum. Solar farms in the U.S. averaged just 24.4% last year, so many projects would likely need to add battery storage to qualify, raising costs. Smaller projects — under 50 megawatts for solar and 5 megawatts for wind — would be exempt from this rule. Supporters, including groups tied to the fossil fuel industry, say the bill favors "affordable, reliable" energy. Critics, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, solar industry groups, and the regional grid operator PJM, argue that capacity factor isn't a real measure of reliability, since the grid works because it combines many different power sources, not because any single one runs constantly. The bill has moved to the Ohio House, where it may be taken up after summer recess. For homeowners, this bill doesn't directly change any rebate or upgrade program. But it could shape how much new wind and solar power gets built in Ohio in coming years, which affects the state's electricity supply and, potentially, future prices.
Louisiana adjourns its 2026 legislative session
Louisiana's 2026 legislative session, which ran from March to June, ended with two measures that push back against the state's 2022 climate action plan, which had set goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. One resolution, HR 274, directs a legislative committee to review that plan and the task force behind it, though no timeline has been set for when this review will happen. The other, HB 804, creates legal protections for energy producers against certain lawsuits over greenhouse gas emissions; it was sent to the governor, who has 20 days to act before it becomes law automatically. Two other bills that concerned clean-energy advocates did not pass. One would have blocked state funds from going to programs aimed at net-zero emissions goals and let private citizens sue public agencies over violations. Another sought to have the state formally reject the 2022 climate plan. Neither advanced this session, though the review under HR 274 could bring similar arguments back into play, and there's a chance one of these bills gets reintroduced in 2027. None of this changes any rebate program or incentive you can use on your own home right now. It signals a shift in how Louisiana's state government is treating its climate and emissions goals more broadly, which could shape future state-level energy policy. If you're weighing an upgrade, it's worth keeping an eye on how the state's climate plan review unfolds, since it could affect programs tied to that plan down the road.
UAE's exit from OPEC+ reduced the group's share of crude oil production and capacity
This is global oil market news, not a home energy story, but it touches on why fuel prices move the way they do. In April 2026, the United Arab Emirates left OPEC, the group of oil-producing countries that coordinates production levels to influence world crude oil prices. The UAE had been OPEC's third-largest producer, pumping about 3.4 million barrels a day in 2025. Without the UAE, OPEC's share of world crude oil production drops from 35% to 31%, and the wider OPEC+ group's share falls from about 46% to 42%. The bigger disruption is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil-shipping route, following conflict in Iran that began in February 2026. This has cut regional oil production and rattled markets. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are rerouting exports around the closed strait through pipelines to other ports, which has helped them lose less production than other Middle Eastern producers still dependent on that route. The UAE is doubling its pipeline capacity by 2027 to move even more oil this way. For homeowners, none of this requires any action, but it helps explain why gasoline, propane, or heating oil prices might be more volatile lately. Tighter global crude supply and shipping disruptions in the Middle East tend to show up at the pump and in fuel bills, even though the underlying causes are geopolitical and far from any single house.
Your morning coffee is killing the planet
This one is about food and farming, not home energy upgrades, but it's worth knowing the basic point. A new report from the nonprofit Coffee Watch found that coffee farming has cleared about half a million acres of forest in Vietnam's Central Highlands since 1990, an area the size of Luxembourg. Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee grower and the top source of cheaper "robusta" beans used in most instant coffee. The cleared land has also lowered water tables and worn out soils, and droughts tied to this damage have already pushed coffee prices up. The wider point of the piece is that food production, not just cars or power plants, is a major driver of climate and environmental damage. Agriculture causes most deforestation and habitat loss globally, and coffee is only a small slice of that, about 1 percent. Cattle ranching is a far bigger factor, replacing forest area roughly 200 times larger than what coffee has consumed in Vietnam, and beef is described as a much bigger climate problem than coffee. There is no rebate, program, or upgrade tied to this news, and nothing here changes what a homeowner needs to do about heating, cooling, or weatherizing a house. It is simply a reminder that everyday consumption, including what ends up in your morning cup, carries an environmental cost worth knowing about, even if it is not something to act on around your own home.
Installing a heat pump might increase the value of your home
If you have a heat pump (a single system that both heats and cools a home using electricity, more efficiently than a gas furnace) mentioning it in your listing when you sell could pay off. A new report from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, the customer-data firm 257, and the National Association of Realtors looked at more than half a million U.S. home sales from 2024 to 2025. Listings that mentioned a home's heat pump sold for 0.6% to 1% more than similar homes that didn't advertise one — about $2,300 to $3,900, based on a median sales price of $399,000. A ducted heat-pump system costs around $15,400 on average to install, so that price bump could recoup roughly 15% to 25% of the cost. An earlier, differently designed study from 2020 found an even bigger premium — 4% to 7%, or $10,400 to $17,000 — by comparing the same homes' sale prices before and after a heat pump was added. The two studies asked different questions, but both point the same way: buyers are willing to pay more for a home with a heat pump already in place. The catch is that most sellers aren't getting credit for it. The report found heat pumps were mentioned in listings only 8% of the time, even though buyers increasingly ask about energy-efficient features to help control utility bills. More than half the real estate agents surveyed said they weren't confident explaining what a heat pump does or why it matters, which may be part of why the appliance so often goes unmentioned.
California solar surged ahead of gas in the first 5 months of 2026
From January through May of this year, solar power beat natural gas as a source of electricity in California on 82% of days, according to federal energy data. This is a big shift for a state where gas has long supplied about 40% of yearly electricity. Large-scale solar generation rose 21% compared with the same months last year, while gas generation fell 60%. Batteries are a big part of the story. California has built 16 gigawatts of battery storage that charges up on solar power during the day and then supplies electricity in the evening, competing directly with gas after sundown. A large new wind project (SunZia) has also started sending power into California, cutting into gas use overnight too. Notably, solar is pulling ahead even though the state still has more gas plant capacity than utility-scale solar capacity, since gas plants can run any time while solar only works when the sun is out. The numbers above don't include rooftop solar, since home solar systems do not report production the way big power plants do. Adding rooftop panels in would likely make solar's lead even larger. Gas may pick back up this summer if heat waves push air-conditioning demand higher than solar alone can cover. But so far this year, solar has clearly had the upper hand on California's grid, a sign of how much cleaner and more solar-reliant the state's electricity has become.
Community solar needs space to grow. Warehouse rooftops have lots of it.
Community solar lets utilities sell power from a shared solar array to nearby customers, who get a discount on their electric bill without installing anything on their own roof. Developers are now looking at warehouse rooftops as prime real estate for these projects, since most warehouses use only 30 to 40 percent of their roof space for their own power needs. In Oakland, California, logistics company Prologis and public energy provider Ava Community Energy just switched on a 720-kilowatt rooftop array that will supply power to income-qualified subscribers with a guaranteed 20 percent cut to their monthly bill. Prologis has similar projects underway in New Jersey and Illinois. Whether this matters to you depends heavily on where you live. Community solar programs currently exist in about half of U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., including Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Some of these states, like New Jersey, are expanding their programs and prioritizing rooftops over open land. California, by contrast, has tight cxaps on how much community solar can be built, and regulators there have recently blocked efforts to expand it, arguing it costs more than large solar farms built on open land. If your state has a community solar program, it's worth checking whether a provider in your area offers a subscription — these arrangements are pitched especially at renters and lower-income households who can't put solar on their own roof, offering bill savings without any equipment or installation on your property.
Join BPA as Our Next Chief Executive Officer
The Building Performance Association is hiring a new chief executive officer. BPA is the industry group for the home performance and energy efficiency sector, formed in 2018 from a merger of three groups: Efficiency First, Home Energy Magazine, and the Home Performance Coalition. Its members include contractors, utilities, program managers, and others who work on making homes more energy efficient, comfortable, healthy, and safe. The group has 15 staff members and an annual budget of about $3.5 million. This is a staffing and leadership change at the organization level, not a new program or rebate for homeowners. The new CEO will handle the association's finances, strategy, and outreach to the home performance industry, and will report to BPA's Board of Directors. The job posting lists qualifications like eight or more years of senior management experience and knowledge of the energy efficiency industry, but does not touch on new incentives, technologies, or deadlines that would directly affect a homeowner's own upgrade plans. For homeowners, this news is mainly background: it signals continued activity and investment in the organizations that shape training, standards, and advocacy for home energy efficiency work across the country. It does not change any rebate programs, contractor requirements, or technical standards on its own. Anyone curious about how BPA's work might eventually affect available programs or contractor qualifications in their area can keep an eye on future announcements from the association once new leadership is in place.
Groups Take Legal Action Against Spartanburg Data Center
Two environmental groups, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, have asked the South Carolina Public Service Commission to step in over a data center power plant being built in Spartanburg County. The Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy say the developer, Valara Holdings, started construction on a roughly 450-megawatt gas-fired power plant without getting approval required under the state's Siting Act. That law requires any power plant larger than 75 megawatts to go through a public review by the Commission before construction begins. Valara reportedly never applied for or received that approval. The plant, meant to supply electricity for Valara's data center, would produce enough power for thousands of homes, but the groups warn it would also release harmful air pollution, including fine particulate matter, smog-forming compounds, and formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Their petition asks the Commission to force an open, public review of the project's environmental and community impacts and to require Valara to provide the transparency the law demands before work continues on Pine Street. This case is playing out in South Carolina and centers on one specific data center project, not a broader rule change. Still, it points to a pattern: as data centers drive up electricity demand nationwide, some developers are building large gas plants to power them, raising questions about air quality and grid impacts for nearby residents. For homeowners elsewhere, it is a reminder to watch for similar large energy projects proposed near your own community.
The Importance of Professional HVAC Inspections Before Summer
Getting your air conditioning system checked before summer heat sets in can catch small problems while they're still cheap to fix. Systems take on wear over the year, and issues like dirty filters or blocked airflow force the unit to work harder, which drives up energy bills. A routine check has a technician clean and inspect the system's parts so it runs efficiently. Summer is the busiest time for repair companies, since air conditioners run nonstop in the heat. Getting an inspection done ahead of time lowers the odds of the system failing on a brutal 95-degree day when everyone else is also calling for emergency repairs. Inspections also matter for indoor air quality, since dust, pollen, and pet dander build up in the system and ducts over time and get blown through the house every time the air conditioner runs. This can be a real issue for anyone with allergies. Watch for weak airflow, uneven cooling in different rooms, strange noises, or a jump in your energy bill. These are common signs a system needs attention already. Catching them early tends to be less costly than waiting for a full breakdown. Regular care also helps the equipment last longer, which matters since replacing a whole air conditioning system is a significant expense.
You’re unsubscribed from Alaska Conference communications.
This page has no news for homeowners planning energy upgrades. It is simply a confirmation notice showing that someone was unsubscribed from email updates about an Alaska building conference. There is no information here about rebates, tax credits, heat pumps, weatherization programs, or any other home energy topic. Nothing in it affects your house or any upgrade you might be considering. If you are tracking energy-efficiency news for your home, this particular item does not apply. Keep an eye out for future updates on programs and incentives that actually relate to home upgrades.
Rooftop solar is in for a tough few years in the US
Rooftop solar installations are set to drop in the U.S., with 2026 numbers expected to hit their lowest point since 2020. The main reason: last year, Congress and President Trump eliminated the 30% federal tax credit that had made solar panels more affordable for homeowners. That same law also killed the 30% credit for home battery backup systems, which many people install alongside solar panels. The industry was already dealing with high interest rates, tariffs, and a major policy change in California that reduced payments to solar customers. Losing the tax credit makes installing solar more expensive at a time when U.S. systems already cost more than in other countries — around $2.58 per watt here compared to roughly $1 per watt in Australia. Analysts expect it could take more than a decade for the industry to match the installation numbers it hit in 2023, a peak driven by a temporarily boosted tax credit and a rush of Californians installing panels before their state's compensation rules changed. Not every state is struggling equally. California's residential solar market is expected to grow 17% this year, and Florida, the second-biggest rooftop solar market, could see growth of 62%. Plenty of sun and rising utility bills seem to be keeping demand alive in these bigger markets despite the lost tax break. Separately, a smaller trend is picking up: balcony solar, cheap plug-in panels that renters can use without owning a roof. Several states have passed laws allowing them, and while they produce far less power than a full rooftop system, they offer another way to generate some of your own electricity if a full installation isn't in the cards.
Plug-In Solar Is Safer, But The Regulations Don’t Reflect That
Plug-in solar is a small panel setup, usually under 2,400 watts, that connects straight into a regular wall outlet — no roof work, no contractor, no big investment. In Germany, over a million of these units are in use with no utility sign-off required. In most of the U.S., though, even a small plug-in unit faces the same interconnection process as a full rooftop system: a utility application, a technical review that can take weeks or months, a signed agreement, and sometimes an inspection or extra disconnect hardware. Portable gas and diesel generators, by contrast, face none of that, even though a new safety analysis from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) found generators have a documented history of killing utility lineworkers through "backfeed" — power flowing back onto lines a worker believes are shut off. Certified solar inverters are built to detect an outage and cut off power automatically, usually in a fraction of a second, and have zero documented lineworker injuries tied to that failure. Because of this mismatch, states are starting to loosen the rules for small plug-in systems. Nine states — Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia — have passed laws exempting small, certified plug-in solar units from the standard interconnection process, and 35 states plus Washington, D.C. have introduced similar bills. If you're considering a plug-in solar unit, it's worth checking whether your state has passed one of these laws, since it could mean a simpler approval process or none at all, depending on where you live.
SACE Among Energy Groups Challenging NC Utility Commission Cancellation of Solar Development
A group of environmental organizations, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, is suing to stop the North Carolina Utilities Commission from canceling a 2026 round of solar and battery storage development. The commission had halted the process without a hearing or public comment, and the groups argue this violates due process protections in the state constitution. They've asked a Wake County court to void the order and let the solar procurement move forward as originally planned. The stakes for North Carolina electricity customers, mostly served by Duke Energy, come down to cost and reliability. Duke recently said it expects a large jump in demand from data centers and other big power users, and the company's own long-term plan counted on this solar and storage development to help meet that growth affordably. The groups challenging the order say blocking it removes a low-cost option and could push Duke toward more expensive, polluting gas plants instead, which would likely mean higher bills for customers. For homeowners, this isn't a program you can sign up for or a rebate you'd apply to. It's a dispute over the state's broader electricity supply, the power plants and batteries that feed the grid you draw from if you're a Duke Energy customer. If the commission's order stands, it could mean higher electricity costs down the road and a grid more dependent on gas rather than solar and storage. The lawsuit is now in the hands of a state court.
Tesla offers discounted home batteries in New England VPP push
Tesla is offering cheaper home battery leases to homeowners in Massachusetts and Connecticut, as long as they let the company tap into those batteries to help the power grid. Under the deal, you get a Tesla Powerwall with no money down, paying about $30 a month less than a standard lease in Massachusetts, or about $60 a month less in Connecticut. In exchange, Tesla can control the battery and use it during 70 to 100 grid events a year, mostly times when electricity demand is high and utilities want to avoid firing up expensive backup power plants. Tesla says it still keeps enough charge in your battery to serve its usual job: backing up your home during an outage and helping lower your bill. These states already run a program called ConnectedSolutions, which pays battery owners for sending power back to the grid at peak times. Tesla has used that program for nearly a decade and says its stability, including Connecticut's recently expanded payments through a program called Energy Storage Solutions, is what let the company offer bigger discounts there. This approach is similar to what Tesla already does in Texas, where competition among electricity retailers has led to cheap or free battery deals funded by the money companies make managing those batteries. For homeowners weighing whether battery storage is worth the cost, discounts like these lower the upfront barrier, though the tradeoff is giving up some control over when and how the battery is used. Other companies, including Sunrun, Generac and Enphase, run similar virtual power plant programs elsewhere, so it's worth checking what your own state and utility offer.
The Iran war sparked a shift toward clean energy. Will it last?
The recent conflict between the U.S. and Iran pushed fossil fuel prices up around the world, and that drove a lot of people toward clean energy alternatives. A deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas shipping route, has since brought oil prices down, though experts think it could take up to a year for prices to fully settle, partly because fuel infrastructure in the Middle East was damaged during the fighting. While the war lasted, the price spike had real effects. Electric vehicle sales, which had been sluggish, picked up in the U.S. and globally through April and May. In Europe, households in Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands installed rooftop solar to dodge high electricity bills. In India, a cooking gas shortage pushed people toward induction stoves, and the Philippines saw a jump in rooftop solar installs as well. Some analysts think this could mark a lasting shift rather than a temporary blip, pointing to the 1970s oil crises as a precedent that pushed the world toward more efficient energy use. For homeowners in the U.S., the most direct effect so far has been at the gas pump rather than in home energy costs. But the broader trend is worth watching: if fossil fuel prices stay volatile, electric options like EVs, induction cooking, and rooftop solar may keep looking more appealing on cost and reliability grounds, regardless of what happens with any single conflict.
May end-of-session roundup
Several states wrapped up their 2026 legislative sessions in May, with a mix of results that touch on building codes and clean energy, though little of it means immediate changes for most homeowners. In Connecticut, lawmakers passed a bill stretching out how often the state must update its building, fire, and safety codes to match national model codes, only requiring updates every six years instead of more often. Groups that track energy codes opposed this, arguing that sticking with older codes for longer can mean higher long-term costs for homeowners, since newer codes often bring better energy-efficiency standards. In Illinois, the legislature adopted a new law aimed at lowering residents' utility bills while moving the state toward a 2045 clean-energy goal, though a separate bill that would have required schools to monitor indoor air quality did not pass. Oklahoma and South Carolina both saw bills fail that would have pushed for stronger energy-efficiency standards in state buildings and easier updates to commercial energy codes, respectively. In Vermont, a bill setting rules for data center construction was vetoed, while a separate economic development bill — still awaiting the governor's signature — would let local governments set up "C-PACE" districts. This financing tool allows commercial property owners to borrow private money for clean-energy upgrades and pay it back through their property taxes, easing the upfront cost barrier. If it becomes law, it would apply to commercial properties rather than to homes directly. Arkansas voters, meanwhile, may see a ballot measure this November on establishing a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment, if enough signatures are gathered by July 3.
Permian natural gas production increased faster than crude oil
Natural gas production in the Permian Basin, a major oil and gas region spanning West Texas and southeast New Mexico, has grown faster than crude oil production over the past several years. Between 2021 and 2025, natural gas output there rose 60%, from 17.2 billion cubic feet per day to 27.6 billion. Crude oil production grew too, but by a smaller 39%, from 4.7 million barrels a day to 6.6 million. The reason has to do with how oil and gas fields change as they age. As wells are pumped over time, pressure underground drops, and natural gas becomes relatively easier to produce than oil. This shifts the mix of what comes out of the ground toward more gas per barrel of oil, a ratio that has climbed 16% since 2021. If that ratio had stayed flat instead of rising, the Permian would have produced 14% less natural gas in 2025 than it actually did. This is a supply-side energy market story, not something tied to a specific home upgrade or rebate. But natural gas supply trends like this can factor into the price and availability of gas used for home heating and cooking. If you use natural gas in your house, broader shifts in how much is being produced nationally are part of the backdrop for utility prices, even though this particular report does not say what it means for your bill.
Dear Doomer: Hope is a Discipline
This piece isn't news about a specific program or rebate. It's a reflection on climate "doomerism" — the belief that climate change is too far gone to fix — and why the author thinks that view is wrong. The argument rests on history: humanity has solved big environmental problems before, from repairing the ozone layer to cutting acid rain to phasing out leaded gasoline. Energy systems have also shifted before, from wood to coal to oil and gas, each time reshaped by public pressure — miners striking for safety, communities fighting pollution, workers demanding fair treatment. The author argues the current shift from fossil fuels to clean energy, like solar, wind, and electric vehicles, follows that same pattern: messy, slow, and driven by people organizing rather than industries or governments acting on their own. The piece also stresses fairness — making sure workers in fossil fuel industries and communities that have long dealt with pollution aren't left behind as energy systems change. There's no rebate, deadline, or program mentioned here, and no specific action for your own house. It's a broader argument that progress on climate and energy is still possible, and that it depends on people continuing to push for it rather than assuming decline is inevitable.
Eavor plots next step for novel geothermal project after rocky start
A geothermal startup called Eavor Technologies is working through problems on a first-of-its-kind power plant in Geretsried, Germany. The project uses a "closed-loop" system: wells drilled miles underground, connected and sealed off, with water circulating through them to pick up heat from hot rock and carry it to the surface. Unlike traditional geothermal plants, which need natural pockets of steam or hot water, this approach is meant to work almost anywhere. The company finished its first underground loop and started sending electricity to Germany's grid late last year, but ran into serious drilling trouble, including unstable wells and cement casing that let fluid leak between wells that were supposed to stay sealed off. Fixing this doubled the time and cost of the first loop, and the company had to stop after six pairs of wells instead of the twelve it planned. It's now looking for new partners and investors before starting loop two, so the timeline for finishing the full project, meant to eventually supply power or heating to nearby towns, has slipped. None of this involves a program or rebate homeowners can use. It's a look at the challenges facing this next-generation geothermal technology as it moves from testing to real-world use. Experts say these kinds of setbacks are normal for a first attempt at new drilling technology, and other companies in the US are pursuing similar closed-loop projects, alongside a competing approach called enhanced geothermal systems.
Louisiana v Callais Broke the System. Here’s How We Fix It
This is a piece about voting rights law, not home energy upgrades, so there's no rebate or efficiency angle to summarize for a homeowner. But here's what the news is, in plain terms. The Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that states generally cannot draw voting districts based on race, even to comply with the Voting Rights Act's Section 2, unless there's proof of intentional discrimination. Legal scholars say this ruling, combined with earlier decisions like Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and Rucho v. Common Cause (2019), guts most of the remaining federal protections against racial gerrymandering. States can now redraw congressional maps to break up districts where Black and other minority voters previously had strong representation, with little legal risk. The piece argues the deeper problem is the country's winner-take-all voting system, where a candidate who gets the most votes in a district wins everything and everyone else gets no representation. It points to proportional representation, already used in places like Portland, Cambridge, Minneapolis, and Eastpointe, Michigan, as an alternative where seats are allocated based on vote share, making gerrymandering far less effective. The author calls for renewed efforts to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 14) in Congress, along with more local and state adoption of proportional representation systems, and continued research tracking how map changes affect real communities.
Data centers are key to fight over Duke electric rates in North Carolina
Duke Energy wants to raise household electric rates by 18% in North Carolina, a move tied largely to preparing the grid for a coming wave of data centers. If regulators approve the increase, a typical household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month would pay $280 to $355 more per year by 2028. Duke says the money is needed for grid upgrades, storm resilience, and new power plants, including a large expansion of gas plants, to meet demand that the company says is more than 85% driven by data centers. Consumer and clean energy groups argue there's a better way to handle this growth without pushing the cost onto homeowners. They want regulators to create a separate "large load" customer class for data centers and other big power users, requiring them to pay for most of their expected usage over a long contract term and allowing them to bring their own renewable power instead of relying entirely on Duke. They also oppose a separate part of Duke's request: a higher profit margin on its investments, which critics say would cost customers hundreds of millions more than a lower rate they're proposing instead. The state attorney general and the utilities commission's own consumer advocate office back similar reforms. Hearings before the North Carolina Utilities Commission begin next month, with a decision expected in the fall. For homeowners in Duke's service area, the outcome will directly shape how much bills rise and whether data centers help cover the grid costs their growth is creating.
Invenergy says Trump’s offshore wind payout will fund a geothermal push
The energy developer Invenergy has agreed to give up four offshore wind leases off California, Maine, and New York in exchange for $765 million from the Trump administration. The company says it will use that money to invest in both natural gas plants and geothermal power projects. It's the third major developer to strike this kind of deal recently, following similar agreements from TotalEnergies and Ocean Winds, both of which also plan to put the payouts toward fossil fuel projects. Invenergy's plans include drilling work later this year on what's called an "enhanced geothermal system" — a technique that uses fracking and horizontal drilling to create artificial hot-water reservoirs deep underground, similar to a project Fervo Energy is developing in Utah. The company holds geothermal leases across five Western states. It hasn't said how much of the $765 million will go toward geothermal specifically, versus the natural gas plants it's also planning in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin. For homeowners, this doesn't change any rebate or incentive program directly. But it reflects a broader shift: while the administration has worked to block offshore wind, it has left geothermal tax credits in place and continued funding that sector. Critics argue these lease buyouts don't offset the power that offshore wind was expected to supply to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, since the new gas and geothermal projects are being built in different regions entirely.
President Trump’s Coal Bailouts Lock-In Higher Costs, Forestall Real Solutions
The Trump administration is spending hundreds of millions more in taxpayer money to keep aging coal plants running, support new coal projects, and back a coal export terminal. This follows earlier moves to keep coal plants online past their planned retirement, push the military toward coal power, and roll back pollution rules covering mercury, toxic wastewater, coal ash, and carbon dioxide from coal plants. For homeowners, the practical concern is cost and reliability. Coal plants are now generally more expensive to keep running than building new wind or solar, so propping them up tends to push electricity prices up rather than down. Coal plants have also become the least reliable part of the power system, meaning these subsidies may not even deliver steadier power. At the same time, the administration is working to slow new solar and wind projects, which are typically the fastest and cheapest new power sources to bring online, and which pair well with efficiency upgrades, battery storage, and grid improvements. This is national energy policy news rather than a program change you can act on directly, but it matters for anyone watching utility bills. Electricity demand is already rising due to data center growth, and utility bills have been a strain for many households in the past year. Policy choices about whether to invest in coal or in renewables and efficiency will shape how much power costs in the years ahead, in every state.
Cómo podemos aprovechar el enorme potencial solar en las comunidades de justicia ambiental de Massachusetts
A new report on Massachusetts finds that neighborhoods classified as environmental justice communities (areas with more low-income, non-English-speaking, or racially diverse residents) have enough rooftop solar potential to power almost all 3 million households in the state, plus battery storage potential on top of that. Right now only about 1% of the solar capacity approved under the state's SMART incentive program sits on low-income properties, so this potential is largely untapped. Rooftop solar has already been shown to lower energy bills for low-income households, and more than 90% of the technical solar and storage potential in these neighborhoods falls in areas that also deal with extreme summer heat, meaning solar paired with batteries could help homes stay cool during outages or heat waves. The report points to several obstacles: limited financing options, aging home electrical systems, workforce shortages, and a lack of incentives for renters and condo owners, who make up two-thirds of this untapped potential since it isn't limited to single-family homes. It also notes that most current clean energy programs lack specific equity goals or funding set aside for these communities. For homeowners, the takeaway is less about a new program to sign up for and more about a signal of where state policy may be headed. Massachusetts lawmakers are currently weighing bills that would set equity-focused solar and storage targets and that would affect funding for MassSave, the state's main energy-efficiency rebate program. Changes to MassSave's budget could affect what incentives are available for solar, storage, or other electrical upgrades in the coming years.
Will New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sign a balcony solar bill?
New York lawmakers have passed the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act, which would legalize "balcony solar" — small solar panels that plug directly into a regular outlet and start feeding power into your home right away. Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the end of the year to sign it. Her office says only that it's under review, and given her recent record of pulling back on other state climate measures, her decision isn't a sure thing. Supporters, including Con Edison, are pushing for a signature, arguing it fits her focus on affordability. This matters most if you rent or own an apartment or condo and can't install rooftop solar. The bill would cap plug-in systems at 1,200 watts, enough to run something like a fridge and a laptop during daylight hours, and would let people install them without needing prior utility approval (though you'd still fill out an online form telling your utility about it). An 800-watt setup priced around $1,099 could cut a household's electric bill by close to $300 a year, according to clean energy advocates — modest, but installation takes under an hour and the savings start immediately. One catch: no plug-in solar product has yet been certified safe by a nationally recognized testing lab, though a certification program launched this year and the first approved products are expected soon. Seven other states have already legalized similar setups, and dozens more are considering it. If Hochul signs, New York would become the largest state so far to open the door to this kind of home solar.
Is New England’s new hydropower transmission line paying off?
A new power line carrying Canadian hydropower into New England went live in January, promising cheaper, cleaner electricity for Massachusetts. The state signed a deal with Hydro-Québec for a set amount of hydropower each year, meant to help meet its renewable energy targets. But six months in, the results are mixed. The line, called NECEC, has sat completely idle for roughly 27 days total, including a near two-week stretch this spring blamed on technical problems. When it does run, it mostly delivers power as planned. The bigger issue is that New England isn't necessarily getting more clean power overall. An older line from Quebec has been sending much less electricity south than it used to, so the new line may just be rerouting hydropower New England was already getting rather than adding to the total supply. Quebec has also started drawing some power back from New England on that older line, partly because drought has left its reservoirs low and it needs to serve its own customers first. That means New England is burning more natural gas to send power north, even as it imports hydropower for itself. For homeowners, the direct financial risk looks limited: Massachusetts' contract requires Hydro-Québec to pay penalties if it fails to deliver, so utility customers shouldn't bear the cost of these shortfalls. Whether the new line meaningfully increases the region's clean energy supply, and eventually electricity bills, remains uncertain. Industry voices point to wetter conditions expected in Quebec in future years and new hydropower and wind projects there as reasons for optimism, but for now the benefits are still unproven.
Catalyst Power and Connecticut Green Bank Partner to Advance Commercial Solar Deployment Across Connecticut
Catalyst Power and the Connecticut Green Bank have financed a set of five commercial rooftop solar projects in Hartford and Trumbull, Connecticut, totaling 1,025 kilowatts of generating capacity. Most of the projects are smaller installations, under 200 kilowatts each, on commercial building rooftops. Once running, the portfolio is expected to avoid more than 500 metric tons of carbon emissions a year. This is a commercial and industrial energy story, not a residential one, so it does not change what's available to homeowners directly. But it points to a broader trend worth knowing about: smaller solar projects often struggle to get financed because the paperwork, engineering review, and underwriting costs stay high even when the project itself is small. The Connecticut Green Bank, a state-backed financing organization that supports clean energy projects, worked with Catalyst Power to standardize that process, making it easier for smaller commercial solar projects to move forward despite rising costs and shifting federal incentives. For a homeowner, the relevant takeaway is that state green banks like Connecticut's exist to help finance and de-risk clean energy projects, and many states run similar programs, though the details and eligibility differ by state. If you're weighing solar or other energy upgrades for your own house, it's worth checking whether your state's green bank or energy office offers financing help, rebates, or loan programs, since the tools used here for commercial projects often have residential counterparts.
Solar generation in CAISO surpassed natural gas in the first five months of 2026
California's grid is running more and more on sunshine. In the first five months of 2026, solar power produced more electricity than natural gas plants across the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator covering most of the state. Solar output was up 21% compared with the same stretch in 2024, while natural gas generation dropped 60%. Solar beat gas on 82% of days this year, compared with just 21% of days back in 2024 and 2025. Behind this shift is a buildout of both solar panels and battery storage. Between April 2024 and April 2026, utility-scale solar capacity in CAISO grew 19% to 25 gigawatts, and battery storage capacity jumped 79% to 16 gigawatts. Batteries typically charge up during sunny midday hours when solar is producing more than the grid needs, then discharge that stored power in the evening and early morning. Natural gas capacity, meanwhile, stayed essentially flat at 29 gigawatts. Even with more solar and batteries online, and demand up 7%, the amount of electricity actually generated within CAISO fell 19%, because the state imported much more power from elsewhere. Cheap hydropower from the Pacific Northwest picked up as drought conditions eased there, and CAISO started drawing wind power from the new SunZia project in New Mexico this April. A fire at a large battery facility and other plant retirements over the past two years also played a role. None of this changes what a homeowner needs to do at home, but it points to a grid increasingly shaped by solar and batteries rather than gas-fired power.
Solar and wind try to navigate Trump’s obstacle course for tax credits
Large-scale solar and wind projects across the country are racing to lock in federal tax credits before a July 4, 2026 deadline, set by the tax law President Trump signed last year. Projects that "start construction" by then can still claim credits covering 30% or more of costs. Most big developers have already secured this status, known as "safe harbor," so the pipeline of new solar and wind is not expected to dry up right away. Battery storage projects were not affected by this deadline and keep their original tax-credit terms. The catch is what comes next. Safe-harbored projects now have four years to actually get built and connected to the grid, or they lose the credits. That is harder than it sounds: permitting delays, a backed-up process for connecting to the grid, and a series of new Trump administration hurdles are already slowing tens of gigawatts of projects. These include a near-freeze on permits for projects on public land, paused Defense Department reviews for wind farms, and new rules restricting equipment or financing tied to China, with more restrictive guidance still to come. Smaller developers, with less flexibility to shift equipment between projects, may struggle most to hit the four-year deadline. For homeowners, this doesn't directly affect existing home energy rebates or programs, but it matters for electricity costs. If projects get stuck and lose their tax credits, developers may pass higher costs on to power prices, at a time when many households are already dealing with rising electric bills.
Total Energy News – June 2026
Fuel prices have jumped sharply since the war with Iran began, and a new Vermont analysis puts numbers on the pain. Gasoline hit $4.47 a gallon by the end of May, up nearly 50% from $3.00 before the war, adding more than $75 a month for the average Vermont driver. Fuel oil rose $1.11 a gallon over the same period, so a 200-gallon delivery now costs more than $1,000, versus about $800 before. Across the state, higher gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil prices are estimated to have added $124 million in costs from March through May alone. Nationally, the average American household has spent an extra $190 on gasoline since the war started. For anyone heating with oil or driving a lot, these increases are a reminder that cutting fuel use — through better insulation and air sealing (blocking drafts and gaps that let heated or cooled air escape), or switching to a heat pump for heating and cooling — can matter more when fossil fuel prices are volatile. Separately, federal tax credits for electric vehicles and other home clean-energy equipment were phased out last year under the Trump administration and the GOP, and EV sales have taken a hit as a result. That means buyers can no longer count on those federal credits to lower the upfront cost of an EV, though other incentives may still vary by state. On the utility side, a 120-home pilot project in California is testing whether electric vehicles can double as backup batteries, supplying power to a home's appliances and even to the grid during outages or peak demand.
Despite It All: Watching US Wind and Solar’s Amazing Progress
Wind and solar power keep growing in the US, even as federal policy works against them. In April 2026, solar and wind together supplied 26 percent of the country's electricity, up from about 20 percent just a few years ago. In May 2026, solar generated more electricity nationwide than coal for the first time ever. Solar and wind, plus battery storage, have made up more than 90 percent of all new power capacity added in each of the last two years. This growth is happening despite moves by the Trump administration to slow it down, including buying back offshore wind leases from companies that won them at auction, and paying to keep aging coal plants running rather than let them close. Courts have repeatedly ruled against these actions, and offshore wind construction has continued. One development worth knowing about: some states, starting with Utah, have passed laws allowing "plug-in" or "balcony" solar, which lets a household, including renters and people in apartments, buy small solar panels that plug in directly and offset part of their electric bill without a full rooftop installation. Rules on this vary by state, so it is worth checking what your state allows. None of this changes anything about existing rebate programs directly, but it points to a broader trend: solar and wind are cheaper and faster to build than most other power sources, and their share of the electric grid keeps rising regardless of the political fight over them.
This spring, clean energy in the US set record after record
This spring, the mix of power on the grid shifted more than most people realize. In May, solar generated more electricity nationwide than coal for the first time, making it the country's third-biggest power source for the month. Coal plants can run around the clock, but the country now has enough solar panels installed that daytime sun alone outproduced coal for the whole month. The bigger story is what's happening after dark. In California, batteries (which store solar power to use later) covered 44% of evening electricity demand on one March night, and for a few hours on another day gas plants barely ran at all. A new wind farm feeding power in from New Mexico is also cutting into gas use overnight. New York set its own solar record in June, with most of that power coming from home and small business rooftop systems rather than big utility-scale farms, showing that even without wide-open desert, rooftop solar adds up. Texas broke records across the board this spring for batteries, wind, and solar working together. None of this changes what any single homeowner needs to do right now, but it points to where the grid is headed: more solar, more batteries, and less reliance on gas at times when demand is otherwise easy to meet. The real test comes this summer, when heat waves push demand and air-conditioning use to their peaks, to see whether these cleaner sources can keep holding their ground.
Assessing the Impact of Recent Fossil Fuel Price Increases on Vermonters
Fuel prices have jumped sharply in Vermont since war broke out in Iran at the end of February, and a new analysis puts a dollar figure on what that means for households. Gasoline rose from $3.00 a gallon in late February to $4.47 by the end of May, adding more than $75 a month to costs for the average driver, bringing typical monthly gas spending to about $240. Fuel oil, the fuel most Vermont homes use for heat, climbed from $3.98 to $5.09 a gallon over the same stretch. That pushed the cost of a typical 200-gallon delivery from around $800 before the war to over $1,000 in April and May. A colder-than-normal heating season meant many households burned through their early-season oil and had to buy more at these higher prices. Statewide, the analysis estimates gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil price increases added $124 million in costs across Vermont from March through May, compared with what residents and businesses would have paid at pre-war prices. Of that, about $77.6 million came from gasoline, $23.6 million from diesel, and $22.8 million from fuel oil. For homeowners, the takeaway is that heating oil remains both expensive and prone to these kinds of price swings. The analysis points to weatherization (sealing and insulating a home to cut heating needs) and switching to heat pumps or advanced wood heating as ways to reduce exposure to oil price spikes over time, and notes that electric vehicles are insulated from gasoline price swings since their fuel costs come from electricity instead.
Solar beat coal on the US grid in May — a new milestone
In May, solar panels generated more electricity nationwide than coal plants did — the first time that has happened for a full month. Solar made up 12.8% of U.S. electricity that month, while coal fell to 12.2%, near an all-time low. Natural gas remained the largest source, at 37%. The milestone is notable because it happened even as the Trump administration pushes to keep coal plants running, including emergency orders forcing aging plants to stay open and a recent $700 million commitment to repair old coal plants and build two new ones. The bigger picture is a long decline for coal. Two decades ago it supplied nearly half the country's power; last year that was down to 17%. No new coal plant has been built in the U.S. since 2013, while solar, wind, and battery projects have made up more than 90% of new electricity capacity added in recent years, because they're cheaper and faster to build than new fossil fuel plants. None of this changes anything about your own home directly, but it reflects a grid that is steadily shifting toward solar and away from coal. For homeowners, that broader trend is part of why rooftop solar, home batteries, and electric equipment like heat pumps increasingly draw on a cleaner mix of power than they did even a few years ago.
AI firms are getting creative as they scramble for energy
AI companies are scrambling for electricity to run data centers, and utilities can't keep up, so many firms are building their own power sources on-site. Big gas turbines are backordered due to supply chain problems, so companies are improvising: one developer signed a $1.25 billion deal for jet-engine turbines to power data centers, another is using turbines normally built for cruise ships, and Oracle plans to buy 2.8 gigawatts of fuel cells. Some proposals are far stranger, including floating data centers powered by ocean waves, an underwater data center off the Maine coast, and plans from Meta and Elon Musk to beam solar power from space or put data centers in orbit. Most of these unusual ideas are unlikely to happen soon, but they show how urgently these companies want power. The more ordinary workarounds matter now, though. These on-site gas plants are releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases, and some experts say they will push up electricity bills for regular customers. They also cause local air pollution, most notably from Elon Musk's xAI facility near Memphis, which has run dozens of unpermitted gas turbines on flatbed trailers. This fight over data center power is also playing out locally. Seattle and Flint, Michigan have paused new data center development while they write rules, and states including Texas, Ohio, Delaware and Pennsylvania are considering requirements that new facilities pay for grid upgrades or bring their own power. If a large data center is proposed near you, these debates over cost and pollution may end up affecting local electricity rates or permitting rules in your area.
BPA Board of Directors Announces Planned Leadership Transition
The Building Performance Association, an industry group focused on home energy efficiency, is changing leadership. CEO Steve Skodak, who has led the organization for six years, is stepping down as part of a planned transition. The board says the move is meant to position the group for its "next chapter" as it searches for a new CEO to lead going forward. Skodak will stay on during the transition to help keep things running smoothly for members, partners, and staff. The board has not named a timeline for hiring a replacement or given details on what changes, if any, might follow at the organization. This is a trade-group leadership change, not a shift in any rebate program, incentive, or energy code. It does not affect current weatherization programs, heat pump incentives, or other efficiency rebates homeowners might be using or considering. If you are researching upgrades like insulation, air sealing (sealing gaps that let air leak in and out of a house), or heat pump installations, this news does not change what is available or how to apply. It is worth keeping an eye on whether the group's new leadership shifts its policy priorities down the road, but for now there is nothing here that changes what a homeowner needs to do.
Minnesota now has a wind-powered green ammonia plant
A research plant near Morris, Minnesota is now making ammonia using wind power instead of fossil gas. Ammonia is the main ingredient in the fertilizer most corn farmers rely on, and it's normally made at huge plants using natural gas, then shipped in from elsewhere. The Morris facility uses a wind turbine to run equipment that splits water into hydrogen and pulls nitrogen from the air, then combines them into ammonia on site. It's small, producing only hundreds of kilograms a day, but researchers hope to scale it up. This matters mostly for farmers and the broader energy system rather than individual homeowners. A larger project in southern Minnesota, backed by a farm cooperative and a Texas-based company called Talusag, aims to build modular plants that could produce up to 12,000 tons of ammonia a year, though it lost out on an $8 million state grant this year and its timeline is uncertain. A similar Talusag plant is already running in Iowa. The bigger picture: this kind of local, wind-powered ammonia production could soak up extra wind power that otherwise goes to waste on windy days when the grid has nowhere to send it. Minnesota and its neighbors currently discard enough wind power on windy days to matter, and flexible users like ammonia plants could use that surplus rather than let it go unused. The same approach could eventually feed into cleaner steelmaking, since ammonia can carry hydrogen for industrial processes. None of this changes anything for a homeowner's own energy bills or upgrades right now, but it's a sign of how wind power is being put to new uses in the Midwest.
Largest wind farm in the United States slated to begin commercial operations
The largest wind farm in the country, the SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico, is set to begin commercial operations this month. It has 916 turbines spread across three counties and a total generating capacity of 3,650 megawatts, more than three times the size of the next largest U.S. wind farm. Construction began in 2023 after nearly two decades of permitting, and some turbines were already producing power during testing earlier this year. Most of the electricity from SunZia won't stay in New Mexico. A new 550-mile transmission line carries the power to Arizona and Southern California, with over 2,100 megawatts headed to the Palo Verde Substation for use in Southern California. This addition pushes New Mexico's total wind capacity to 7,647 megawatts, making wind the largest source of generating capacity in the state at 45%, ahead of solar and natural gas at 19% each. For homeowners, this project itself doesn't require any action, but it reflects a broader shift toward more wind power on the grid, particularly in the Southwest. On May 15, 2026, the California grid operator recorded 7,122 megawatts of wind generation in a single hour, 20% above the previous record set in 2024. More wind capacity feeding into regional grids can affect electricity supply and pricing over time in states connected to that grid, including Arizona and California, though the direct effect on any individual home's bill will depend on local utility rates and programs.
Maine Increases Heat Pump Rebates for 2026, Adds Whole-Home Bonus
Efficiency Maine has increased heat pump rebate amounts for 2026 and added a $500 whole-home heat pump bonus for upgrades completed between March 1 and December 31, 2026. Low-income households can receive up to $3,000 per unit (max $9,000), moderate-income up to $2,000 per unit (max $6,000), and any-income homeowners up to $1,000 per unit (max $3,000). The whole-home bonus requires that systems be sized for at least 80% of the home's peak heating load.
IRA Home Energy Rebates: Which States Have Launched Programs?
The Inflation Reduction Act allocated $8.8 billion for home energy rebates through two programs: HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates) and HOMES (Home Efficiency Rebates). Implementation varies dramatically by state. California was oversubscribed within weeks. Texas has $690M allocated but no programs launched. South Dakota and Idaho declined or zeroed their funding, while Wyoming — often reported as having declined — actually holds a conditional ~$69M award (HOMES + HEAR) that was paused after Jan 2025 and is now being rebooted by DOE, though it is not yet claimable. Florida is in active pre-launch (its FDACS Florida Energy Saver portal shows a DOE-approval-to-statewide roadmap, ~$346M) despite earlier reports it had returned funds. States like Connecticut, Vermont, and New York have active programs integrated with existing efficiency infrastructure.
Mass Save Now Covers 100% of Weatherization Costs for Income-Eligible Households
Mass Save has expanded its income-eligible weatherization program to cover 100% of insulation and air sealing costs, up from 75%. The program includes no-cost energy assessments, insulation installation, and air sealing work performed by BPI-certified Home Performance Contractors. Income eligibility thresholds vary by utility territory. The HEAT Loan program continues to offer 0% interest financing up to $25,000 for homeowners who don't qualify for the income-eligible tier.
Cold Climate Heat Pumps Now Maintain Full Capacity Below -15°F
The latest generation of cold-climate heat pumps from Mitsubishi (Hyper-Heating), Fujitsu (XLTH), and LG (Arctic Engineering) are now rated to maintain full heating capacity at -15°F and continue operating down to -22°F. Field data from Vermont and Maine installations shows that properly sized cold-climate heat pumps can serve as the sole heating source in Climate Zones 5-7 without backup, provided the building envelope is adequately insulated and air-sealed. COP at 5°F ranges from 2.2 to 2.8 depending on model.
New Study Confirms Dense-Pack Cellulose Outperforms Fiberglass in Fire Resistance
A Building Science Corporation study comparing fire performance of dense-pack cellulose, fiberglass batts, and open-cell spray foam found that cellulose-insulated wall assemblies maintained structural integrity 40% longer than fiberglass and 25% longer than spray foam in standardized fire testing. The borate fire retardant in cellulose creates a char layer that slows flame spread. The study also noted that cellulose's air-sealing properties when dense-packed reduce oxygen flow through wall cavities, further slowing fire progression.
Federal 25C and 25D Energy Efficiency Tax Credits Terminated by OBBB
The federal tax credits for energy efficiency (Section 25C) and residential clean energy (Section 25D) are no longer available in 2026. Both were terminated by the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) signed into law on July 4, 2025. The 25C credit is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, and the 25D credit is not allowed for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. State-level rebate programs funded by ratepayers are unaffected. IRA home energy rebates (HEAR and HOMES) are separate programs and remain funded where states have opted in.
NYSERDA Increases Comfort Home Insulation Rebates for 2026
NYSERDA has updated its Comfort Home program rebates for 2026. Attic and rim joist insulation rebates increased to $2,500 (from $1,600). Wall insulation rebates are now $3,000. Window replacement rebates were reduced to $2,000 (from $4,000). The EmPower+ program for income-eligible households provides up to $12,000-$14,000 in base funding for low-income households ($6,000-$7,000 moderate-income), with federal HEAR add-ons itemized per measure (up to $8,000 for heat pumps, $1,600 for insulation). All work must be performed by BPI-certified contractors listed in the NYSERDA contractor directory.
Understanding Blower Door Testing: What ACH50 Means for Your Home
A blower door test measures a home's air infiltration rate in air changes per hour at 50 pascals of pressure (ACH50). A typical older home measures 8-15 ACH50. Energy Star certification requires 5 ACH50 or less in Climate Zones 1-2 and 3 ACH50 or less in Zones 3-8. Passive House standard is 0.6 ACH50. For every 1 ACH50 reduction through air sealing, expect roughly 3-5% reduction in heating energy use. The test costs $150-400 when done standalone, or is often included free as part of a state-subsidized energy assessment.
Heat Pump Water Heaters: $300/Year Savings and a 2-3 Year Payback
Consumer Reports' updated analysis of heat pump water heaters shows an average annual savings of $300 versus electric resistance and $150 versus gas water heaters. With federal and state rebates, net installed cost ranges from $800 to $2,000 depending on location, yielding a 2-3 year payback. Top-rated models include the Rheem ProTerra ($1,800 MSRP), AO Smith Voltex ($1,700), and Bradford White AeroTherm ($1,900). The main installation consideration is space: HPWHs need 700+ cubic feet of air volume and produce cool, dehumidified exhaust air.
Efficiency Vermont Launches HEAR Rebates Through Existing Program Infrastructure
Update, July 2026: Vermont's HEAR rollout has since been paused and the state advises homeowners not to plan on HEAR funds for future projects — see current status on our Vermont page. Original coverage, March 2026: Vermont moved to deploy IRA HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates) funding by integrating it into Efficiency Vermont's existing program structure, with income-eligible households applying through the same Efficiency Vermont process they already know and HEAR funding layered on top of existing state rebates for qualifying households.
Finally, a Clear Zero Emissions Standard! And LEED v5 Is on Board
The U.S. Department of Energy has set a national definition of what counts as a "zero emissions building," aiming to clear up years of confusing and conflicting standards. Buildings account for a big share of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and until now, different certifications and programs all defined "zero emissions" differently. The new definition sets three requirements: a building must be energy efficient, free of on-site emissions from burning fuel (with an exception for backup generators), and powered entirely by clean energy, whether generated on-site or purchased from off-site clean sources. Carbon offsets don't count. For existing homes, "energy efficient" under this definition generally means scoring well on the EPA's Energy Star scale or beating typical energy use for similar buildings. New construction has its own efficiency benchmarks, including options tied to Energy Star's new-home programs or the Zero Energy Ready Home certification, a federal label for highly efficient new houses. This is a technical, government-and-industry framework rather than a program you sign up for. The main real-world impact for now is on green building certifications like LEED, which is adjusting its next version to match this new definition, especially for projects aiming for top ratings. For a homeowner, this mostly affects the rules builders and certifiers follow behind the scenes. It does not create a new rebate or requirement for existing houses, but it may eventually shape how "zero emissions" or "net zero" claims are verified on any home built or certified going forward.