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

Greene County

County or city: Greene County, NY Utility territory: Central Hudson Gas & Electric for electric across most of Greene; natural gas service is limited to a handful of villages in the eastern part of the county, and most homes heat with oil or propane Verified: May 27, 2026 Source quality: Secondary

What programs apply here

Greene is the Catskills county where Hunter Mountain, Windham, and a long arc of second-home properties shape the housing stock. Year-round residents and seasonal owners share the same utility, and that utility, Central Hudson, publishes the most specific residential rebate schedule of any provider in the Hudson Valley. Most Greene homes heat with oil or propane rather than natural gas, so the oil-to-heat-pump conversion path is the central retrofit story here. Programs available at a Greene address:

What stacks at this address

The Central Hudson rebate schedule is unusually transparent, which makes stack planning easier in Greene than in NYSEG territory. Most Greene retrofits start with the same question: what to do with the oil tank.

  • Oil tank removal + cold-climate heat pump. Central Hudson's air-source heat pump rebate tier is materially higher when the install removes an oil tank or fossil fuel heating source. Documented removal is the differentiator. Ask the contractor to provide written tank-removal documentation; the higher tier requires it on file.
  • Geothermal stack. A ground-source full-load retrofit on a Greene property qualifies for Central Hudson's largest single rebate, and that rebate stacks with the NY State Geothermal Credit on a state tax return. The Catskills foothills include large rural lots where horizontal-loop installs are physically practical, which often makes ground-source more cost-competitive here than in suburban counties.
  • Envelope first. Central Hudson partners with NYSERDA on weatherization. Running Comfort Home air sealing and insulation before the heat pump install reduces the load the system has to carry. A smaller, properly sized cold-climate heat pump costs less and still qualifies for the same rebate tier.
  • Solar in a second-home context. Many Greene properties are weekend or seasonal homes. NY-Sun applies to the property regardless of primary-residence status. NY State Solar Tax Credit applies to a residence that qualifies under state rules; the federal residential credit expired December 31, 2025, so the state credit is the only credit lever in 2026.
  • EmPower+ for income-qualified households. Greene has a meaningful low- and moderate-income population outside the second-home corridor. EmPower+ runs through NYSERDA and covers envelope and electrification at no cost for qualified households. Run it first when it applies.

County or city programs unique to here

Greene County does not administer a cash rebate program for residential energy upgrades. The county-level layer is informational and coordinating, with a strong tilt toward tourism and second-home owners:

  • Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District. Runs environmental education and conservation programs, including occasional homeowner workshops on stormwater, septic, and forestland that intersect with energy retrofits. Not a rebate office.
  • Catskill Mountainkeeper. A regional environmental nonprofit covering Greene, Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster. Runs renewable energy education and policy work that often shapes the local conversation around solar siting and Hunter Mountain-area development.
  • Town-level Climate Smart task forces. Catskill (the county seat), Hunter, and Windham have active municipal participation. The town energy committees coordinate with second-home owner associations more visibly than in most counties.

Who to call locally

  • Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District: (518) 622-3620. The local desk for environmental and conservation questions that touch on home retrofits.
  • Central Hudson customer service: 1-845-452-2700. The utility line for billing and general service. Heat pump rebate amounts route through the Clean Heat finder; thermostat and heat pump water heater programs route through cenhud.com.
  • NYSERDA EmPower+ intake: 1-877-697-6278.
  • Catskill Mountainkeeper: (845) 439-1230. Regional environmental nonprofit and policy resource.

Climate Smart Communities status

Greene County is a registered Climate Smart Community. The Town of Catskill, the Village of Catskill, and the Town of Hunter participate at the registered or task-force level. Municipal certification opens town-level grant funding for resident-facing programs and EV-charging infrastructure, which is increasingly relevant along the ski-area corridor.

Important local dates

  • The oil-delivery season sets the practical retrofit calendar. The cheapest time to pull an oil tank is in spring, when the tank is near-empty.
  • Central Hudson's rebate amounts are tied to NYS Clean Heat block funding. The current block had not exhausted its budget as of May 27, 2026, but mid-year exhaustion has happened in past blocks. Submit paperwork earlier in the year when possible.
  • Comfort Home has no published end date as of May 27, 2026. The non-Con-Edison bonus that some other counties claim does not apply in Greene because Greene is not in Con Edison territory; Central Hudson is the dominant utility.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with Greene County, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, 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.cenhud.com, www.greenegovernment.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 ›