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As Maryland’s state energy office, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) will be the applicant for two of the residential-focused IRA rebate programs - the HOMES Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program and the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program.
On January 5, 2024, MEA submitted the Early Administrative Funds applications to DOE and is currently working to update the applications based on DOE feedback. Once DOE approves MEA’s Early Administrative Funds applications (which will take at least 60 days), MEA can use these funds for project design and development of the full HOMES Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program and the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program. These funds are envisioned to be used to hire federally-funded staff resources and for vendor support that is needed to design the rebate program to DOE specifications.
On January 4, 2024, MEA submitted a Report on the Status of Implementation of Residential-focused Rebate Programs Through Federal Stimulus Funding, as required by the Joint Chairmen’s Report of the 2023 Session.
On November 9, 2023, MEA published a
Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback from the contractor community that installs energy efficiency and electrification measures in residential homes and multifamily buildings, as well as training organizations, labor groups, community based organizations, and any other interested parties, on Maryland’s applications to the Home Efficiency Rebates Program, Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program, and State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grant Program (also known as Training for Residential Energy Contractors Grant Program).
Learn more about the RFI
here, or submit a response to the RFI via a Google Form
here. Comments were requested by November 28, 2023, but MEA is continuing to receive comments.
On July 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published the
federal requirements that will allow Maryland and other states to apply for the full residential rebate funds to deploy both of these programs. Please note that the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program will only be available to participants that meet the income-qualifications of the program.
However, funding for the HOMES Rebate and the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate IRA Programs is not yet available to Maryland residents, as MEA now needs to develop and submit an application to DOE based on the information just released on July 27, 2023. The process by which these IRA residential rebate will be come available is outlined below:
Overview of the anticipated process by which rebates will be made available via the residential-focused IRA rebate programs
- DOE has released the funding opportunity announcement for funding.
- State energy offices, including the Maryland Energy Administration on behalf of the State of Maryland, will then need to develop and submit detailed applications to DOE that propose how each individual state will meet DOE’s requirements (released on 7/27/23) and implement their state’s HOMES Rebate and the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate programs.
- Once DOE is satisfied with a state’s proposed implementation process for the residential rebate programs, DOE will enter into a funding agreement with each state energy office.
- Upon DOE entering into a funding agreement with the Maryland Energy Administration, MEA can seek state-level spending authority for the federal funding and begin sourcing any resources that may be needed to help implement new programs of this scale.
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MEA can then issue funding announcements outlining program eligibility requirements and submission instructions for the Maryland-specific HOMES rebate programs.
IRA Timing for the residential home rebate programs: While DOE has made the funding available for applications and announced program guidelines on the DOE webpage for the home rebate programs, MEA does not yet have the funds to award rebates to Maryland customers. Assuming a timely funding award from DOE, MEA anticipates that these rebates will be available for residents; during the second half of calendar year 2024. MEA is aware of the interest in these programs, and is looking for opportunities to get the rebate programs available to the public as soon as possible.
If you are interested in getting updates on these new federal programs from MEA, as well as other MEA energy programs, please follow MEA on social media at Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn.
Will the rebate incentives be available retroactively?
- The Inflation Reduction Act does not allow Home Electrification Rebates to be offered retroactively.
- For the Home Efficiency Rebate Program,
DOE’s frequently asked questions (FAQ) website states in question #25 that "Given the requirement that states must establish programs that ensure compliance with the law (e.g., eligibility of household, technology, program reporting) in addition to their own requirements, it will be difficult to offer rebates for projects completed before program requirements are fully defined and programs are operational" As a result, MEA does not anticipate that retroactive rebates will be eligible for Maryland's Home Efficiency Rebate program.
Additional Information from DOE:
Please note that the Maryland Energy Administration cannot provide tax advice. If you have any tax questions, please contact a licensed tax professional.
