SERVING 
The Georgia HER program is making energy efficient home improvements affordable for everyone. The Home Efficiency Rebates, or HER, program is a statewide initiative that incentivizes homeowners to use less energy. When you make a HER-eligible improvement to your home, you can qualify for a rebate of up to several thousand dollars.
Funding for HER rebates comes from the U.S. Department of Energy and is managed by the State of Georgia. The federal government wants you to upgrade your appliances and pursue home improvements that reduce energy consumption.
So, how much can you save? And what kind of home improvements are eligible?
Those and other questions are exactly what we’ll cover in this guide! Keep reading to learn all there is to know about the Georgia HER program home efficiency rebates.
Georgia HER program rebate eligibility and requirements
Many home improvement projects and appliance upgrades qualify for HER rebates. But not all of them! Let’s take a look at the income requirements and energy efficiency benchmarks you will need to meet in order to receive rebates.
Income requirements
Great news! Households of all income levels can complete qualifying home improvements and receive a HER rebate.
However, not every household income level qualifies for the same amount of rebate savings. Low and moderate-income households are able to receive larger rebates to help cover the cost of energy efficiency upgrades.
To determine which households qualify for which rebate levels, the HER program uses area median income (AMI) data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Depending on your household’s income relative to the local AMI, you may qualify for more or less savings:
- Rebate for households making 80% AMI or less: 98% of the project cost up to $16,000
- Rebate for households making more than 80% AMI: 50% of the project cost up to $4,000
The thing to remember is that everyone qualifies for some level of savings! HER savings is open to any homeowner, no matter how much or how little they earn.
Energy efficiency requirements
To qualify for rebates through the Georgia HER program, the upgrades you make must result in a reduction of 20% of your overall energy usage. Upgrades resulting in 35% or higher energy reduction qualify for larger rebates.
Here’s a chart that shows the relationship between your estimated energy savings, household AMI, percentage of the project cost eligible for reimbursement for at a typical home, and the rebate amount (Source: GEFA):
To determine how much energy you’re saving, an approved contractor will model your home’s energy usage using SnuggPro, an energy assessment and modeling tool that is compliant with DOE specifications. Speaking of approved contractors…
Contractor requirements
To be eligible for HER rebates, you have to work with a contractor that has been approved by the state. Other specifics include:
- The contractor must be certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI).
- For heat pump installations, the contractor must complete a Manual J load calculation prior to selecting and installing new equipment.
PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is BPI-certified and was one of the first home performance contractors approved by the state to participate in the HER program! In addition, we always perform a Manual J load calculation before installing new heating and cooling systems no matter what.
To find out how much HER savings you qualify for or learn more about the program, contact our Customer Advocate Center today!
How large are the HER home efficiency rebates?
You probably want to know how much money you’ll receive through the Georgia HER program. The truth is that it all depends on which upgrades you perform and how much they cost.
HER doesn’t disperse a set amount of money for a specific type of upgrade. Rather, it disperses a percentage of the total cost of the project depending on your income and how much energy you save. And there are caps on the total rebate an individual household can receive. (Source: GEFA):
- Households earning 80% AMI or less with 35% or more energy savings: up to $16,000
- Households earning 80% AMI or less with 20% to 34% energy savings: up to $10,000
- Households earning over 80% AMI with 35% or more energy savings: up to $4,000
- Households earning over 80% AMI with 20% to 34% energy savings: up to $2,000
Which upgrades qualify for energy efficiency rebates?
Several different home improvements qualify for home efficiency rebates through the Georgia HER program. Some of the improvements involve the installation of new appliances, such as heating and cooling systems. Others are whole-home retrofitting projects. They include:
- Upgrading an existing heat pump HVAC system to a more efficient model
- Upgrading to a more efficient gas furnace system
- Upgrading to a more efficient gas water heater
- Whole-house electrification projects
- Improving your insulation and air sealing your home
- Sealing and insulating your heating and cooling ducts
- Installing energy efficient lighting
- Replacing existing windows with energy efficient windows
Keep in mind that to receive your rebate savings, any new appliances (HVAC systems and water heaters) must be ENERGY STAR-certified equipment models. In addition, the project or projects must reduce your overall household energy consumption by 20%.
Learn how much you can save with the Georgia HER program
To help Atlanta-area homeowners reap the full benefit of HER energy savings, PV has created a Customer Advocate Center. Our team can help you determine your rebate eligibility level and figure out which kinds of energy efficiency improvements make the most sense for your home.
To find out more or determine your eligibility for HER, contact our Customer Advocate Center today!
