Eligibility Requirements
- Homes can be individual or master metered electric and gas and will be eligible for additional Program incentives based on heat type requirements. Multi-family units sharing a master meter are eligible for participation, but under the multi-family guidelines.
- When applying for COOL SMART rebates, evidence that an evaporator, condensing unit, and furnace is properly matched cooling system according to an AHRI product certification reference number must be provided to your HERS rater.
- Single-family units are defined as either detached or up to and including four attached units. Five or more attached units are classified as multi-family. A multi-family project must be five stories or below to qualify and be residentially permitted. Mixed-use (Residential/C&I) Buildings may participate if they are permitted in the commercial use group as long as they fall within the EPA's policy on qualifying units in multi-family buildings.
- Must have a bath fan rated for continuous use <1.5 ones and controlled by a 24-hour programmable timer or equivalent mechanical ventilation system.
- Homes with HVAC ducted systems have a leakage rate at or below 6% CFM to outdoors per 100 sq. ft. of conditioned floor area
- Proof of utilization of Manual J as outlined in ENERGY STAR® performance path guidelines for proper sizing of equipment must be provided to the HERS Rater.
- Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) must be installed in at least 80% of all hard wired, screw based fixtures in the home and verified by a HERS Rater during final inspection.
All ENERGY STAR® homes must include the following:
- ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances (refrigerator and dishwasher), if installed by builder prior to final inspection.
- Installed heating and domestic hot water systems must generate positive energy savings. Consult with a HERS rater for details.
- A Thermal Expansion Valve (TXV) or Electronic Expansion Valve (EXV) is required on all cooling systems.