Rebates, grants and financing
There is money for this work. Most people never find out.
Four separate programs pay toward insulation, air sealing, heating and appliances in Michigan homes. One of them has no income test at all. One of them can cover the whole job. Which fits your house depends on who bills you for gas and how old the place is — and finding out costs nothing.
Where we are, plainly: our team is completing BPI Building Analyst certification — the qualification the state requires for the home energy assessment these rebates are built on — and our registration as a Michigan Home Energy Rebates contractor is in progress. You can apply for income verification today regardless; an approval is good for a full year from the date it is issued, so nothing is lost by starting now.
Which one is yours?
The short version, before the detail. You can be eligible for more than one, and they stack.
Program 1 of 4
Michigan Home Energy Rebates (MiHER)
State and federal money for insulation, air sealing, heating and appliances. For lower-income households it can cover the whole job.
Who pays
The State of Michigan, through EGLE, administered by CLEAResult. Paid to the contractor, who discounts your bill by that amount.
How much
Published maximums are $20,000 per household for whole-home efficiency (HOMES) and $14,000 for electrification and appliances (HEAR). What any individual household receives depends on income and on modelled energy savings.
Who qualifies
- Michigan homeowners, including single-family and multifamily.
- Mobile and manufactured homes count as single-family and are eligible.
- Renters can qualify with their landlord taking part.
- Each unit of a duplex or townhome is treated as its own project.
- Income is verified by the program, not by your contractor. We never ask what you earn.
How it works
- 1Apply for income verification at the state’s own portal. It is free.
- 2When the application asks who your contractor is, name us — that is how we get your updates.
- 3Your income approval is good for one year from the date it is issued.
- 4We carry out a full home energy assessment and build the energy model.
- 5The scope goes to the program for pre-approval. Nothing starts before that comes back.
- 6We do the work. A program representative inspects it.
- 7The rebate is paid and your bill is reduced by it. You never pay it up front and wait.
The assessment the whole rebate hangs on has to be performed by a BPI-certified Building Analyst Professional. That is the certification our team is completing.
Full detail on MiHER →Program 2 of 4
Consumers Energy Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
Rebates on insulation, air sealing, duct work and heating — with no income test at all. If Consumers Energy bills you, you are eligible.
Who pays
Consumers Energy, through its program implementer ICF.
How much
Up to $3,750, depending on the improvements. Funding is limited and allocated first come, first served.
Who qualifies
- You receive natural gas or electric service from Consumers Energy — the account number goes on the form.
- There is NO income test. This is the one that works for every household in Consumers territory.
- Existing, occupied homes. Single-family, including condominiums.
- Not available for new construction.
- The work has to be done by a Consumers Energy trade ally contractor.
How it works
- 1We carry out a full diagnostic home energy assessment.
- 2Rebate funds can only be reserved after that assessment has been done.
- 3You and we sign the Homeowner Agreement, which reserves your funds from the date it is signed.
- 4We do the work.
- 5The rebate is paid after a post-inspection and verification.
We perform the assessment and the envelope work — insulation, air sealing, duct sealing — and handle the paperwork.
Full detail on Consumers Energy rebates →Program 3 of 4
Michigan Saves home energy financing
Not a rebate — a low-rate loan that covers whatever the rebates do not, paid straight to us when the job is done.
Who pays
An authorised Michigan Saves lender, who pays the contractor directly on completion. You repay the lender.
How much
$1,000 to $50,000, unsecured, at a fixed rate not exceeding 7% APR, over terms up to 180 months. Consumers Energy buys the rate down further in its territory.
Who qualifies
- There is no income cap. Approval is based on the lender’s own criteria.
- The loan is unsecured — no lien on the house and no collateral.
- The work has to be done by a Michigan Saves authorised contractor.
- It stacks with rebates, up to 100% of the project cost.
How it works
- 1You apply through us. Approval is usually quick.
- 2We do the work.
- 3You sign a completion certificate confirming the job is finished.
- 4The lender pays us directly, and you repay the lender over the term you chose.
We handle the application with you and the paperwork at the end. It is how a job gets done when the rebate covers part of it and nobody has the rest sitting in a checking account.
Full detail on Michigan Saves →Program 4 of 4
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
Federally funded weatherization at no cost to the household, delivered locally by Capital Area Community Services.
Who pays
The U.S. Department of Energy through Michigan MDHHS, delivered by your local community action agency.
How much
No cost to an eligible household. The agency funds the work directly.
Who qualifies
- Households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
- Priority goes to older people, people with disabilities, and families with children.
- In Clinton, Eaton, Ingham and Shiawassee counties the agency is Capital Area Community Services.
- The agency qualifies the household and schedules the work — you apply to them, not to us.
How it works
- 1Apply directly to Capital Area Community Services.
- 2They verify eligibility and carry out their own energy audit.
- 3They issue the work to a contractor on their approved list.
This one is the agency’s to run, and we say so plainly. We are working toward their approved contractor list. If you are likely to qualify for WAP, that is the first door to try, because it costs the household nothing.
Full detail on Weatherization Assistance →We will never ask what you earn.
The programs verify income themselves, through their own application. Your contractor has no part in it and no business asking. We ask about the house — how old it is, how it is heated, what it does in January.
And we will not tell you a number before an assessment. What a household receives depends on verified income and on the energy savings a real survey models. Anyone quoting you a rebate figure over the phone is guessing.
Start here: find out if you qualify
It takes a few minutes and it costs nothing. Tell us about the house and we will tell you which program fits and exactly what to do next — including the one detail most people miss.
The detail most people miss
When the state’s application asks who your contractor is, put a name in that box. It is how your contractor gets your updates and how your project starts without a delay while you go and find one. If you would like that to be us, we would be glad to be it.
Or call (517) 505-7135. If something is broken right now — no heat, no hot water — do not wait on a rebate program. Call 211 or your utility today, and let us quote the repair separately.
Not sure where your house fits?
Tell us roughly how old it is and how it is heated, and we will point you at the program that actually fits rather than the one with the biggest number on it.