Unlock Up to $10,000 per Home: A Guide to Claiming Inflation Reduction Act Rebates

Discover the latest updates on the Clean Energy Plan (Inflation Reduction Act) with Green Homeowners United. Empowering homeowners to enhance energy efficiency in their homes for a sustainable future.

Kevin Kane

3/29/20244 min read

Thanks to new information put out this week by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, we now know how to help Wisconsinites get first in line for the new Inflation Reduction Act HOMES rebates, on top of federal energy tax credits! Wisconsin will have $74.9 million for residential IRA HOMES rebates that can be available for projects now, and another $74.4 million for a different heat pump rebate program that won't be available until close to the end of the year.

What to Know:

While some of the details still need to be formalized by the PSC Commissioners in coming weeks, we now know enough to help residents learn how to get first in line for the IRA HOMES rebates!

Homes are eligible for between $2,000 and $4,000 off the work that is recommended by an energy assessor (like ourselves at Green Homeowners United!), with two exceptions:

If someone earns less than 80% of the median income (approximately $80,000 for a family of 4 in Milwaukee), that amount is instead between $4,000-$8,000!
New rules might set a slightly reduced amount for those who earn well over $100,000 (or over $149,000 for a family of four), and we'll know for sure by May

Wisconsin has $74.9 million for these rebates, and once they are gone, they're gone! Not every house will be able to be upgraded with these limited funds, so sign up sooner than later!

IMPORTANT! You will need a special energy assessment of your home to unlock these incentives, and it is no assurance that a previous energy assessment done will qualify, as certain requirements need to be met.

Green Homeowners United's energy assessments qualify to unlock these rebates! But not every other firms' reports will. Click here to learn more

Next Steps:

How to be first in line for these IRA HOMES rebates, here is what to do:

Click here to schedule an energy assessment for your home. This is a requirement to unlock these rebates. Click here to learn more about an Energy Assessment & IRA Incentives Report. Energy assessments cost $500, and qualify you for a $150 federal tax credit on their own, plus unlock the thousands in rebates mentioned here and more! And if you do work with us, then we'll knock $500 off the cost of the project too!

If you have already received an energy assessment from Green Homeowners United, click here to schedule a call or send us an email and we can discuss your options.

NOTE: if you received an energy assessment with a different organization, we CANNOT ensure that qualifies for the new IRA rebates. You may need to have a new energy assessment performed.

If you would like someone from Green Homeowners United to speak to your next group or organization meeting, either by video or in person, then let's schedule a call to discuss what you'd like to see happen! We are happy to meet and speak with people about this important law's impact on homes and families!

What can these funds help upgrade?

In order to count today, these IRA rebate funds need to go to projects that include (1) insulation, (2) heat pump for space heating, or (3) heat pump water heater. However, there is a completely different heat pump/HPWH rebate also coming up later in the year, and you can't use both on the same project. So we recommend utilizing the IRA's HOMES rebate on projects that include insulation* and waiting on a heat pump until the other IRA heat pump rebate source is available, so you can maximize both! Either way, these projects must achieve a 20% energy reduction as modeled by a certified energy assessor, like those of us at Green Homeowners United, with approved software.

* - projects that include insulation could be:

Insulating attics, basements, crawlspaces or above ground walls
Partially or fully finishing a basement, if insulation is included
Upgrading windows, if also add insulating in other parts of the home (window upgrades don't generally reach 20% energy savings on their own)
Sealing & insulating your furnace ducts so the warm air better reaches rooms around the home
To name a few!

Are there other funds I can also use alongside these?

YES! You can utilize these IRA HOMES rebates with other funds, such as:

Up to $1,200 federal tax credit per year for insulation & air sealing (or reduced amounts for HVAC, doors or windows), received at tax time
$1,200 Focus on Energy instant rebate for insulating & sealing air leaks in your attic
$1,125 Focus on Energy instant rebate for insulating & sealing air leaks in uninsulated above ground walls
Options of 0% interest financing for many different upgrades, with $0 down generally required. Ask us at Green Homeowners United about these!

AND MORE! Ask your energy assessor to go over the list with you of what incentives - tax credits & rebates - you would be eligible for!

Let's fight climate change from home, together!

Click here to see available dates and times to schedule an energy assessment on your home to unlock these funds!

Or click here to schedule a phone call to go over your options if you've already received an energy assessment from Green Homeowners United!