Tag: EmPower+

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.

Programs: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors; Clean Energy Hubs
Summary: Pending Program Changes
Questions: If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069

To maintain program continuity and ensure equitable access to incentives, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is, implementing the following changes to the EmPower+ program. The changes are designed to provide greater certainty for contractors and customers by managing the flow of projects in alignment with available budgets while prioritizing customer needs.

NYSERDA will be reviewing changes in more detail during the July 11, 2025, Contractor Check-in Webinar.

The changes will be effective for work scope submissions beginning August 1, 2025.

Moving forward, we will have a robust stakeholder process on how to create a sustainable program for the future, while adapting EmPower+ to the new Energy Efficiency/Building Electrification (EE/BE) Order from the New York State Public Service Commission.

Changes to the EmPower+ Program

1. Furnaces and Boilers

EmPower+ will no longer provide program incentives for the following fossil-fuel heating equipment and relatedmeasures:

• Boilers and Furnaces
• Clean and Tunes
• Heating System Repairs

NYSERDA is exploring options to offer a limited budget for No-Heat replacements which occur during the heating season (October 1-April 30) and will provide additional information in a future announcement. Participating Contractors with fossil-fuel heating measures have until August 1, 2025, to submit these projects to the Program.

2. Project Level Caps

Effective for work scope submissions beginning August 1, 2025, EmPower+ program funding caps will be enforced per the table below. There will be no exceptions for exceeding the EmPower+ funding caps (Tertiary approvals will no longer be available).

The Program expects contractors to use the least cost insulation that is appropriate to the application to help keep total project costs and customer co-pays as low as reasonably possible.

In the event the household needs work that exceeds the EmPower + Program funding caps above, potential options to address the funding gap are provided below:

1. Leverage low-interest financing through Green Jobs Green New York
2. Consult the local Clean Energy Hub for additional funding opportunities in your area.
3. Encourage the household to apply to the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) for project coordination with EmPower+
4. Reapply to EmPower+ after the Program look-back date has passed. Currently, there is a one year look back for a household to reapply after their funding cap has been met.

3. Applications

To manage the volume of incoming EmPower+ applications within the available budget, Participating Contractors will not be permitted to submit applications on behalf of customers from August 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. This includes submissions via the Salesforce portal, MyEnergy, or mail. Customers may still select a Participating Contractor as part of the application process, and CLEAResult will assign the customer to the selected contractor accordingly.

We will reassess the application submission process based on feedback gathered through upcoming stakeholder engagement sessions.

As indicated above, NYSERDA Program staff will be covering these changes and encourage Participating Contractors and Clean Energy Hubs to participate on the July 11, 2025, Contractor Webinar.