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Illinois Home Energy Rebates (HOMES and HEAR) not launched
Administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Energy, with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to deliver HOMES.
Illinois holds $263 million in federal home energy rebate money and has launched neither program. HOMES, the whole-home rebate, is waiting on federal approval for a pilot with two local agencies; HEAR, the appliance rebate, has not been processed by the U.S. Department of Energy. When they open, the money goes first to households under 80% of area median income.
source · verified 27 September 2026 · amounts in US dollars
What it pays
| Rebate | Up to |
|---|---|
| HOMES: a whole-home project modeled to save 20% to 34% of energy | $8,000 |
| HOMES: a project modeled to save 35% or more | $16,000 |
| HOMES: exhaust and ventilation upgrades, on top | $1,500 |
| HEAR: heat pump for heating and cooling | $8,000 |
| HEAR: electrical panel | $4,000 |
| HEAR: electrical wiring | $2,500 |
| HEAR: heat pump water heater | $1,750 |
| HEAR: insulation, air sealing and ventilation | $1,600 |
| HEAR: heat pump clothes dryer | $840 |
| HEAR: most per household | $14,000 |
From Illinois EPA's July 2025 update to the state's energy efficiency advisory group. The rebate page itself publishes no amounts, no income table and no launch date.
Who is eligible
- income
- Illinois plans to give 100% of the money at first to households under 80% of area median income; moderate incomes will not be prioritized at launch.
- retroactive
- None. Illinois says only projects approved after launch will qualify.
- how
- HOMES applications are to mirror the state weatherization program's, through local agencies, one in the north and one in the south for the pilot.
Where the application goes
Nothing to apply for yet. Illinois EPA's page points to what is available now: the utilities' programs, weatherization and LIHEAP.
| If this is you | Apply here |
|---|---|
| Status and updates | epa.illinois.gov |
The thing most pages get wrong
Two rebate sites say Illinois has launched HOMES and HEAR, one of them as of 25 July 2026, and another tells ComEd customers to keep records for a retroactive claim. Illinois EPA's page says HOMES is pending federal approval, HEAR's application has not been processed, and Illinois does not intend to offer retroactive rebates.
A year behind its own schedule
In July 2025 Illinois EPA told the advisory group it aimed to launch the HOMES pilot in the third quarter of 2025, and that there was no timeline for HEAR. In September 2026 the page still says the launch is pending federal approval.
Wrong income tiers elsewhere
Rebate sites describe HEAR as open to households up to 150% of area median income and HOMES as up to $8,000 at any income. Illinois says it will start with households under 80% only, and its HOMES tiers go to $16,000.