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The Energy Affordability Guarantee Pilot

Program/s: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors, Clean Energy Hubs and Stakeholders
Summary: The Energy Affordability Guarantee Pilot
Contact with Questions: Please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 with any questions

The Energy Affordability Guarantee (EAG) is a Pilot being run by DPS that will provide homes that have been or will be electrified through the EmPower+ Program with a utility bill subsidy to ensure the homes energy burden is not greater than 6%.​

The goal for the Pilot is to serve at least 100 Empower+ Tier 1 (Low-Income) households in each of the utility areas. Based on current program production, additional projects are needed in the following areas:

  • Central Hudson
  • Consolidated Edison
  • Orange and Rockland
  • Rochester Gas and Electric

Homes that have had projects completed on or after May 1, 2023, will be eligible. ​

Pilot Guidelines

  • Only homes in the following electric territories will be eligible: Central Hudson, Consolidated Edison, Orange and Rockland, and Rochester Gas and Electric.  Households with Municipal Electric are not eligible.
  • This pilot is only available to Tier 1 / low-income customers.​
  • Homes that are served by all fuel sources including natural gas will be eligible. ​
  • The maximum allowable ACH50 for homes will be increased to 10.​
  • The home’s existing heating systems must be removed, and the heat pump should be sized to cover the full heating load. The water heating system must either be a HPWH or electrical resistance if the electrical resistance heater was already present.​
  • Projects participating in the pilot will have priority at provisional approval.​
  • Contractor may return to a home that has a heat pump installed to install a HPWH, to qualify for the pilot.​
  • Homes will have energy monitors installed on the electrical panel boxes.​

Pilot Process for New EmPower+ Projects

  1. A Pilot application will be available on the contractor support site. This application must be filled out and submitted to Matt Houle matt.houle@nyserda.ny.gov. Matt will review the application to ensure it meets program requirements and notify the contractor that they can proceed to submit the work scope. ​
  2. CLEAResult will identify the project in NYHEP as eligible for the pilot.​
  3. The work scope will be submitted per the normal EmPower+ Program processes and given priority at provisional approval.​
  4. After the project is complete, NYSERDA will provide the data for the project to the Implementation Contractor at DPS so they can contact and enroll the customer.​
  5. NYSERDA will be hiring a contractor to supervise the installation of energy monitors. ​
  6. NYSERDA will provide a tracker on the contractor support site indicating how many projects will be eligible in each utility territory.​
  7. The information from this pilot will be used to determine future utility bill subsidies and the viability of a gas to heat pump conversions in certain markets. ​
  8. The goal of the pilot is to have the remaining projects completed by December 31, 2025. 

The EAG Pilot will be covered on the July 11, 2025, Home Modernization Monthly Contractor Call. To register, please click here.  If there are any questions, please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.