SERVING 
The federal government wants you to switch to electric appliances, and the Georgia HEAR program makes switching a whole lot more affordable. The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program is a statewide initiative that uses funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help Georgia homeowners afford energy efficient electric appliances.
And if you qualify, you could receive rebates of up to $14,000. That’s a lot of savings!
The goal of the HEAR program is to help low and moderate-income households use less energy while improving indoor comfort and safety. Energy saving appliances aren’t always the most affordable options, but the HEAR program makes them affordable for all Georgians!
Let’s take a closer look at HEAR’s home electrification rebates, who qualifies, and how much you can save.
Georgia HEAR program eligibility and requirements
Many households in the Atlanta region qualify for Georgia’s HEAR program. Here are some of the different requirements for taking advantage of HEAR’s savings opportunities.
Income eligibility
To qualify for Georgia’s HEAR program, you have to meet certain household income requirements. Specifically, your household income must be below 150% of the area median income (AMI) for your community as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
For example, if the local AMI is $90,000, you will qualify for the HEAR program if your household income is below $135,000. That’s because $135,000 is 150% of the AMI of $90,000.
Note: The total rebate amounts are different for low-income households and moderate-income households (Source: GEFA):
- Low-income households (less than 80% AMI) receive rebates of up to 100% of the total cost of the HEAR-eligible upgrade.
- Moderate-income households (81%-150% AMI) get rebates of up to 50% of the total cost.
Wondering if you’re eligible for HEAR based on household income? PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has created a Customer Advocate Center for helping you determine eligibility and maximize your rebates. Get in touch now to find out if you qualify!
Appliance requirements
To qualify for rebates through the HEAR program, the federal government wants to make sure the appliances you install result in major energy savings. To that end, HEAR rebates are only available when you:
- Replace non-electric appliances with electric appliances, OR
- Replace older, less efficient electric appliances with newer, high efficiency electric appliances
- Install new ENERGY STAR-certified equipment
In other words, you can’t get a HEAR rebate when you replace an existing heat pump system with a new heat pump. However, you can get a rebate if you replace a natural gas-powered clothes dryer with an electric heat pump clothes dryer.
The same is true when you replace a gas-powered furnace with a heat pump system, retire a gas stove for an ENERGY STAR-certified electric one, or replace a conventional electric water heater with a heat pump water heater.
Installation and contractor requirements
Not just anyone can install your new, energy efficient appliances if you want to qualify for HEAR funds. What’s more, certain protocols must be followed during the installation process or you may not be eligible.
The Georgia Efficiency Finance Authority (GEFA) requires you to work with an approved HEAR contractor to receive your rebates. Specific contractor requirements include:
In addition, the approved contractor must do the following:
- Perform a Manual J load calculation prior to any heat pump installation
- Perform a blower door test prior to performing building envelope upgrades, such as air sealing, new insulation, or ventilation improvements
PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has been an approved Georgia HEAR contractor since the pilot program launched in 2024. Not only that, our team is BPI-certified and has even advised GEFA on building the program! As veteran home performance and HVAC pros, Manual J load calculations and blower door tests are already part of our service suite. We’re ready to install your new appliances and maximize your savings!
Home electrification rebates: Which appliances and services qualify?
Many appliance upgrades and services qualify for appliance rebates in Georgia under the HEAR program! Here’s a list of eligible purchases and maximum rebate amounts (Source: GEFA):
- Heat pump systems for heating and cooling: $8,000
- Insulation and air sealing: $1,600
- Heat pump water heater: $1,750
- Electric stove, cooktop, range, oven: $840
- Electric load service center upgrade: $4,000
- Electric wiring upgrades: $2,500
Households can combine services and appliance upgrades for a maximum of $14,000 in total savings! And that’s not even counting the long-term energy savings you enjoy thanks to your ultra-efficient new appliances.
Determine your Georgia HEAR program eligibility
At PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we’ve created a Customer Advocate Center to help you determine HEAR eligibility and maximize your rebate! Get in touch today! We’re also a HEAR-approved contractor with deep expertise in energy savings projects for Atlanta-area homeowners.
To get a sense of how much you might save through the Georgia HEAR program, plug your household info into the calculator below. Our Customer Advocate Center can help you identify the best savings opportunities for your home!
As an HVAC and plumbing contractor serving the Metro Atlanta area since 2008, we do things a whole lot differently than the legacy HVAC companies.
Our team always performs significant pre-installation legwork for every HVAC installation to ensure you get the right system for your home. We also conduct a rigorous quality control audit when the installation is complete to ensure you’re 100% comfortable in your home.
With these differences, considered alongside our comprehensive 10-year warranty on new equipment, it’s no wonder we’ve got a 4.9/5 rating on Google with over 1,400 5-star reviews!
To determine eligibility or find out more about HEAR, contact our Customer Advocate Center today!
