Dear Friends,

A big thank you to all of you that have supported us in encouraging the Inflation Reduction Act rebates to be available retroactively, and that the residential energy efficiency improvements are made more affordable for working families.

Today, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission made a very thoughtful and proactive step to help residents regardless of income fight climate change at home. Just some of the decisions they made today:

• The $74 million IRA rebates for home insulation* improvements will now be increased to between $2,000-$10,000 for a home based on the result of an energy assessment, with lower income households eligible for between $5,000-$10,000

• The IRA rebates will nearly certainly be retroactive to today, pending expected Department of Energy approval. We fully expect approval. This means that those perform projects between now and the official start of the formal rebate program administered by Focus on Energy are very likely going to be retroactive if everything is done and documented correctly. Now, homeowners won't worry about moving too soon to upgrade and whether that will qualify or not.

• Lower income households, depending on the situations in their homes, may be able to receive insulation improvements at effectively no cost!

• The future down the line "heat pump rebates" will be eligible Wisconsinites regardless of whether they heat their home with natural gas, propane, fuel oil or electric heat. This other rebate program will not be retroactive, and is expected in Fall.

This is very important, and we thank all the organizations** that joined us in working to encourage the state to make these rebates available asap so we can help homeowners NOW. And especially to the over 250 people who joined us in a combined public comment urging the very steps the PSC took. Thank you WI Public Service Commissioners!

Next Steps:

The first thing you can do if you want to access these IRA energy funds is to get an energy assessment of your home! Our energy assessments will now count for the new rebates (not every assessor's will), and will specifically unlock these funds for the home by showing you how to achieve a 20%+ reduction on household energy use.

If you want to help get the word out to others in your area, invite us to speak - in person or by Zoom - to your next meeting/ event/ get-together and we can spread the word together!

Helping Low-Income at No Cost

In the coming weeks, expect to hear more from us at Green Homeowners United how we will be able to help many of those who earn below 80% of the median income access insulation and sealing air leaks at effectively no cost to them, or low cost in some circumstances if they want to go above and beyond. We have been very closely monitoring this program and identifying how to help lower-income residents access these home energy improvement funds. For many, it will be at no cost to them!

* - Insulation - the IRA's HOMES rebate can cover more than insulation, however during this "retroactive" period projects need to include a focus generally on insulation, and broadly it will be difficult to achieve a 20% reduction in energy use without increasing the building's insulation level

** - Organizations - special thanks to the following organizations that added their name to our collective public comment to the PSC, alongside 250 residents weighing in: Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Laborers District Council (LIUNA), Milwaukee Area Labor Council, Forward Together Wisconsin, Our Wisconsin Revolution, Forward Outdoor LLC, WEI - Green Built Home, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC), Cassandra M Flagg Consulting Services LLC, Walnut Way Conservation Corp, Grant Park Heating & Cooling, Premier North Insulation LLC, Evolution Marketing LLC, B-Local Wisconsin,
Racine Home Insulators, LLC, Common Ground of Southeastern WI, Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin, Our Future Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Environmental Health Network

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Kevin Kane

Chief Economist

Green Homeowners United

Wisconsin Homeowners:

Inflation Reduction Act Rebate News!