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

Herkimer County

County or city: Herkimer County, NY Utility territory: National Grid (electric across the county; gas service along the Mohawk River corridor from Frankfort through Ilion, Mohawk, Herkimer, and Little Falls, with no gas in most of the northern townships) Verified: May 27, 2026 Source quality: Secondary

What programs apply here

Herkimer is a long, narrow county that runs from the Mohawk River north into the Adirondacks. The southern third of the county along the river holds the villages and small cities: Ilion, Mohawk, Herkimer, Little Falls. The Remington Arms factory in Ilion (in and out of operation under various owners over the past decade) anchors a manufacturing tradition that shaped the housing stock. The northern two-thirds of the county is forested, sparsely populated, and largely off the natural gas grid. National Grid provides electric service everywhere; gas service stops short of the Adirondack townships. At a Herkimer address you can apply for:

  • NY-Sun: the state's upfront solar incentive.
  • NY-Sun Community Solar: subscription solar credits for homes without a workable roof.
  • NY State Solar Tax Credit: 25% state income tax credit on residential solar.
  • NY State Geothermal Credit: 25% state income tax credit for ground-source heat pumps.
  • NYS Clean Heat: heat pump rebates routed through National Grid.
  • Comfort Home: flat per-measure incentives for insulation and air sealing.
  • EmPower+: free or low-cost upgrades for income-qualified households, and the delivery path for the federal HEAR rebate.
  • Solar for All: no-cost community-solar credit for income-qualified households.
  • National Grid Rebates: the utility-specific layer for thermostats, water heating, and the Clean Heat tier.

What stacks at this address

The retrofit calculus in Herkimer splits along the gas-service line. South of the line, in the river villages, gas furnaces are common and the question is whether to switch fuels. North of the line, oil and propane are the incumbents, which changes the economics.

  • Oil or propane to cold-climate heat pump. Most homes in the northern townships heat with delivered fuel. National Grid's Clean Heat air-source tier pays more when the install displaces a fossil fuel heating source on file. Removing the oil tank and documenting it is what unlocks the higher rebate. Ask the contractor to keep the tank-removal paperwork with the rebate file.
  • Envelope first in pre-1940 housing. Ilion, Mohawk, and Little Falls have a high share of older housing stock built around the manufacturing economy of the early twentieth century. Air sealing and insulation through Comfort Home reduce the heating load before a heat pump is sized. A smaller cold-climate unit costs less and still qualifies for the Clean Heat tier.
  • Ground-source on rural lots. The northern townships (Russia, Webb, Ohio, Salisbury) include large rural parcels where a horizontal loop field is physically practical. Ground-source installs there qualify for the National Grid Clean Heat ground-source rebate and the 25% state geothermal credit on the state return.
  • EmPower+ for income-qualified households. Herkimer's median household income runs below the state median. EmPower+ funds envelope and electrification at no cost for qualified households and is the intake path for federal HEAR funding.
  • NY-Sun + state solar tax credit. Solar on a south-facing roof in any part of the county stacks the upfront NY-Sun rebate with the 25% state income tax credit. The tax credit is computed on the net cost after the rebate.

County or city programs unique to here

Herkimer County does not run a county-administered residential energy rebate. The local layer is informational:

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension Herkimer County. Runs occasional homeowner energy workshops and is the closest neutral local desk for retrofit questions.
  • Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency. Tracks commercial and industrial development; not a residential rebate office.
  • Herkimer County Soil and Water Conservation District. Handles environmental conservation and stormwater, with adjacent relevance to forestland and septic systems.

The county is part of the broader Mohawk Valley clean-energy planning footprint but has not produced a homeowner-facing cash incentive of its own.

Who to call locally

  • National Grid residential customer service: 1-800-642-4272. Heat pump amounts route through the Clean Heat finder by address.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension Herkimer County: (315) 866-7920. 5657 State Route 5, Herkimer, NY 13350.
  • NYSERDA EmPower+ intake: 1-877-697-6278.
  • Herkimer County Soil and Water Conservation District: (315) 866-2520.

Climate Smart Communities status

Herkimer County is not currently certified under the New York State Climate Smart Communities program. Municipal participation in the county is limited. A handful of municipalities have registered intent to pursue certification but had not completed bronze-level action requirements as of the verification date. Confirm current status with your town clerk before assuming local funding eligibility tied to certification.

Important local dates

  • National Grid Clean Heat block funding for the National Grid upstate tier had not exhausted as of May 27, 2026. Submit paperwork earlier in the program year when possible.
  • Comfort Home has no published end date as of May 27, 2026.
  • Oil delivery season sets the practical retrofit calendar in the northern townships. The cheapest time to pull an oil tank is in spring when it is near empty.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with Herkimer County, National Grid, 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 herkimercounty.org, www.nationalgridus.com, climatesmart.ny.gov on May 27, 2026.

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