Solar & Battery Regulation & Incentive Programs
The Holyoke Gas & Electric (HG&E) Residential Energy Conservation Program provides residential customers with loans to help make energy saving improvements to eligible homes. The loan provides 0% interest assistance, is repayable over up to five years, and is charged to the customer's monthly HG&E bill. Single-family homes are eligible for a maximum of $5,000, and owner-occupied multi-family dwellings with four or fewer units can receive a maximum of $10,000 (maximum of $5,000 per unit). Solar installations are eligible for loans up to $10,000. Solar assistance is available in addition to energy efficiency assistance, but the total maximum loan amount is $10,000 per customer.
The program covers the following home improvements: central air conditioning, gas fired warm air furnaces, gas fired steam boilers, gas fired hot water boilers, electric hot water heaters, gas storage water heaters, gas fired instantaneous hot water heaters, gas conversion burners, indirect water heaters (attached to a gas fired boiler), attic insulation, wall insulation, floor insulation, basement insulation, heating and hot water piping insulation, rim joist insulation, replacement windows and doors, programmable and/or Wi-Fi thermostats, mini-split/ducted air-source heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, and solar hot water heaters. Homeowners installing insulation, replacement windows, replacement skylights, or an indirect water heater must have a free home energy audit performed before application submission. All equipment must meet certain energy efficiency standards that are listed on the application.