EmPower NY Program: Who Qualifies, Costs, and How to Apply

The EmPower New York program, now operating under the name EmPower+, is a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) program that pays for home energy upgrades for income-eligible households. Low-income households pay nothing. Moderate-income households get half their project cost covered. Covered work includes insulation, air sealing, heat pumps, lighting, and in some cases refrigerator or freezer replacement. NYSERDA created EmPower+ in 2023 by combining the old EmPower NY program with Assisted Home Performance into one application, available in 16 languages.¹

Who Qualifies

You qualify if your household income is at or below 80 percent of the State or Area Median Income for your county and household size.² The dollar cutoff varies by county, so check the current income tables NYSERDA publishes each year.³

You can skip income verification entirely if you already receive HEAP, SNAP, TANF, or Supplemental Security Income. An award letter dated within the past 12 months is enough on its own.⁴ Some homes also qualify through “geo-eligibility,” which uses the demographics of your Census block group instead of your personal income.¹

The home has to be your primary residence, in a one- to four-family building, with electric or gas service from a participating utility. The large participating providers are Central Hudson, Con Edison, National Grid, NYSEG, Orange and Rockland, RG&E, and PSEG Long Island. If you buy power from a municipal utility, call NYSERDA to confirm coverage before you apply. Renters can participate too, but with an extra step covered further down.

What You Pay

Cost depends on which income tier you land in. This is the one distinction that controls everything else about the money.

Low-income (at or below 60% of State or Area Median Income): you pay nothing. NYSERDA covers up to 100 percent of eligible costs, capped at $12,000 per project upstate and $14,000 downstate.⁵
Moderate-income (above 60% up to 80% of State or Area Median Income): NYSERDA covers 50 percent, capped at $6,000 upstate and $7,000 downstate. You pay the rest.⁵

These caps apply to the core efficiency work. Federal electrification incentives, described below, stack on top.

What the Program Pays For

The core work targets wasted energy. Contractors install high-density insulation in attics and wall cavities, air-seal around windows, doors, and plumbing penetrations, and swap older incandescent or halogen lighting for LEDs. Refrigerator and freezer replacement is available, but only when the existing unit uses enough energy to make replacement cost-effective. A newer efficient fridge will not be flagged.⁶

Once air sealing and insulation are done, contractors can recommend heating and cooling equipment upgrades through the program, including heat pumps.⁵

Heat Pump and Electrification Add-Ons

The Inflation Reduction Act’s Home Electrification Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program pushed more money into EmPower+. These rebates stack on the base caps.⁷ Maximum amounts per improvement:

Air source heat pumps: up to $8,000
Electrical service upgrade (panel box): up to $4,000
Electrical wiring upgrade: up to $2,500
Heat pump water heaters: up to $1,750
Air sealing, insulation, and ventilation: up to $1,600

The panel and wiring numbers are worth paying attention to. Older New York homes often lack the electrical capacity for a heat pump, and a 200-amp service upgrade is expensive on its own. Covering up to $4,000 of the panel and $2,500 of the wiring removes the barrier that otherwise ends many electrification projects before they begin.⁷ You cannot just request a rebate on your own, though. Your contractor identifies which electrification improvements fit your home during the assessment.

Health and Safety

Before efficiency work begins, contractors address health and safety issues. The program provides smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, furnace filters, and other items needed to bring the home to a safe baseline.¹ These items are handled alongside core measures like insulation and air sealing.⁵ Tightening a home’s envelope can worsen indoor air quality if combustion appliances aren’t venting properly, so the contractor tests for those risks and fixes them before sealing anything up.

How to Apply

The quickest route is NYSERDA’s MyEnergy Portal. Create a profile, submit the EmPower+ application online, upload your documents, and check status in the same place. A printable PDF is available if you prefer paper, and the application exists in 16 languages.⁴

What you’ll need to attach:

Income documentation. Either an award letter from HEAP, SNAP, TANF, or SSI dated within the past 12 months (which skips further income checks), or four consecutive weeks of pay stubs dated within the last 60 days, Social Security award letters, and documentation of other income. Tax returns are accepted if every household member who was required to file did.⁴
Utility bills. A copy of your itemized electric bill, plus your gas bill or a bill from your fuel supplier if you heat with propane, oil, kerosene, wood, or coal.⁴
Proof of ownership, or landlord approval if you rent.⁸

Self-employed? Gather IRS reports of quarterly earnings for the last three months, and the right schedule (C, E, or F) for any rental, business, or farm income you’re documenting through a return.⁴

What Happens After You Apply

Once NYSERDA approves the application, a participating contractor schedules an on-site home energy assessment. Technicians measure airflow, locate thermal weak points, and inspect your heating and cooling equipment. The assessment determines which upgrades your home needs, which you qualify for, and whether any HEAR electrification incentives apply.

The contractor then builds a work scope and schedules installation. Low-income households pay nothing. Moderate-income households arrange their share before or during the work.⁵ A separate quality assurance inspection often follows, handled by a third-party provider independent from the installing contractor.⁹

Timing runs from several weeks to a few months, depending on contractor availability and job complexity. Downstate wait times tend to be longer.

If You Rent

Renters can participate, but the building owner has to approve the work before anything moves forward. Contractors are modifying someone else’s property, and without written approval the project stops.⁸

The funding tier is set by your income as the tenant, not the landlord’s. If you qualify as low-income, upgrades to your unit are covered up to 100 percent. If you fall in the moderate-income tier, the program covers up to 50 percent, and the remainder is paid by the owner or split between you and the owner as you agree.⁸ Getting landlord sign-off is the common sticking point in the moderate tier, since the owner is being asked to contribute. Pitching it as property value and reduced vacancy risk tends to work better than talking about your utility bills.

1
Environmental Protection Agency. NYSERDA EmPower+ Program Profile
2
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. EmPower+ Eligibility Guidelines
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New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Income Guidelines
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NYSERDA. EmPower+ Application
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NYSERDA. EmPower+
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New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. EmPower New York What You Need to Know
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NYSERDA. Inflation Reduction Act Homeowners
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New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. EmPower+ for Renters and 2-4 Family Households
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NYSERDA. Residential Energy Storage Quality and Market Standards Policies and Procedures