Inflation Reduction Act

​Through the newly created Penn Energy Savers Program, EPO will be administering two IRA-funded rebate programs for low to moderate income households. The rebate amounts and income eligibility limits are set by the IRA legislation(opens in a new tab). The Home Efficiency Rebates Program will allow states to incentivize whole-house energy savings retrofits for homeowners. The Home Electrification & Appliance Rebate Program will consist of point-of-sale consumer discounts on the purchase of high-efficiency electric home appliances. To stay up to date, there are two websites where you can register to receive email updates about these programs as they develop: the White House Clean Energy(opens in a new tab) and the DOE Home Energy Rebate Program(opens in a new tab).

On July 27, 2023, DOE released the Home Energy Rebate Program guidance(opens in a new tab). Utilizing this guidance, EPO is currently working to design the rebate programs specifically for Pennsylvanians. Upon design completion and subsequent DOE approval of the programs, the Home Energy Rebates will be open to Pennsylvania residents. EPO anticipates that the rebates will be available to Pennsylvania residents in early-2025 -- for more information, please visit www.pennenergysavers.com.

If you are a resident and have questions on Home Energy Rebates and/or would like to receive updates on Pennsylvania’s Home Energy Rebate programs, please send an e-mail to RA-EPHomeEngRebates@pa.gov.

​(All tax credits mentioned below are effective for the 2023 calendar year)

These programs will be managed through IRS tax credits(opens in a new tab). Please check with your tax advisor and the Department of Treasury’s IRA Taxpayer Resource Hub(opens in a new tab) for further details:

• New Energy Efficient Home Credit(opens in a new tab):
  • Tax credit for homebuilders
  • $2,500 for new homes meeting Energy Star standards; $5,000 for certified zero-energy ready homes. For multifamily, base amounts are $500 per unit for Energy Star and $1000 per unit for zero-energy ready

• Residential Clean Energy Credit (including Solar)(opens in a new tab):
  • Provides a 30% tax credit for the purchase of residential clean energy equipment, including rooftop solar, wind, geothermal, and battery storage with capacity of at least 3 kWh

• Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit(opens in a new tab):
  • Provides a tax credit for energy-efficiency improvements of residential homes
  • Base Credit Amount: 30% of cost, with limits for each type of improvement and total per year. Credit capped at $600 for “energy property,” e.g. efficient heating and cooling equipment; $600 for windows; $250 per door, $500 total for doors; $2,000 for heat pumps. Total annual credit capped at $1,200, with a separate annual $2,000 limit for heat pumps. $150 credit for home energy audits

• Clean Vehicle Credit (Electric Vehicles)(opens in a new tab):
  • Provides a maximum $7500 tax credit for consumers purchasing new qualifying clean vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell electric vehicles.
  • Vehicle must meet certain standards for North American assembly; the battery’s components must meet certain standards for manufacturing or assembly; and the battery’s critical minerals must meet certain requirements for sourcing or processing in the United States or from trusted trade partners

• Previously-Owned Clean Vehicles Credit(opens in a new tab):
  • Provides a maximum $4000 tax credit to support used vehicle buyers who choose to go electric

• A full list of tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act can be found here(opens in a new tab) (Excel)

Phase I: Planning Grants

PA DEP has received $3 million in Federal grants to fund the creation of a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) by March 1, 2024, and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) by December 1, 2025.  The program requires developing two plans, a Priority Climate Action Plan and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan.  

The PCAP includes ways to reduce GHG emissions that could be put into effect quickly. The PCAP also includes GHG reductions that are a priority for Pennsylvania communities and businesses, focusing on strategies for the industrial sector.  The PCAP is available here(opens in a new tab).

The CCAP will build on the PCAP to include a broad list of GHG reduction strategies that could be used in Pennsylvania and include analyses that will help assess the benefits and impacts of these strategies.

Analyses will be conducted in the following areas:

• A benefits analysis for reductions of GHGs and co-pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone and precursors, diesel and other particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide)
• A benefits analysis for Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities
• Quantified GHG reductions
• A workforce planning analysis

DEP recently concluded a series of in-person and virtual workshops as part of the CPRG initiative. These efforts began in Fall 2023 and aimed to gather community input to inform the development of Pennsylvania’s CCAP, which outlines strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate-related challenges across the Commonwealth.  In March 2025 DEP held In-person workshops engaged over 130 residents in eight locations across Eastern and Western Pennsylvania, including Wysox, Lancaster, Hazleton, Chester, Erie, Clarion, Johnstown, and Uniontown.  

In addition to the in-person engagement, DEP hosted a series of general public and sector-specific virtual workshops focused on labor, transportation, local government, utilities, and industry. These online sessions attracted approximately 370 participants, bringing total public engagement across the initiative to over 500 individuals. This robust outreach ensures that the voices of residents, industry stakeholders, and local officials—including those in rural and underserved communities—are incorporated into Pennsylvania’s CCAP. The feedback gathered from these events will inform future climate planning.  As the CPRG planning phase continues through 2027, DEP remains committed to inclusive and transparent engagement. 

Please email RA-EP-CPRG@pa.gov with questions about the program.
 

Phase II: Implementation Grants

In September 2020, U.S. EPA announced the second phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, which includes two competitions totaling $4.6 billion: (1) a general competition for applications from states, municipalities, tribes, tribal consortia, and territories; and (2) a competition only for tribes, tribal consortia, and territories.

These implementation grants were open to entities that received planning grants to develop Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) under phase 1 of the CPRG program, as well as entities that did not directly receive a planning grant that are applying for funds to implement measures included in an applicable PCAP.

Pennsylvania was awarded $396 million in CPRG Implementation funding to administer an industrial decarbonization grant program, Reducing Industrial sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA).

Questions about RISE PA can be emailed to ra-ep-cprg@pa.gov.

U.S. EPA’s press release can be found here(opens in a new tab), and more information is available here(opens in a new tab).