EmPower+ is a partnered program with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) that helps low-and moderate-income households save energy and money toward energy improvements made to their property.

Through EmPower+:

• Households can receive a no cost home energy assessment to pinpoint where energy and dollars are being wasted and receive a customize a plan to lower energy usage.
• No-cost direct install improvements identified during the assessment can be installed by participating program contractors.
• Households can receive incentives toward the cost of energy efficiency improvements.

The program is open to both owners and renters of 1-4 family households.

Get Started

First, you can review the eligibility requirements for EmPower+.  Then, complete and submit an EmPower+ Application.  The application can be completed online, or it can be downloaded, printed and mailed in.  As part of the application process, you can select a trained and experienced participating program contractor.

Following the approval of your EmPower+ Application, the household will be qualified as either low-income or moderate-income eligible.

Through EmPower+:

• A participating program contractor will perform the energy assessment which identifies opportunities for energy efficiency improvements in the home and ways for the household to save energy and present these findings to the customer in an assessment report.
• The participating contractor will identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements that can be installed at the time of the energy assessment.
• The participating program contractor will develop workscope based on the assessment findings.
  • Low-income, single-family households are eligible for no-cost energy efficiency improvements capped at $10,000 per project.
  • Moderate-income single-family households are eligible for a discount of up to 50% of the cost of eligible work capped at $5,000 per project is provided.
    • Customers can apply for low-interest financing through Green Jobs – Green NY (GJGNY.  Additional information on financing options can be found here: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Residential-Financing-Options
  • For renters, you will need to have landlord/building owner permission to take advantage of comprehensive energy efficiency improvements through EmPower+
• Eligible households can receive incentives toward the following core energy efficiency improvements including:
  • Heating system repair and replacement
  • Thermostats
  • Attic, wall and pipe insulation
  • Water-saving showerheads
  • And more!
• Once the core items have been addressed, contractors can make recommendations to upgrade to other equipment including:
  • Cold climate air source heat pump
  • Heat pump hot water tank
  • High efficiency gas heating upgrades

Additional Resources

In addition to NYSERDA incentives, there may be other incentives and offerings available through utilities and local community based organizations.  Households are encouraged to work with their Regional Clean Energy Hub, who can provide information about the benefits of the reliable energy economy, ways to reduce energy use and costs, and how to make more informed energy decisions.  Hubs can assist with completing the EmPower+ application and inform customers if available local assistance is available for their project.