Rick Shilliday
The Homeowner Upgrades and Geothermal program is offering Missouri homeowners $7.75 million in rebates for home energy audits and whole-house energy efficiency improvements. This program is part of Energize Missouri Homes created from funds received by the Department of Natural Resources from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Missouri Botanical Gardens Earthways Center will be managing the program in the St. Louis region. The Earthways center will be the primary point of contact for homeowners to provide technical assistance, process the rebate requests and issue payments.
How do you qualify? Any one who owns a single family home that is the owner’s primary residence is eligible for the program. The homeowner must schedule and pay for an energy audit with an Energize Missouri Homes qualified auditor. The energy auditor conducts a whole house audit and helps the homeowner in selecting cost-effective upgrades that will produce at least a 15% energy savings as required by the program. The rebate money is then reserved with the Earthways Center and the homeowner has six months to complete and pay for the upgrades. The rebates will be issued directly to the homeowner.
How much will your rebate be? The energy auditor’s fee will be rebated up to $500.00 if the selected energy improvements are made. The improvement rebates depend on what level of energy savings the projects will deliver as determined by the audit. For a 15% energy savings, which is the minimum required, the rebate will be 50% of eligible costs up to $2,000. At 25% energy savings the rebate will be 70% of eligible costs up to $7,000. If a geothermal system is installed a homeowner will be rebated 50% of eligible costs up to $10,000.
Which energy improvements are eligible? Improvements that are eligible for a rebate are those that will reduce the home’s energy load such as air sealing, weather stripping, insulation, heating and cooling system upgrades, and geothermal.
The program is available on a first come first served basis. To find out more about how you can improve your home through the Energize Missouri Homes program, visit www.EnergizeMissouri.org or contact an energy auditor.
For more information call Rick Shilliday, Blue Sky Energy Rating Inc., Qualified Auditor for Energize Missouri Homes, 800-694-1665. www.blueskyeneryrating.com.