Program/s: All NYSERDA Residential Programs To: Participating Contractors Summary: Funding through NYSERDA’s On-the-Job Training Program Contact with Questions:PONOJT@nyserda.ny.gov
NYSERDA’s On-the-Job Training Program (PON 3982),updated earlier this year, is accepting new applications. Businesses can receive wage subsidies to reduce the financial risk of hiring and training new workers and earn incentives for industry certifications their new hire earns.
Funding of up to $11,000 per new hire is available when hiring residents of disadvantaged communities, as defined by the New York Climate Justice Working Group, or members of priority populations. Funding of up to $8,500 per new hire is available for hiring other eligible individuals. A summary of revisions outlining changes from the prior version of the On-the-Job Training Program can be found on the solicitation page.
For more information about the On-the-Job Training Program, please visit NYSERDA’s webpage.
Questions about the On-the-Job Program requirements or steps to participate? NYSERDA holds monthly virtual office hours for program participants and those interested in learning more about the program.
Programs: Comfort Home To: All Comfort Home Contractors Summary: Air Infiltration Target Contact with Questions: Keith Bohling
NYSERDA has made a change to its Comfort Home program to better align with other residential retrofit programs. Beginning March 18, 2026, Comfort Home will adopt an air infiltration target of 10 Air Changes per Hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50) or lower for 1-4 family homes.
The target of 10ACH was designed in coordination with the EmPower+ program to help make a home heat pump ready. This target may become a requirement for future heat pump incentives through the Clean Heat program, which is why Comfort Home is now adopting it as an air sealing goal.
At the conclusion of a Comfort Home project, the Participating Contractor must verify the home’s infiltration performance. If the contractor cannot perform a blower door test, the reason must be documented with uploaded geo-tagged photos and notes entered into NYHEP in the new ACH Target Note field.
The Comfort Home program operates in alignment with the BPI Technical Standards for Envelope Professional, as indicated in the Comfort Home Program Manual which states “All measures must be installed per manufacturer instructions, program guidelines, and BPI standards.” BPI standards for air sealing include:
Air sealing measures must be prioritized to reduce the stack effect and inhibit moisture migration into attics or other interstitial spaces.
Air seal communication between the attic and living space first. Areas to seal include: by-passes around chimneys, ducts, drop soffits, shower inserts or other large penetrations; interior and exterior wall top-plates; and plumbing and wiring penetrations.
Leakage paths identified between attached or tuck-under garages and the living space must always be sealed.
Rim joist air sealing follows establishment of a pressure boundary between the attic and living space.
Additionally, air sealing installed through the Comfort Home program should conform with the New York State Technical Reference Manual which describes the minimum compliance efficiency requirements for air sealing as follows:
Sealing of interior wall/partitions between conditioned/unconditioned space including: doors, windows, plumbing/electrical/mechanical penetrations, larger gaps around windows/baseboards/etc.
As a reminder, all Comfort Home measure packages are “seal and insulate” packages and as a result must conform to the standards listed above. Package A is primarily intended to be used for homes where attic and rim joist areas present the only opportunity for improvement. While the program allows for larger projects to be completed incrementally over multiple years, this option should not be used if deferring Package B measures would result in leaving unsealed areas that could be prone to moisture migration and/or pose a health and safety risk (e.g. the tuck-under garage ceilings noted in the BPI standards.)
These standards apply to Comfort Home projects in the following manner:
Using diagnostic tools including blower door measurements, infrared scans, and visual inspection, verify that the areas listed in the standards above are already substantially air tight and do not require further sealing, OR
Install air sealing measures as indicated below:
Package A minimum requirements:
Seal all accessible air leakage paths between the attic and/or roof and the living space to create a continuous pressure boundary aligned with the thermal boundary
Seal air leakage paths between the rim joist and outside aligned with the thermal boundary
Package B minimum requirements include all Package A requirements, and:
When treating floor and wall areas use air sealing techniques and/or insulation installed in a manner to reduce air infiltration/exfiltration between conditioned and unconditioned spaces.
Blower door guided air sealing is preferable to air sealing without a blower door on site. The blower door is a tool that can be used by air sealing crews to identify air leakage locations to be sealed and to track progress toward the 10 ACH50 target. Trainings on how to use the blower door effectively as a real-time air sealing diagnostic tool can be found through the blower door manufacturers and the Building Performance Institute.
If the 10 ACH50 target can’t be reached with completion of these steps, notes about steps completed and source(s) of additional leakage should be entered in the new ACH Target Note field. Projects that aren’t able to reach 10 ACH50 with reasonable explanation will still receive full package incentives.
This change will take effect for installations submitted in NYHEP on or after March 18, 2026.
Program/s: EmPower+ To: EmPower+ Contractors Summary: IRA Data Entering Reminder Questions: If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support
When entering measures in NYHEP, all contractors should be providing a total cost and a material cost per the below. The NYHEP field “Cost” and “Material Cost” within a measure should reflect the associated costs for each.
“Cost” = Full cost of installing the measure, including labor and materials
“Material Cost” = Cost of the product/unit being installed, and/or the materials required to properly install the measure.
The material cost and the total cost should not be the same value.
Below is a screenshot of NYHEP with the proper cost and material cost breakouts.
Splitting out the measures costs is required, especially for IRA HEAR funded projects. NYSERDA is required to complete monthly IRA reporting which includes providing equipment and labor cost for each IRA HEAR funded measure. In the event a contractor fails to capture the installation costs, the project will need to be reopened in NYHEP to allow for the contractor to update the measure costs appropriately.
Program/s: EmPower+ To: EmPower+ Contractors Summary: EmPower+ Eligible Measures Questions: If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support
The Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) Energy Efficiency and Beneficial Electrification (EE/BE) Order was issued by the Public Service Commission in May 2025. This order covers funding for NYSERDA’s LMI single and multifamily programs for 2026-2030. As part of the order, there were changes included to the New York State Technical Resource Manual (TRM) impacting certain EmPower+ measures. Savings for loan only measures will continue to count towards Project Level Cost Effectiveness (PLCE). These changes require system updates and are planned for release in April 2026. EmPower+ will provide an updated Program Announcement once a date has been finalized.
Programs: EmPower+ To: Participating Contractors; Clean Energy Hubs Summary: Efficiency & Building Electrification (EE/BE) Order Changes Questions: If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support
The Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) Energy Efficiency / Beneficial Electrification Order was issued by the Public Service Commission in May 2025. This order covers funding for NYSERDA’s LMI single and multifamily programs for 2026 through 2030.
Both the Order, and additional program enhancements directed by NYSERDA, call for significant updates to the EmPower+ program to improve delivery, strengthen customer outcomes, and better align with statewide electrification and affordability goals.
NYSERDA will implement these changes through a phased rollout across 2026.
The first tranche of updates is scheduled to launch on March 18, 2026, and will include the following:
Contractor Application Submissions
Starting on March 18, 2026, participating contractors will be able to submit applications, through the MyEnergy portal, on behalf of customers who can provide categorical income verification. The acceptable categorical income verification types include:
SSI (Supplemental Security Income)- (this is different from Social Security Retirement or Disability benefits which are used as income sources for Standard Eligibility)
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
Weatherization Assistance Program
Public Assistance
Training in MyEnergy for contractors will take place:
The EE/BE Order directs the EmPower+ program to prioritize customer segments with the greatest energy burden and need. To ensure program resources are deployed in a way that provides most meaningful impact, applications from these priority customer types will receive preference during periods of elevated application volume. This approach supports equitable access to benefits while maintaining a steady and sustainable project pipeline.
Referrals from utilities of customers participating in Energy Assistance Programs
Customers in geographic Disadvantaged Communities (DACs)
Customers with high energy cost burden
Customers in areas that have been historically underserved by the program (currently identified as the Capital District, Hudson Valley, New York City, North Country with the list to be updated pending on-going market analysis)
Income Eligibility Changes for Low-Income Households
The EE/BE Order requires EmPower+ to use 60% Area Median Income or State Median Income, whichever is greater, for determining low-income eligibility. This differs from the current process, which relies solely on State Median Income figures. The EmPower+ program will update the income qualification tables with these new numbers and TRC will use the updated tables for program qualification beginning March 18, 2026.
If a customer who has previously applied in the last 12 months and was classified as moderate-income is now eligible as low-income, their contractor can request that TRC re-review the application. If they qualify as low-income under the new rules, a new project will need to be created in NYHEP when the application is revised.
As part of the income table updates, EmPower+ has also incorporated the updated HEAP numbers for 2025-2026.
Project Incentive Cap Increases for Upstate and Downstate
EmPower+ incentive caps will be increased for both low and moderate-income households and will be delineated by upstate and downstate regions. In addition, EmPower+ will use the customer’s address rather than the contractor’s address to determine if a project is eligible for upstate or downstate pricing and incentives.
Downstate addresses will include households in the counties south of and including Dutchess and Ulster Counties. Below are the updated low and moderate-income project level incentive caps by household type and location:
Moderate-Income Cost Share
The EmPower+ program will reinstate the 50% project level incentive cap for moderate-income households. EmPower+ will provide an incentive covering up to 50% of the cost of eligible measures, up to the applicable project caps.
Beginning March 18, 2026, for moderate -income eligible projects submitted to the program that do not yet have a submitted work scope, the customer will be required to cover the remaining balance of the project, either out of pocket, using other available grants, or through NYSERDA’s Residential Financing programs.
Moderate-income incentive caps will change to $6,000 for upstate customers and $7,000 for downstate customers. In addition, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) funds can be layered on top of this amount of funding.
Example: The only eligible measure in the project is air sealing with a cost of $4,000.
Total cost: $4,000
Base EmPower+ incentive is $2,000 (50% of $4,000)
HEAR incentive is $1,600
Total possible incentive is $3,600.
LED Light Bulb Eligibility
The EE/BE Order classified light bulbs as a non-strategic measure that may continue in limited applications through 2027; however, they will be phased out afterwards. Beginning March 18, 2026, eligibility for direct install LED lighting will be limited to the following applications:
Replacement of existing in-service incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs, AND
As part of a comprehensive project where lighting is under 5% of the total project cost.
Heat Pump Water Heater Incentive Changes
Effective February 6, 2026, EmPower+ will be using funds, secured through Governor Hochul’s Sustainable Futures Program, to incentivize Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH).
Maximum incentive for HPWHs will be:
100% of the project up to $5,000 for Low-Income (Tier 1)
50% of the project up to $2,500 for Moderate-Income (Tier 3)
This incentive will include all electrical upgrades associated with the HPWH including:
A new breaker, running a new electrical line, and other associated costs.
Contractors will need to include these costs in the measure.
Contractors should not use the HEAR electrical upgrade measure for HPWH associated costs.
The HEAR electrical service panel box upgrade measure will still be eligible when installing a HPWH.
Insulation Requirements for Heat Pump Projects
The below table represents the updated minimum insulation requirements a residence must meet prior to the installation of a heat pump through EmPower+. These updated envelope requirements are for work scopes submitted to the program beginning March 18, 2026.
Updated Project Photo Requirements
To shorten project review times and standardize document submissions, EmPower+ will be launching new photo templates for:
Assessment/Workscope Submission
Final Project Submission
Starting March 18, 2026, contractors will be expected to use the new submission templates or use a product that can arrange photographs in the same order as the templates.
A photo reference document will also be available for each measure. This document will enable users to readily identify photo needs when proposing measures.
We do want to remind contractors that IRA funding requires clear pictures of the make and models tags of the installed units. We will be reviewing these photos more closely to ensure that the information on them is legible.
NYSERDA is continuing to pursue a contract with CompanyCam to provide licenses for CompanyCam for all participating contractors.
Smart Power Strips
Based on findings from a recent evaluation study, the program will be ending smart power strips as a measure on March 18, 2026.
If they have been added to a work scope that has been submitted, it can move forward as a measure, but they will no longer be available to be added to new work scopes.
Updated EmPower+ Pricing
As part of the EmPower+ yearly cycle, the program will update utility rates used in project level cost effectiveness calculations and EmPower+ measure pricing schedules during the Q1 changes to the NYHEP system. These rates will be effective as part of the March 18, 2026 updates.
The above program changes were covered in the February 6, 2026, Contractor Check-In webinar which can be found on the contractor support site. Between now and the launch of these program changes, program staff will be making updates to the program manual, income charts, and NYSERDA webpages. If there are any questions on these upcoming program changes, please reach out to contractor support at support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov or (800)- 284-9069.
