Federally funded appliance rebates remain in limbo
The tax credits require households to make an up-front investment in home improvements, before they can redeem savings on their tax bills. This presents a problem for households who can’t afford to front the costs.
Data released by the IRS shows that nationwide, higher-income households disproportionately used the tax credits in 2023.
A different government program is meant to address this issue. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act funded rebates to offset the cost of energy-efficiency improvements, electrification and appliances. These rebates are funded with federal dollars but administered by states.
In the final days of the Biden administration, the Department of Energy gave initial approval for Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding to launch their rebate programs. But months later, the rebates are still not available to consumers, as the three states await final approval from Trump’s Department of Energy.
New Jersey plans to launch its program by the end of the year, said Alonza Robertson, spokesperson for the state’s Board of Public Utilities.
Some states, including New York, Rhode Island and North Carolina, have already launched their rebate programs.
Emery Washington, deputy press secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, declined to answer WHYY’s questions about the status of rebate funding specifically for Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“The Department is continuing to conduct a department-wide review to ensure all activities follow the law, comply with applicable court orders and align with the Trump administration’s priorities,” Washington wrote in an emailed statement. “The American people provided President Trump with a mandate to govern and to unleash ‘American Energy Dominance.’ The Department of Energy is hard at work to deliver on President Trump’s promise to restore affordable, reliable, and secure energy to the American people.”
