Homeowners and property owners, listen up: sweeping new home energy rebate programs have launched in a couple of states and are in the works in most of the rest. A pair of multibillion dollar federal initiatives, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, offers thousands of dollars in savings for whole-house efficiency improvements and appliance upgrades. In May, New York became the first state to launch its Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program. Wisconsin followed recently with the first state-level Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) program. Some of the incentives will be open to all income levels, while others will be reserved for low-income residents.
Also in Wisconsin, the state’s second net-zero energy school is set to open next year. Wisconsin’s first net-zero school, a $40 million elementary school in Dane County that runs on a mix of solar and geothermal energy, opened in 2020. The district confirmed in late 2021 that after its first full year of operation, the building generated as much power as it used.
In Illinois, a state law that took effect in January requires homebuilders to include electric vehicle charging capabilities in houses and apartments. Real estate agents are beginning to treat this as a selling point — even though it’s a feature most buyers aren’t looking for (yet). But compared to homeowners who were already able to have EV chargers installed, for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, many renters have dealt with inconsistent access to at-home charging and could be benefiting more from the change.
New York state committed in 2019 to getting 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It’s not expected to reach that target until at least 2033, the state Public Service Commission said last month. Now under pressure from business groups that oppose certain climate mandates, Gov. Kathy Hochul may be open to loosening some of the 2019 law’s standards — an approach that climate advocates oppose.
The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission this week picked a Texas company to lease the Keen Wildlife Area for fracking. It’s one of several approvals the commission has granted for fracking under state parks and wildlife areas since a law allowing it went into effect last year. Several Ohio environmental groups sued late last year to stop these leases. The lawsuit was dismissed in February, but the appeals process is ongoing.
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- The new owners of a 72-year-old Lake Michigan steamship want to convert it from coal to a cleaner system as a symbol of the energy transition.
- Canada’s Bruce Power is eyeing an expansion of its nuclear power generation capacity in Ontario, on Lake Huron.
- Vice President Kamala Harris’s past support for a fracking ban is putting off some potential voters in Pennsylvania.
- In upstate New York, the country’s oldest nuclear power plants are nearing retirement age, raising questions about their future.
- New York’s energy transition is accelerating, but staffing isn’t keeping up.
