Home Performance with ENERGY STAR in Northern Delaware
Energize Delaware’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program takes a whole house approach to comfort, efficiency, durability, and safety. Rather than rebating one piece of equipment in isolation, the program starts with a home energy assessment, identifies what is actually driving your energy bills, and then pays incentives on the upgrades that fix it.
For most Northern Delaware homeowners that means real money back on a heat pump, a ductless mini split system, a heat pump water heater, attic insulation, air sealing, or a combination of all of them. True Blue Mechanical works with the program and handles the reservation and rebate paperwork so you are not chasing forms. Book a consultation online or call (302) 729-8783.
How the Energize Delaware Rebate Process Works
Step 1. Schedule your home energy assessment. The assessment is mandatory. Work performed before it does not qualify for incentives. The standard co-pay is $50, homes over 3,000 square feet may pay $100, and income qualified customers pay $25. During the visit the energy advisor installs up to $250 of energy saving products at no additional cost, including LED bulbs, faucet aerators, efficient flow shower heads, and water heater pipe insulation.
Step 2. Review your report and choose your upgrades. You go through the Home Energy Assessment Report with a program participating contractor and decide which improvements to make. Qualified products and equipment have to be installed by a participating contractor for the incentives to apply.
Step 3. Sign the agreement and reserve your rebate. Your contractor submits the rebate reservation along with your signed agreement before any work begins. Approval depends on program funds available at the time of submission, and funds are first come, first served, so this step is not one to put off.
Step 4. Complete the work, pass inspection, and get paid. After installation, the energy advisor who performed your assessment returns for a final inspection, and some projects are selected at random for a quality assurance review. Once the completed application is submitted and approved, your rebate check arrives within six to eight weeks.
Heating, Cooling, and Water Heating Rebate Amounts
Below are the published Home Performance with ENERGY STAR incentive maximums for the equipment we install most often in Northern Delaware. Amounts in parentheses are the higher Assisted Home Performance amounts available to income qualified households, military members, and active duty first responders.
Heat pumps, Tier 1. Up to $800 ($1,200) for multi stage systems at 16 SEER2, 11.5 EER2, and 7.8 HSPF2 or better.
Heat pumps, Tier 2. Up to $1,600 ($2,200) at 17 SEER2, 12.0 EER2, and 8.2 HSPF2 or better.
Ductless mini split heat pumps, Tier 1. Up to $550 ($1,000), plus $350 ($600) for each additional indoor unit.
Ductless mini split heat pumps, Tier 2. Up to $1,100 ($1,700) at 20 SEER2 or better, plus $550 ($900) for each additional indoor unit. Mini split incentives cap at $4,000 per customer, or $5,500 for assisted customers.
Central air conditioning. Up to $650 ($1,000) at Tier 1 and up to $1,250 ($1,750) at Tier 2.
Hybrid heat pump and furnace systems. Up to $1,450 ($2,300) at Tier 1 and up to $2,250 ($3,300) at Tier 2, among the largest single incentives in the program.
Furnace replacement. Up to $350 ($500) when replacing a furnace already at 90 percent AFUE or better, or up to $750 ($1,100) when replacing one at 89 percent AFUE or lower, installing a 96 plus AFUE multi stage unit with an ECM blower.
Boilers. Up to $850 ($1,200) for a 90 plus AFUE modulating boiler, or up to $1,100 ($1,500) for a condensing boiler with on demand hot water at 95 plus AFUE.
Heat pump water heaters. Up to $1,100 ($1,350).
Tankless gas or propane water heaters. Up to $650 ($850) at 90 plus UEF.
ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats. Up to $150 ($200) when bundled with another measure.
Mechanical ventilation and whole home dehumidifiers. Up to $400 ($600) each.
Incentives are capped at the listed amount or 50 percent of the total installed cost, whichever is lower. They are not guaranteed until Energize Delaware confirms a rebate reservation, and published amounts are subject to change. Geothermal heat pumps are excluded from this program and are covered separately through Delaware’s Green Energy Program.
Weatherization Rebates Worth Pairing With a New System
New equipment performs better in a tighter, better insulated house, and the program rewards doing both.
Air sealing. Up to $900, $1,300, or $1,800 depending on whether the project achieves a 20, 30, or 40 percent improvement.
Air sealing and heat pump bundling bonus. An additional $300 when air sealing is completed within three months of qualifying heat pump equipment and achieves at least a 20 percent CFM reduction.
Duct sealing. Up to $550 at 20 percent improvement, or $700 at 40 percent.
Attic insulation. Up to $900 for added R-19 and up to $1,100 for added R-30.
Wall insulation. Up to $1,800 when at least half the walls are covered.
Crawlspace encapsulation. Up to $1,000.
Air sealing and duct sealing incentives are capped at the listed amount or 75 percent of the installed cost, whichever is lower.
Who Qualifies
Residential properties located in Delaware are eligible. Multi family buildings with more than four units under one roof must be three stories or fewer and at least ten years old. You need to be the registered homeowner, or a tenant with written permission from the property owner, complete the home energy assessment, and have qualified equipment installed by an approved program contractor. Self installed upgrades and work done before the assessment do not qualify.
Higher Incentives for Income Qualified Homeowners, Military, and First Responders
The Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program raises nearly every incentive on the list and drops the assessment co-pay to $25. Income qualified Delaware property owners and renters qualify through their landlord. Since July 1, 2023, all military members and active duty first responders including firefighters, police, and EMTs qualify with no income requirement. Homeowners and tenants in one of Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts may also be eligible. Energize Delaware can confirm eligibility at (877) 524-1339.
Help With the Rest of the Cost
Rebates cover a meaningful share of an upgrade, not all of it. Energize Delaware’s Home Energy Efficiency Loan Program can reduce out of pocket costs on the balance, and we also offer HVAC financing through KwikComfort and Synchrony with approved credit.
Why Northern Delaware Homeowners Call True Blue Mechanical
We have installed and serviced heating, cooling, and water heating systems across Newark, Wilmington, Hockessin, Middletown, and Glasgow since 2016, and we hold a 4.9 star rating across 126 plus verified Google reviews. Rebate eligibility comes down to specification details, correct sizing, and paperwork submitted in the right order. We size the equipment to your home rather than to the box that came off the last truck, confirm the model meets the tier you are aiming for before you sign, and submit the reservation before work starts so the incentive is actually reserved.
If you are replacing a system, this is worth a conversation before you buy. The difference between a Tier 1 and a Tier 2 heat pump is often smaller than the difference in the rebate.
Energize Delaware Rebate Questions We Hear Often
Can I get the rebate if I already replaced my system? No. The home energy assessment has to happen first, and the rebate reservation has to be approved before installation begins.
How long does the rebate take? Roughly six to eight weeks after your contractor submits the approved final application, following the post installation inspection.
Do rebates apply to ductless mini splits? Yes, and they scale with the number of indoor units. As a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor, we install equipment that regularly clears the Tier 2 efficiency thresholds.
Can rebates run out? Yes. Approvals depend on funds available when your reservation is submitted, and they are issued first come, first served.
Does the assessment cost anything? The standard co-pay is $50, or $100 for homes over 3,000 square feet. Income qualified customers, military members, and active duty first responders pay $25. The advisor also installs up to $250 in energy saving products during the visit.
Start Your Energize Delaware Project
Tell us what you are trying to fix, whether that is a failing system, a room that never gets comfortable, or an energy bill that keeps climbing, and we will map out the upgrades that qualify. Request service online or call (302) 729-8783.
