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Program Announcement

Comfort Home Program Announcements

Programs: Comfort Home
To: All Comfort Home Contractors
Summary: Program Announcements
Contact with Questions: Keith Bohling

  1. Pilot/Program Manual Update

The January 2026 Comfort Home Pilot Program Manual is now available from the NYSERDA program support website at https://hpwescontractorsupport.com/.  At the top, point to Program Resources then click on Comfort Home Resources.  The Pilot/Program manual is available as the first link on that page.  Page 4 includes a list of the changes made in this version.

  1. Contract Requirements

Please ensure that your process is aligned with the Comfort Home requirements.  Section 3.3 of the Pilot Program Manual states that:

Participating Contractors are free to use their own standard contract; however, any contract must be signed and dated by both the Participating Contractor and the homeowner/representative. The signed contract must be submitted to the Program. The Electronic Signature Policy is shown in Appendix A. The contract must include:

·         Total job cost

·         Comfort Home incentive labeled as “NYSERDA Comfort Home”

·         Other incentives (if applicable)

·         Net customer cost

The signed contract needs to align with approved work scope and be signed prior to the start of work. Any work scope changes from the contract must be included in a change order or new contract.

An invoice signed after the work is completed does not meet the program requirements.

  1. Suggestion: Use a Note to describe project conditions and scope

A best practice that some contractors have adopted is proactively entering a note that in just a few sentences explains in plain English what’s happening in the home.  This note can help the reviewers easily understand the project and can significantly help when troubleshooting is needed.  Here are a few examples of actual notes from recent projects:

  • Attic is fully insulated and air sealed. Proposing to spray foam basement rim joist with 2″ CCF (R-14). Submitting for package A, $2,500 incentive.
  • Attic flat is fully insulated with R-49 of cellulose insulation. Proposing to spray foam basement rim joist with 2″ CCF (R-14). Proposing to dense pack all exterior walls with 4″ of cellulose (R-14). Submitting for package B, $3,000 incentive.
  • Proposing to air seal all attic penetrations and open blow attic space with an additional 12″ of cellulose (R-42) over existing R-21 batts to bring attic insulation above an R-49. Proposing to spray foam basement rim joist and crawlspace foundation walls with 2″ CCF (R-14). Submitting for package A, $2,500 incentive.
  1. Case Study Opportunity

NYSERDA is looking for your most impactful projects with happy customers to be featured in a few case studies.  We’re looking for projects to highlight the benefits for contractors and customers to participate in Comfort Home.  Case studies are no longer a static PDF file – they are colorful stories with photos, quotes, and can include video.  If you have a candidate project, please email details to Keith Bohling at Keith.Bohling@nyserda.ny.gov. 

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.