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New York Energy Resource Bureau
An independent homeowner guide to NY energy incentives
Source quality: Mixed

Franklin County

County or city: Franklin County, NY Utility territory: Mixed; National Grid serves part of the county and NYSEG serves the rest. Gas service is limited and most homes heat on oil, propane, or wood Verified: May 27, 2026 Source quality: Mixed. Utility framing is verified through NYS Clean Heat for both National Grid and NYSEG; the county-level program layer is sparse and is sourced from county and regional materials.

What programs apply here

Franklin County stretches from the Adirondack High Peaks at Saranac Lake north to Malone and the St. Lawrence Valley along the Canadian border. The utility map runs across two service territories: parts of the county fall in National Grid electric, parts in NYSEG. The dividing line is not intuitive from a county map; the Clean Heat rebate finder is the practical way to confirm which tier applies. Programs available at a Franklin address:

What stacks at this address

The first stacking question in Franklin is which utility tier applies. National Grid and NYSEG do not publish identical Clean Heat amounts for every configuration, and the rebate finder is the authoritative source. The second question is the heating fuel being displaced; oil and propane dominate, with wood common as primary or backup.

  • Address-based utility check first. Enter the address into the Clean Heat finder before any contractor conversation. National Grid and NYSEG amounts may differ for the same equipment, and Clean Heat Participating Contractors are listed by utility.
  • Cold-climate verification. Saranac Lake and the High Peaks corridor see the coldest winter design temperatures in New York. Verify air-source equipment against the NEEP cold-climate list and ask for rated capacity at 5°F. The mountain corridor breaks more air-source systems than any other part of the county.
  • Oil-tank-removal tier. The full-load fossil-fuel-displacement tier under NYS Clean Heat is the largest rebate available to most Franklin homeowners. Documented oil-tank removal is the differentiator on the rebate paperwork.
  • Geothermal in rural Franklin. Lot sizes across Malone, Bombay, and Fort Covington support horizontal-loop ground-source where soil and overburden depth allow. The Clean Heat geothermal rebate stacks with the state geothermal credit on a state tax return.
  • Solar with battery storage. Outage durations in the Adirondack portion of the county are long enough that storage carries a resilience argument independent of the bill-savings math.
  • EmPower+ for income-qualified households. Malone and Saranac Lake have meaningful low- and moderate-income populations. EmPower+ covers envelope and electrification at no cost for qualified households.

County or city programs unique to here

Franklin County does not administer a cash rebate program for residential energy upgrades. The county layer is informational and splits between Park-facing institutions for the south and St. Lawrence Valley institutions for the north:

  • Adirondack Park Agency. Permits apply to ground-mount solar and accessory structures inside the Park boundary, which covers Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, and the southern portion of Franklin. Most of Malone and the northern county are outside the Park.
  • Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District. Conservation programming and homeowner technical questions on stormwater, septic, and forestland.
  • Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA). Regional nonprofit covering Franklin and the broader North Country. Energy programming has shifted year to year.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County. Rural-homeowner and farmland-management questions that overlap with energy retrofits.
  • Town-level Climate Smart task forces. Saranac Lake (which straddles Franklin and Essex), Tupper Lake, and Malone have all participated; activity varies year to year.

Who to call locally

  • Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District: (518) 651-2333.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County: (518) 483-7403.
  • Adirondack Park Agency: (518) 891-4050. For permitting questions on properties inside the Park boundary.
  • National Grid customer service: 1-800-642-4272.
  • NYSEG customer service: 1-800-572-1111.
  • Adirondack North Country Association: (518) 891-6200.
  • NYSERDA EmPower+ intake: 1-877-697-6278.

Climate Smart Communities status

Franklin County is a registered Climate Smart Community at the entry level. The Village of Saranac Lake (which spans Franklin and Essex) has been an active Climate Smart participant. The City of Tupper Lake and the Village of Malone have participated at the task-force level. Verify current certification status with the NYS DEC Climate Smart Communities tracker before citing a specific tier in dated material.

Important local dates

  • The oil and propane delivery cycle sets the practical retrofit calendar across most of the county. Spring is the cheapest window to pull a near-empty tank.
  • Clean Heat block status governs both National Grid and NYSEG rebate amounts. Submit paperwork earlier in the year when possible.
  • APA permitting adds weeks to ground-mount solar inside the Park boundary; northern Franklin projects outside the Park follow standard municipal permitting.
  • Comfort Home has no published end date as of May 27, 2026.
  • Contractor travel from Plattsburgh or Glens Falls is a real line item on Adirondack-side installs. Confirm travel costs are in the quote.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with Franklin County, National Grid, NYSEG, the Adirondack Park Agency, 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 franklincountyny.gov, www.nationalgridus.com, www.nyseg.com on May 27, 2026.

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