December’s Action: Take Advantage of Efficiency Maine’s Rebates – Save Money and the Planet

Visit Efficiency Maine to learn about available home energy rebates. Find out how you can lower your home energy costs while lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help save Planet Home.

NOTE: Efficiency Maine’s rebate program is not set to expire in 2026 but is subject to change without notice.

The first real snow of the year has left our town frosted in white, transforming it overnight into a sparkly winter wonderland. But with the onset of winter comes higher costs as we heat our homes against the chill – both to our wallets (as we pay more money to stay warm) and to the planet (as we burn the fossil fuels that drive climate change). The older New England homes that make up much of the housing in Maine  are particularly good at letting that valuable heat leak out. Therefore, to help Mainers heat our homes and not the planet, Efficiency Maine has worked hard to make available a suite of home energy rebates.

Homeowners can obtain Efficiency Maine rebates for upgrading insulation and installing heat pumps – and also for water heaters, EV chargers, and even some appliances. Rebates are available to everyone, with low or even no-cost options available based on income. Because many of these rebates are applied at the point of sale, the upfront cost is drastically lowered, making energy upgrades less daunting.

These incentives can make a measurable impact. According to ENERGY STAR+1, air sealing and insulation improvements can reduce heating and cooling costs by about 15%. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the Rockies, NREL reports that heat pumps can reduce household energy use by roughly 31–47%, with even greater savings when paired with insulation upgrades. In addition, Efficiency Maine heat-pump rebates commonly reduce installation costs by $1,000–$3,000 per unit, with higher incentives available for income-eligible households — helping homeowners see immediate savings while cutting emissions.