Upgrade your home with Denver's Home Energy Rebates! These rebates can help you
- Get new, more efficient heating and cooling equipment for your home
- Get home upgrades that make it easier to stop using natural gas
- Improve your home's indoor air quality
Rebates are available for owners of single family homes, duplexes, and townhomes in Denver. If you own another type of building, such as a commercial or larger multifamily building, you can qualify for our Building Electrification Rebates.
The rebates act as an instant reduction in cost for homeowners - the contractor you work with will deduct the rebate upfront from the project's cost. No need to pay full price and wait for a reimbursement later! Note that all rebates require pre-approval before the work begins. You may also be able to stack these rebates with tax incentives and other rebates from Xcel Energy, The State and Federal government, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Not sure how to get started with your rebates? This step-by-step guide will help you get started with navigating this process. More information for contractors and installers can be found on our Contractor Resources Hub.
1. Get an energy audit.
An energy audit will help you identify the most effective steps you can take to improve energy efficiency and comfort in your home. Xcel Energy provides low-cost energy audits to home owners, along with a wealth of resources. While an energy audit is not a requirement for getting a rebate from Denver, we do recommend it as a place to get started. Be sure to consider other utility programs at this stage of the project including Xcel Energy's Whole Home Efficiency Program or their Energy Advisor service.
2. Based on the results of your energy audit, consider adding insulation or air sealing your home.
This will increase your home's comfort and tends to be more affordable. Often, people living in poorly insulated or leaky homes end up having to get larger heating and cooling equipment to make up for all the conditioned air that escapes. By adding insulation to your home you may be able to reduce the size of heating and cooling equipment and save money on both utility bills and new equipment.
3. Research and choose the equipment you want to install.
If your furnace, air conditioner or water heater is more than 10 years old, it’s time to start making a plan for replacement. Check out Heat Pumps 101 to learn more about the different kinds of equipment available.
4. Research Rebates and Incentives
Denver's rebates can be stacked with rebates and tax incentives from other sources like Xcel Energy, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Our friends at Rewiring America put together a great tool to help you find all of the rebates you might qualify for. Enter your info below to find out:
5.Get Quotes from Contractors.
Once you have picked the equipment you think you want to install, you will need to find a contractor to work with who will help you evaluate the best options for your home, complete the installation, and ensure everything is working correctly. We keep a list of registered contractors who are eligible to work within this rebate program. If you’d like to work with someone who is not yet listed they can register to offer rebates. We recommend that you get at least three quotes from three different contractors so that you can make the best decision about who to work with and what work needs to be done. Our Heat Pump Buying Guide gives you a great list of questions to ask along the way as you work with a contractor.
6. Pick your Installer
Once you have gotten quotes from approved contractors, you can decide which contractor to work with. Make sure to emphasize that you're interested in using Denver's Home Energy Rebates and Xcel Energy's rebates. Denver's Home Energy Rebates requires that your installer gets pre-approval for the your rebate before starting the work. Your installer will work with us directly to get pre-approval for the project.
Need help picking a contractor? The ENERGY STAR Bid Comparison Checklist can help you ask the right questions as you talk to contractors.
7. Work with your chosen contractor to get a scope of work and a cost estimate.
The Home Energy Rebate should be accounted for in your cost estimate up front as a line-item discount. Ensure that you are comfortable with the final cost of the project, the project timeline, and the work that you have both agreed on. Denver’s rebates require that all work is permitted appropriately, this process should be handled by your installer as well.
8. Look for financing
If you need help covering the gap between the rebate(s) and incentives you received and the total cost of the project, financing can help. The Colorado Clean Energy Fund offers below-market-rate financing for clean energy projects such as installing the equipment covered by Denver's Home Energy Rebates.
9. Schedule your installation, and pardon the bustle while work happens in your house.
Depending on the scope of work, you can generally expect your new equipment to be installed within a few days.
In the future, someone from Denver’s program may reach out to verify information about your installation or to gather your feedback on the program. Your experience and opinion are valuable to the work we do now and in the future
See frequently asked questions and specific equipment details
To report or share concerns about projects or installers participating in the program please fill out our contractor feedback form.
How to Apply for Denver's Rebates as a Customer
- Research and choose the equipment you want to install (see list on next page).
- Get quotes from approved contractors. Make sure to emphasize that you're interested in Denver's Climate Action rebates, Xcel Energy's rebates, and rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act.
- Take a look at our Registered Contractor List. We recommend you get at least three quotes from different contractors to compare.
- Choose a contractor and schedule an installation. Rebates should be included in your quote/invoice as a credit or a discount. Note that Denver’s rebates require pre-approval before the work begins. Contractors will reserve rebates before the project is complete with a signed customer estimate or agreement. A signed contract is not required to reserve a rebate. See Contractor Resources for additional information on application processes for contractors and installers.
- Your contractor will submit paperwork about the rebate on your behalf.
Program Eligibility
New in 2024: Existing premises, rehab projects and new construction are all eligible for rebates. Denver reserves the right to limit the total incentive dollars to any single developer to $60,000 per calendar year.
To utilize this program, the premise must be:
- In the City and County of Denver
- A single-family dwelling, two-family dwelling (duplexes), or townhome.
- Existing commercial buildings, multifamily apartment buildings, and multifamily condominium buildings are eligible for Denver’s Building Electrification Program Rebates.
- If you have questions about if your individual dwelling unit is considered a condominium or a townhome, please contact Denver’s Community Planning and Development at archstruc.review@denvergov.org.
- Served by Xcel Energy Residential Service. If you do not have an Xcel Energy bill yet, you may submit a dated letter verifying future Xcel Energy services at that address in lieu of a utility bill.
Interested in EV charging or Solar?
- For EV charger, rooftop solar and battery storage rebates, households with ‘Residential’ electrical service from Xcel Energy also qualify for these measures.
- EV charger, solar or battery storage equipment must be connected to the eligible residential meter. To qualify for the rooftop solar rebate, resident must own their roof or have approval to install solar panels on their roof.
- Please download your latest Xcel Statement to confirm you are a residential customer.
Stacking Rebates
These home energy and electrification rebates can be stacked and combined with rebates from Xcel Energy and the Colorado Energy Office (funded by the Inflation Reduction Act), provided the equipment you choose and your income both match the requirements for each program. You may also be able to take advantage of tax credits and other incentives offered by the state.
Learn how to combine rebates
Eligible Equipment
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Standard Rebate
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Electric Vehicle charger*
|
80% of the project cost, up to $200
|
Bi-Directional EV charger** |
80% of the project cost, up to $2,000 |
Air source heat pump
|
40% of the project cost, up to $1,500 for ‘High-Efficiency’ Air Source Heat Pumps
40% of the project cost, up to $3,500 for ‘Cold Climate’ Air Source Heat Pumps
|
Ground source heat pump
|
80% of the project cost, up to $3,500 |
Mini-split heat pump
|
40% of the project cost, up to $1,500 for ‘High-Efficiency’ Mini-Split Heat Pumps
40% of the project cost, up to $3,500 for ‘Cold Climate’ Mini-Split Heat Pumps
|
Heat pump water heater
|
60% of the project cost, up to $1,000 for heat pump water heaters
60% of the project cost, up to $1,750 for smart heat pump water heaters
|
Solar
|
80% of the project cost, up to $4,000
Solar rebates are only available to residents who have already installed a heat pump, heat pump water heater, or bidirectional EV charger.
|
Battery storage
|
80% of the project cost, up to $500 (available to all residents)
80% of the project cost, up to $2,750 (only available if you have a heat pump, heat pump water heater, or bidirectional EV charger installed).
|
Electric service upgrade***
|
80% of the project cost, up to $2,000
Electric service upgrades are only available when paired with a rebate for a heat pump (any type), heat pump water heater, solar, or battery storage.
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*The charger installed must be a Level 2 ENERGY STAR Certified Electric Vehicle Charger, or a Ford Charge Station Pro.
**Charger must be able to charge an electric car battery from the power grid and also be able to send stored power from the car battery back to the grid.
***Electric Service Upgrade: If you’re applying for a rebate, your home electrical panel may need an upgrade to support the extra electrical load. This add-on rebate helps cover the cost of an electrical upgrade, including a new panel, associated wiring, or a new circuit required to install new equipment.
- Up to $2,000 is available to applicants applying for another rebate through the Climate Action Rebate program.
- Heat pump, heat pump water heater, solar, and battery storage measures are eligible to pair with Electric Service Upgrade rebates. EV charger rebates are not eligible to be combined with the Electric Service Upgrade rebate.
- You can work with any of our registered contractors to install this equipment.
The program reserves the right to:
- Conduct field inspections to verify information about equipment installation. Homeowners may receive an email request from the city or its consultant requesting a field visit at your home. Any communication will come directly from a City and County of Denver email address (@denvergov.org), an APTIM email address (@aptim.com), or a Group 14 Engineering email address (@group14eng.com).
- Conduct field inspections before rebate payment to verify purchase and, where necessary, installation of eligible equipment. Inspections will be scheduled in advance with the rebate applicant and residential customer.
- Limit the total incentive dollars to any single developer (entity working on multiple projects) to $60,000 per calendar year.
Program performance is monitored on an ongoing basis, and rebate amounts and requirements may be adjusted as needed. Advance notice of any changes will be provided at least 60 days prior to any changes taking effect.
For full Terms and Conditions and Program requirements see the program portal.