Pending Program Changes
Programs: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors; Clean Energy Hubs
Summary: Pending Program Changes
Questions: If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069
To maintain program continuity and ensure equitable access to incentives, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is, implementing the following changes to the EmPower+ program. The changes are designed to provide greater certainty for contractors and customers by managing the flow of projects in alignment with available budgets while prioritizing customer needs.
NYSERDA will be reviewing changes in more detail during the July 11, 2025, Contractor Check-in Webinar.
The changes will be effective for work scope submissions beginning August 1, 2025.
Moving forward, we will have a robust stakeholder process on how to create a sustainable program for the future, while adapting EmPower+ to the new Energy Efficiency/Building Electrification (EE/BE) Order from the New York State Public Service Commission.
Changes to the EmPower+ Program
- Furnaces and Boilers
EmPower+ will no longer provide program incentives for the following fossil-fuel heating equipment and relatedmeasures:
- Boilers and Furnaces
- Clean and Tunes
- Heating System Repairs
NYSERDA is exploring options to offer a limited budget for No-Heat replacements which occur during the heating season (October 1-April 30) and will provide additional information in a future announcement. Participating Contractors with fossil-fuel heating measures have until August 1, 2025, to submit these projects to the Program.
2. Project Level Caps
Effective for work scope submissions beginning August 1, 2025, EmPower+ program funding caps will be enforced per the table below. There will be no exceptions for exceeding the EmPower+ funding caps (Tertiary approvals will no longer be available).
The Program expects contractors to use the least cost insulation that is appropriate to the application to help keep total project costs and customer co-pays as low as reasonably possible.
In the event the household needs work that exceeds the EmPower + Program funding caps above, potential options to address the funding gap are provided below:
- Leverage low-interest financing through Green Jobs Green New York
- Consult the local Clean Energy Hub for additional funding opportunities in your area.
- Encourage the household to apply to the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) for project coordination with EmPower+
- Reapply to EmPower+ after the Program look-back date has passed. Currently, there is a one year look back for a household to reapply after their funding cap has been met.
3. Applications
To manage the volume of incoming EmPower+ applications within the available budget, Participating Contractors will not be permitted to submit applications on behalf of customers from August 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. This includes submissions via the Salesforce portal, MyEnergy, or mail. Customers may still select a Participating Contractor as part of the application process, and CLEAResult will assign the customer to the selected contractor accordingly.
We will reassess the application submission process based on feedback gathered through upcoming stakeholder engagement sessions.
As indicated above, NYSERDA Program staff will be covering these changes and encourage Participating Contractors and Clean Energy Hubs to participate on the July 11, 2025, Contractor Webinar.