This is an independent service. NYSERB is not affiliated with New York State, NYSERDA, or any government agency. Learn more
New York Energy Resource Bureau
An independent homeowner guide to NY energy incentives
Source quality: Secondary

Albany County

County or city: Albany County, NY Utility territory: National Grid for both electric and natural gas across the City of Albany and most county suburbs Verified: May 27, 2026 Source quality: Secondary

What programs apply here

Albany County is a single-utility county for most addresses: National Grid runs both the upstate electric distribution system and the gas system serving the Capital Region. That makes the rebate question simpler in Albany than in Erie County, where electric and gas are split between two companies. The statewide stack available at any Albany County address:

  • NY-Sun: the state's upfront solar incentive. Albany County sits in the upstate block pricing zone.
  • NY-Sun Community Solar: subscriptions to off-site solar arrays for renters and homeowners without suitable roofs. Bill credits show up on the National Grid electric statement.
  • NY State Solar Tax Credit: 25% state income tax credit on solar system cost.
  • NY State Geothermal Credit: 25% state income tax credit on ground-source heat pump installations.
  • NYS Clean Heat: heat pump rebates delivered through the utility. In Albany County, the Clean Heat track runs through National Grid for both the electric-side incentives and the gas-utility coordination on furnace removals.
  • Comfort Home: flat per-measure incentives for insulation and air sealing through NYSERDA-certified contractors.
  • EmPower+: income-qualified weatherization and electrification. Primary delivery channel for federal HEAR funding.
  • Solar for All: monthly bill credit for income-eligible National Grid customers subscribed to a participating community solar project.
  • National Grid Rebates: the upstate rebate menu — Clean Heat heat pump amounts, ConnectedSolutions smart thermostats, Weatherization Health and Safety, and a renters' rebate track.

What stacks at this address

  • Comfort Home + National Grid Weatherization Health and Safety. Albany County customers can run a Comfort Home insulation and air sealing project and separately tap the National Grid Weatherization Health and Safety track for upstream barrier removal where it applies. Income thresholds for the National Grid track are not published; call before assuming eligibility.
  • Clean Heat + state geothermal credit. Ground-source heat pumps qualify for both the National Grid Clean Heat tier and the 25% state geothermal credit. Air-source installs qualify for Clean Heat only.
  • NY-Sun + state solar tax credit. Standard stack for rooftop solar in upstate territory. The tax credit applies to net cost after the NY-Sun rebate.
  • Fossil-fuel removal heat pump tier. Replacing the existing gas furnace with a cold-climate air-source or ground-source heat pump triggers the highest Clean Heat tier. In a National-Grid-gas-and-electric address, both rebate sides coordinate through the same utility — the gas account closeout is the operational hinge.
  • EmPower+ + HEAR. Income-qualified Albany County households apply once through EmPower+ and the intake routes federal HEAR funding where eligible.

County or city programs unique to here

The Capital Region runs an active homeowner-facing energy ecosystem, much of it coordinated rather than directly funded by the county:

  • Albany County Team Green. The county's sustainability outreach front door, including the "Incentives for Green Homes" resource page that points residents to state, utility, and Hub programs. Albany County also runs an Inclusive Community Solar Partnership targeting low-to-moderate-income and Disadvantaged Community households.
  • Capital Region Clean Energy Hub. NYSERDA-funded regional Hub covering Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties. The Hub is a collaboration of the Affordable Housing Partnership, Capital District Community Energy, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, Tap Inc., and Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County. Hub Energy Advisors walk homeowners through applications, contractor selection, and incentive stacking.
  • Albany Community Action Partnership (Albany CAP). Local agency that delivers the federal Weatherization Assistance Program for income-qualified Albany County households.
  • City of Albany Office of Energy and Sustainability. Runs the City-level Climate Action Plan and a community solar coordination program for City of Albany residents.
  • Albany County 5-acre solar array, Town of Colonie. The county broke ground on its first major ground-mount solar array in 2023. The array is county-asset infrastructure rather than a homeowner-facing rebate, but it is the most visible local signal that the county is investing capital alongside outreach.

The Capital Region's profile (many state employees, early adoption of rooftop solar and heat pumps, and a dense nonprofit network) translates into more navigation help available to a homeowner here than in less-resourced upstate counties. The Hub is the recommended first call.

Who to call locally

  • Capital Region Clean Energy Hub: cleanenergycapitalregion.org. The first call for most Albany County homeowners. Trained Community Energy Advisors handle the assessment-to-installation walkthrough.
  • Albany County Team Green: albanycountyny.gov/government/team-green. The county-level outreach page and the intake point for the Inclusive Community Solar Partnership.
  • Albany Community Action Partnership (CAP): albanycap.org. Income-qualified weatherization intake.
  • National Grid residential customer service: the Clean Heat rebate finder at cleanheat.ny.gov returns address-specific heat pump amounts. ConnectedSolutions enrollment runs through National Grid directly.

Climate Smart Communities status

Albany County is a bronze-certified Climate Smart Community under the New York State program, certified September 25, 2021 with 176 points across 30 completed actions. The current certification expires September 30, 2026; the recertification window opens before that date. Several Albany County municipalities, including the City of Albany, are independently certified at the bronze or silver level. Bronze is the entry tier; silver and gold require additional verified actions on the state's certification action menu.

Important local dates

  • Albany County's Climate Smart certification expires September 30, 2026. Recertification status will publish on the state DEC list when the cycle closes.
  • National Grid Clean Heat amounts and ConnectedSolutions enrollment caps follow the utility's energy efficiency program cycle filed with the New York Public Service Commission. Mid-year budget exhaustion has happened in past years.
  • The Capital Region Clean Energy Hub's services are funded through NYSERDA's Regional Clean Energy Hubs Initiative; the funding cycle is multi-year but is not perpetual. Confirm the Hub is currently active before assuming free advisor services are available.
  • Comfort Home per-measure incentive amounts are adjusted on NYSERDA's program cycle.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with Albany County, the Capital Region Clean Energy Hub, NYSERDA, the State of New York, or any utility. Verify all program details and incentive amounts directly with the relevant program administrator before making any financial decision.

Verified against www.albanycounty.gov, www.nationalgridus.com, climatesmart.ny.gov on May 27, 2026.

See every rebate you qualify for

The eligibility check matches your home against every active New York rebate program in under 90 seconds.

Check Eligibility ›