UPDATED 5/29
This intro focuses on a specific California solar program, then below the fold is information on an extraordinarily comprehensive and up-to-date dot-org website (run by N.C. State Univ, funded by DOE) for finding state by state and by US territories (how often do they get remembered, right?), and "Federal"/nationally the incentives and assistance programs for energy, efficiency and renewables. (And of course there's always energystar dot gov although that serves more the folks with discretionary income.)
Myself, I was trying to learn if my dedicated-little-panel solar-powered attic-exhaust fan (because I couldn't find a cool-roof-paint business to paint my roof to decrease a.c. elec bills/footprint in this ruinously hot area) is rebate-able at all. First I shlepped hours through webpages of my local electricity company (PG&E) which I found "non-optimal" in clarity, under-updated, and as a result somewhat misleading.
The California energy assistance program as listed at www dot benefits dot gov was informative but didn't help my tightly-specific situation, partly because I'm already receiving low-income discounts on my elec & gas bills, and Medical Baseline on elec as a Dr-certified severely disabled person).
So, next, I spoke on the phone with lots of nice actual human beings with lots of information, such as at PG&E's 1-800-933-9555 "Smarter Energy Line" (found here - your own elec & gas companies may have similar info lines) but none of it applicable to me. As in the past, I find there's a donut hole fall-into-able by low-income folks whose medical expenses zero out their tax liability so we can't benefit from tax-credit incentives and have to try to save up for one little conservationist or bill-saving improvement per decade or so because we don't have the income to be able to pay even low-rate loan interest for doing any "bundled" [PG&E's term] improvements that would qualify for rebates.
Meanwhile, bestfren found and and sent me this SFGate link with state-wide applicability (even 'though, again, not me): Low Income Homeowners Get Free Solar Panels... where the key paragraph says
To qualify, applicants must live in a neighborhood designated as disadvantaged by the state [map at that link]. They must own their homes and make no more than 80 percent of their community’s median household income.
I emailed it to friends, saying "According to the inter-active map of disadvantaged areas —hard to use, at least by me, but I managed finally to fine it down enough— it looks like you are in one of the shockingly many designated neighborhoods/areas, and you are certainly low income enough - those seem to be the 2 requirements. (I don't qualify, my neighborhood is not disadvantaged according to the map.)
It's a short article. PLEASE GIVE IT A READ!!!! Maybe an answer to even atheist prayers" and one of them emailed back in under an hour, "
It's got an online application form. I applied. Here's hoping!!"
For programs in all states, territories, etc.,:
"Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency®"
IS ACTUALLY A STATE-BY-STATE, & BY TERRITORY DATABASE LISTING FEDERAL AS WELL AS MORE LOCAL INCENTIVES AND ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
DSIRE is the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The URL is dubdubdub dot dsireusa dot org. The various tabs provide a host of different search approaches, starting (if you like) with the home page zipcode bar, clickable map of the states, button for US territories, and a button for "Federal"/national.
I would say don't be deterred by what looks like an emphasis on business/corporate programs, because (after all) those are probably who needs the most push to get green at all. For example, searching for rebate programs at the Programs tab, I got 539 hits system-wide, including residential.
In my own zipcode, the system found 59 state and federal programs, each with its own page displaying full key facts clearly, such as website and address contacts, current status of the program (some are out of money at the moment and have to wait for the next budgetary year or other funding restart), technologies that are covered (e.g., "clothes washer" ... air duct leakage sealing ... "boilers"...)
Searching Texas (out of curiosity), the system produced 155 hits including USDA - Biorefinery Assistance Program for "Biomass, Municipal Solid Waste, Landfill Gas Renewable Chemicals, Biofuels" technologies, the US Tribal Energy Program Grant covering
Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Geothermal Electric, Solar Photovoltaics, Wind (All), Biomass, Hydroelectric, Wind (Small) ... Refrigerators/Freezers, Water Heaters, Lighting, Lighting Controls/Sensors, Chillers, Furnaces, Boilers, Air conditioners, Programmable Thermostats, Energy Mgmt. Systems/Building Controls, Caulking/Weather-stripping, Duct/Air sealing, Building Insulation, Windows, Siding, Roofs, Comprehensive Measures/Whole Building, Other EE [technologies]
the
Xcel Energy - Residential and Hard-to-Reach Standard Offer Programwhich explains in part that the qualifiers are
...customers with an annual household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, and who have properly completed a PUCT-approved income verification form. All payments to Project Sponsors are based on kW and kWh savings. Examples of eligible projects include:
Ceiling, wall, attic insulation
Installing energy efficient windows
HVAC retrofit
Duct efficiency improvement
Lighting
Photovoltaics and Solar Hot Water
Note that Xcel Energy provides the incentive directly to the Project Sponsor, who then determines what to do with the incentive payment. Charges vary by Project Sponsor and no incentives are paid directly to the consumer by Xcel. More information, including 2015 program manual and contracts may be found on the web site.
Obviously, it's not all great news. But it is all current news (most "Updated" dates are from April and May 2015) well detailed and linked. Even tiny little
Rhode Island has 54 hits including weatherization and low income energy assistance and so on, and
Louisiana lists 46.
Hoping this helps.
