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

Ulster County

County or city: Ulster County, NY Utility territory: Central Hudson Gas & Electric across nearly all of Ulster, including Kingston, New Paltz, Saugerties, and Woodstock; small NYSEG patches in the eastern fringe along the Dutchess line; rural southern and western Ulster has heavy fuel-oil and propane dependence Verified: May 27, 2026 Source quality: Secondary

What programs apply here

Ulster homeowners qualify for the full statewide stack plus the Central Hudson rebate layer. The housing stock leans older than the state average, particularly in Kingston's historic neighborhoods and across the Catskills foothill towns, which makes the envelope-first sequence especially important here. The programs that apply at an Ulster address:

  • NY-Sun: the state's upfront solar incentive.
  • NY-Sun Community Solar: subscription solar for shaded or off-grid-oriented roofs common in the Catskills.
  • NY State Solar Tax Credit: state income tax credit on the post-rebate cost of a residential solar install.
  • NY State Geothermal Credit: state income tax credit on ground-source heat pump systems. Ulster sits in the richest geothermal-stack territory in the state.
  • NYS Clean Heat: heat pump rebates delivered through Central Hudson at this address.
  • Comfort Home: insulation and air sealing packages. The two most useful programs in Ulster, given the housing stock.
  • EmPower+: free or low-cost upgrades for income-qualified households, including the federal HEAR delivery path.
  • Solar for All: no-cost community solar subscription for income-qualified Ulster residents.
  • Central Hudson Residential Rebates: the utility rebate layer.
  • NYSEG Rebates: for the small eastern-Ulster pockets served by NYSEG.

What stacks at this address

The defining feature of stacking in Ulster is the fuel-oil and propane share. Rural Catskills households still heat with oil or propane at a rate well above the state average. That makes Central Hudson's air-source heat pump tiers, which scale by whether the install removes a fossil fuel source, the highest-paying rebate available in the county. The combinations to be aware of:

  • Air-source heat pump with oil tank or propane tank removal. Central Hudson's top air-source tier requires the install to displace a fossil fuel heating source, with documentation of removal. Many Ulster homes still on oil or propane can hit this tier on a single project. See Central Hudson Residential Rebates for the tier amount.
  • Weatherize first. A 1920s farmhouse in Olive or a 1950s Cape in Saugerties almost always needs air sealing and insulation before any heat pump install. Comfort Home covers this scope through NYSERDA-certified contractors and protects the heat pump rebate by keeping system sizing reasonable.
  • Geothermal stack on larger rural lots. Ground-source installs make economic sense in Ulster mainly on properties with the land and the geology for a trenched or vertical loop field. The Central Hudson ground-source rebate plus the 25% state geothermal credit is the largest combined residential incentive in this region.
  • EmPower+ for income-qualified. A single intake can pull in state-level weatherization and federal HEAR funding. Run EmPower+ first if you qualify; the Central Hudson rebates are sized for market-rate customers.
  • Community solar for shaded roofs. Many Catskills properties sit under heavy tree cover. Subscribing to NY-Sun Community Solar is the path that fits the geography without cutting trees.

County or city programs unique to here

Ulster has one of the more active county-level sustainability programs in the Hudson Valley:

  • Ulster County Office of Sustainability. Operates at the county-government level. Publishes resource guides, runs energy workshops, and coordinates with Central Hudson and NYSERDA on outreach. The office hosts the county's Climate Action Plan.
  • Hudson Valley Community Power. Community choice aggregation available in participating Ulster municipalities, including New Paltz, Marbletown, Rosendale, and others. Opt-in 100% renewable supply at municipality-negotiated rates.
  • Kingston Climate Smart Communities work. Kingston is a certified Climate Smart Community and has run its own resident outreach campaigns on weatherization, solar, and heat pumps. The city sustainability office coordinates with county and state programs.
  • Catskills Mountainkeeper. Regional advocacy nonprofit. Useful for navigation of land-use and renewable-siting questions in the western and southern Catskills portion of Ulster.
  • RUPCO weatherization. Serves income-qualified Ulster households through the federal Weatherization Assistance Program; the EmPower+ intake routes WAP-eligible applicants here.

Who to call locally

  • Ulster County Office of Sustainability: (845) 340-3340. The county-level energy and climate office.
  • RUPCO (Rural Ulster Preservation Company): (845) 331-9860. Kingston-based nonprofit handling federal weatherization for income-qualified households across Ulster.
  • Central Hudson residential customer service: rebate questions route through cenhud.com and through certified Clean Heat contractors.
  • Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division: (845) 340-3010. Relevant when a heat pump retrofit also involves oil tank decommissioning, which has health-code requirements.

Climate Smart Communities status

Ulster County is a Certified Climate Smart Community. The City of Kingston, Town of New Paltz, Village of New Paltz, Town of Rosendale, and Town of Woodstock are among the Ulster municipalities certified at the bronze or silver tier under the state program. Several Ulster municipalities have used CSC certification to qualify for NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities grants for resident-facing projects. Verify the current tier through the state's CSC portal before citing a specific certification level.

Important local dates

  • Central Hudson rebate funding runs on NYS Clean Heat annual block allocations. No published program-end date as of May 27, 2026; check the Clean Heat finder for availability before scheduling work.
  • Hudson Valley Community Power enrollment windows open municipality by municipality. Check your town or village sustainability page.
  • Comfort Home and EmPower+ have no published end dates as of May 27, 2026. The EmPower+ application window stays open year-round.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with Ulster 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, ulstercountyny.gov, climatesmart.ny.gov on May 27, 2026.

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