Commercial Electrification Incentives
NYS has committed to net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050, with incentives and programs to encourage building and fleet electrification. But those programs won’t last forever!
State, federal, and local incentives are constantly changing and dependent on the building and organization type. Fortunately, you don’t need to navigate these programs by yourself. A local, not-for-profit energy advisor will gladly help you identify which incentives can work for you.
Ready to get started?
Want to learn more? Keep reading below.
BUILDING INCENTIVES
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Program providing rebates for commercial customers who replace their existing furnace, boiler or water heater with eligible heat pump equipment.
Type: Rebate
Details: Up to $1500 rebates for qualifying projects.
Eligibility: Natural gas and electricity customers who install qualifying equipment by our participating contractors
Learn More: NYS Clean Heat Rebate Program
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To promote affordable housing construction and streamline access to financial and technical assistance, HCR, has partnered with NYSERDA to incorporate clean energy incentives and technical support for highly-efficient, all-electric new construction/adaptive reuse and existing building renovations.
Details: Up to $12,500/unit in clean energy funding will be made available for select projects
Eligibility: Project applying for and receiving either 9% LIHTC, CIF, or 4% Bond financing
Learn more: https://hcr.ny.gov/clean-energy-initiative
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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)’s Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit – Section 25C – provides up to $2,000 annually in tax credits to lower the cost of a qualified heat pump installation by up to 30 percent.
Type: Tax Credit
Notes: Many heat pumps will qualify for both the NYS Clean Heat rebates and the IRA’s 25C tax credit. To determine the 25C tax credit’s maximum value, the household would report the amount paid or incurred during the taxable year; i.e. the installation cost after the incentive has been applied.
Learn More: Here
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Program providing rebates for commercial customers who perform energy efficiency upgrades to their facilities and/or equipment (Heat Pumps are excluded).
Type: Rebate
Details: Rebate limits are 50% Project Cost for Early Replacement and 90% Incremental Cost for End of Life/New Construction.
Notes: Eligible projects include retrofits, add-ons, major renovations, and new construction
Learn More: RG&E Commercial & Industrial Rebate Program
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NYSEG offers no-cost energy assessments and low to no cost equipment upgrades in apartment and condominium complexes.
Details: Incentives for air sealing and insulation for electric and heat heated buildings based on energy savings.
Note: Eligible to property owners/Managers of Multifamily buildings with 5+ units and an active NYSEG electricity and/or natural gas service.
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The FlexTech program shares the cost to produce a site-specific energy study on how best to implement clean energy and/or energy efficiency technologies for Commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings.
Details: For select technical services, up to $500,000 is available for Commercial, Industrial, or Multifamily customers. The cost share is determined as a % with a cap, and full details can be found here.
Learn more: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/FlexTech-Program
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C-PACE provides low-cost, long-term, fixed-rate capital for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable on-site energy generation for retrofits and new construction.
Details: Financing is available for up to 100% of the project cost, or can be combined with other financing. Eligible technologies include Ground Source and Air Source heat pumps.
Learn More: Check out these resources from the County or speak with someone at Possible Rochester (a local 501(c)(3) focused on connecting businesses to financing for clean energy projects).
EV INCENTIVES
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This federal program provides a tax credit when you purchase a Qualified Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) including passenger vehicles and light trucks.
Type: Tax Credit
Details: $2,500 - $7,500
Note: Once a manufacturer has sold 200,000 qualified PEVs, the tax credit is no longer available for that manufacturer. Tesla and GM were the first two auto makers to phase out.
Learn more: Tax Credit Overview
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The Charge NY initiative offers electric car buyers the Drive Clean Rebate of up to $2,000 for new car purchases or leases. Can be combined with the federal tax credit.
Type: Rebate
Details: $500 to $2000
Learn more: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/drive-clean-rebate
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Voucher incentives for the purchase of alternative fuel trucks and buses and verified diesel emission control (VDEC) technologies. This program is intended to facilitate fleet purchases of new zero-emission trucks and buses by reducing the upfront prices of these vehicles.
Type: Voucher
Details: Voucher amounts are based on a % of the incremental cost of the vehicle (difference in cost between the zero-emission vehicle and a comparable diesel vehicle), up to a per-vehicle cap. Voucher caps start at $100,000 for most technologies.
Note: As of May 27, 2022 and thereafter, NYSERDA will ONLY accept applications for Class 4-8 trucks, transit buses, school buses, and non-road port cargo handling equipment that are accompanied by the scrappage of a qualifying pre-2009 vehicle.
Learn More: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Truck-Voucher-Program and IRS Details
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Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle operators in New York State looking to install charging stations to electrify their fleets may be eligible for charging infrastructure funding from their utility through the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Make Ready Pilot. To qualify, fleets must be approved for participation in either the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program or the New York City Clean Trucks Program.
Type: Voucher
Details: Under the Pilot, utilities can provide incentives of up to 90% of utility-side infrastructure costs to mitigate the cost of developing EV charging capacity.
Note: Each participating utility will accept applications until December 31, 2025, or until available incentive funding has been fully allocated, whichever comes first.
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The Collaborative leverages collective buying power to competitively bid EVs and charging infrastructure. Includes light, medium, and heavy-duty EVs, electric school buses, and charging station infrastructure.
Learn More: https://driveevfleets.org
CHARGING STATION INCENTIVES
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Type: Rebate
Details:
$4,000 per charging port installed at a public facility (must be located within a disadvantaged community)
$2,000 per charging port installed at a workplace or multi-unit dwelling location.
Eligibility: Public, private and not-for-profit organizations that install Level 2 EV charging stations at workplaces, multi-unit dwellings (MUD’s) or public facilities.
Learn more: Charge Ready 2.0 Program Overview
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Nonrefundable income tax credits for investments in alternative fuels and electric vehicle recharging stations.
Type: Tax Credit
Details: Up to $5,000
Learn more: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/credits/alt_fuels_elec_vehicles.htm
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The goal of the EV Make-Ready Program is to support the development of electric infrastructure and equipment by reducing the upfront costs of building charging stations for EVs. The Make-Ready program applies to “everything up to the charging station” and can be combined with other incentives. The program focuses on the installation of Level 2 or DC chargers, and has specific funding to benefit “disadvantaged communities.”
Type: Rebate
Details: 50%, 90%, or 100% of utility-side and costumer-side infrastructure.
Learn more: https://jointutilitiesofny.org/ev/make-ready and RG&E Program Details
The opportunities are endless - use these resourcess to find yours.
Tools & Links
Explore available incentives by plugging in your zip code at this site
EV Federal Funding Finder: A tool made by the Electrification Coalition to identify federal transportation electrification funding opportunities
You can find a full list of the ever-evolving NY laws and incentives here: New York Laws & Incentives
Dive deep into these NYSERDA RFPs
Calculators
U.S. Dept. of Energy Argonne National Lab AFLEET Tool
U.S. Dept. of Energy Alternative Fuel Vehicle Data Center (EVs)
