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Program Announcement

Pending Program Changes

Programs: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors; Clean Energy Hubs
Summary: Pending Program Changes
Questions: If there are any questions, please contact 1-866-NYSERDA

In accordance with the New York State Department of Public Service Energy’s Low-to Moderate-Income Efficiency & Building Electrification (EE/BE) Order and as part of NYSERDA’s efforts to maintain program continuity and ensure equitable access to incentives, the Empower+ Program will be making a number of updates currently planned for release in mid-March of 2026.

NYSERDA will be providing an overview of these changes as part of the monthly Home Modernization webinar, which will be held at 8:30 a.m. on February 6, 2026. If you are interested in attending, please complete the registration link.   If you cannot make the webinar, a recoded copy will be made available on the contractor support site.

QMS Nonconformance Training

Program/s: Quality & Market Standards, EmPower+
To: EmPower+ Contractors
Summary: QMS Nonconformance Training
Contact with Questions:  inspections@nyserda.ny.gov

Details: Training on top non-conformances seen in the field will be delivered by the Quality and Market Standards Team via live webinar for the contractor network and will also be recorded for future reference. Two topic areas will be covered: fire hazards and indoor air quality. The session will run about one hour and have a Q&A session at the end. The webinar is scheduled Tuesday January 20, 2026, from 8:30 am – 10:00am. Register here.

HERR Assistance

Programs: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors, Hubs, Program Stakeholders
Summary: HERR Assistance
Questions: NYSHEAP@otda.ny.gov

NYSERDA is forwarding along this communication received from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance regarding HEAP/HERR assistance:

We are writing to inform you of recent changes to the New York State (NYS) Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA)’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) for the 2025-2026 program year.

In October, we informed you of a pause in the Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement (HERR) program for the 2025-2026 program year. We are pleased to announce that funding is now available for HERR beginning December 11, 2025. Due to limited funding, HERR benefits will be available only to applicants aged 60 or older that own their home. If there is more than one documented homeowner, at least one must be aged 60 or above at the time of application and live in the home as their primary residence. All other eligibility requirements remain the same.

Beginning December 11, 2025, households may apply for HERR by contacting their local social services district. Homeowners that do not meet the additional eligibility requirement may still be referred to Public Assistance.

We value our continued partnership and welcome your feedback or questions. You can reach us at NYSHEAP@otda.ny.gov. Thank you for your dedication to serving NY’s most vulnerable populations.

NYSERDA is working to update our No-Heat guidance as quickly as possible. Please check the Contractor Support site for updated documents.

2025-2026 HEAP Opening Date

Programs: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors, Hubs, Program Stakeholders
Summary: 2025-2026 HEAP Opening Date
Questions: NYSHEAP@otda.ny.gov

NYSERDA is forwarding along this communication received from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance regarding HEAP assistance:

Dear HEAP Stakeholder,

We are pleased to announce that applications for the Regular benefit component for the 2025-2026 Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) will be accepted beginning December 1, 2025. This information supersedes any prior communication.

We appreciate your patience during this difficult time. We value our continued partnership and thank you for your ongoing dedication to serving New York State’s most vulnerable populations. If you have any questions, you can reach us at NYSHEAP@otda.ny.gov.

NYHEP Enrollment Summary Updates

Program/s: EmPower+ and Comfort Home
To: Participating Contractors
Summary: NYHEP Enrollment Summary Updates
Contact with Questions: Please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 with any questions

Enhancements were recently made to the Enrollment Summary in NYHEP, increasing visibility into the specific circumstances of an enrollment. The updates are:

  1. Enrollment Summary “Flags”
    1. Contractors may see one or more new “flags” in red text in the Enrollment Summary. These flags are intended to better guide the Program Implementer when prioritizing Workscope Reviews. The current set of flags includes:
      1. Resubmission (EmPower+ and Comfort Home)
      2. No Heat (EmPower+)
      3. Heat Pump (EmPower+)
      4. Tertiary Review (EmPower+)
      5. Express Eligible (EmPower+)

Example Enrollment Summary Flag:

  1. Enrollment Cancelation Reasons
    1. If an enrollment is canceled, the reason for cancelation is now viewable in the Enrollment Summary and Enrollment Notes sections.

Example Canceled Enrollment Reason:

Example Enrollment Note:

NYSERDA recently completed a series of Comfort Home training courses for Participating Contractors as the Program migrated to the NYHEP Portal. The webinar recording and slides are now available on the Contractor Support website and the Comfort Home SharePoint.