Tag: EmPower+

Program: EmPower+
To: EmPower+ Participating Contractors
Summary: Additional Funding for Provisional Approvals
Contact with Questions: Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 or email at support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov

To support energy affordability and housing upgrades for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers NYSERDA has allocated an additional $15 million in funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to advance approximately 1,600 pipeline projects previously held in Provisional Approval under the EmPower+ program. This investment ensures certainty and stability for the EmPower+ program which remains a priority for Governor Hochul and the State’s efforts to serve low- and moderate-income households through energy efficiency and electrification, and follows as part of a responsible, transparent approach to addressing the needs of New Yorkers.

EmPower+ reviewed the Provisional Approval queue and released eligible projects on August 8, 2025. Participating contractors receive emails when their projects are released.

Program/s: EmPower+
To: All Participating Contractors and Subcontractors
Summary: All EmPower+ work must be in accordance with all Program and local regulations
Contact: If there are any questions, please call Contractor Support at 800-284-9069.

As a reminder, Participating Contractors and any Subcontractor retained by a Participating Contractor must perform work in compliance with all applicable codes, regulations, laws, and standards in the jurisdiction where the work is being completed. In instances where Program guidance may conflict with state and/or local code, code must take precedent. This includes obtaining permits when required and obtaining the required licenses to work in each jurisdiction.

Sections from the Participation Agreement :

3.3 Licensing – It is the sole responsibility of the Participating Contractor and its Subcontractors to obtain and maintain any required federal, state, county, or municipal government licenses required for installing measures and to not perform work for which they are not licensed, if licensing is required. The Participating Contractor shall produce evidence of current licensing upon request by NYSERDA or its Implementation Contractors. Failure to comply with licensing requirements may result in disciplinary action.  

3.4 Permits – It is the sole responsibility of the Participating Contractor and its Subcontractors to obtain and comply with the terms of any required permits for installing measures or conducting Energy Assessments prior to the start of work. The Participating Contractor shall produce evidence of applicable permits upon request by NYSERDA or an Implementation Contractor. Failure to comply with permitting requirements may result in disciplinary action or termination from the Program(s).  

Any contractors found not following these requirements will face disciplinary actions including probation, suspension or termination from the program.

For any questions, please reach out to Contractor Support at 800-284-9069.

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 the New York State Department of Public Service (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 matthew.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 was covered on the July 11, 2025, Home Modernization Monthly Contractor Call. If there are any questions, please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.