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Penn Energy Savers (HOMES and HEAR rebates) not launched

Administered by the Energy Programs Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Pennsylvania's federal HOMES and HEAR home energy rebates, run as Penn Energy Savers, are not open. In September 2026 DEP said it was awaiting final Department of Energy approval, after new federal guidance issued on 1 June 2026 sent it back to redesign the program. You can sign up to be told when it opens.

source · verified 26 September 2026 · amounts in US dollars

What it pays

Not launched: nothing is paid yet

How much of the cost Penn Energy Savers says it will cover
Household incomeShare of the project cost
Below 80% of area median income, or in a qualifying assistance programUp to 100%, to the program's limits
81% to 150% of area median income50%
Above 150%Not eligible
The federal per-household limits for the income-tested rebates (HEAR)
UpgradeUp to
Heat pump for heating and cooling$8,000
Electrical panel$4,000
Heat pump water heater$1,750
Electric stove, cooktop or oven, or heat pump dryer$840

Penn Energy Savers publishes the income shares but no dollar amounts of its own; the limits above are the Department of Energy's. Rebates will be point-of-sale discounts through approved contractors.

Who is eligible

status
Awaiting final Department of Energy approval (DEP, September 2026).
who
Low- and moderate-income households, owners or renters (some work needs the landlord's approval). Being in LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, weatherization and other listed programs counts as low income regardless of income.
contractors
Only the program's approved contractors. You cannot hire your own.
not covered
Roof or boiler replacements, heat pump for heat pump replacements, refrigerators, whole-house window or door replacements, extensive repairs.

What disqualifies you

The rules people find out about after the work is done.

  • Work done or equipment bought before your application is approved.

Where the application goes

Nothing to apply for yet. Sign up on the program's site for launch news.

Where the application goes
If this is youApply here
Pennsylvania householdspennenergysavers.com

The thing most pages get wrong

Rebate and contractor sites quote Pennsylvania's "$8,000 heat pump rebate" as if it were available, and some say another state department runs it. It is DEP's, and it has not launched. Penn Energy Savers will not pay for anything bought or installed before an application is approved.

DEP's own page still lists the old tax credits

Lower on the same DEP page, a section headed as effective for 2023 still describes the federal home improvement credit, up to $1,200 a year and $2,000 for heat pumps. That credit ended with 2025.