Green Jobs–Green New York (GJGNY)

Administered by: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Status: Active in 2026 Verified: May 27, 2026 against Green Jobs–Green New York Program, NYSERDA Source quality: Primary

What it is

Green Jobs–Green New York (GJGNY) is not a single rebate. It is the statutory infrastructure that funds most of NYSERDA's residential energy work. The GJGNY Act was signed into law on October 9, 2009, authorizing NYSERDA to fund home energy assessments, low-interest loans for efficiency and renewable upgrades, and workforce training for clean-energy trades. Revenue comes from the sale of carbon emission allowances through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

In practice, GJGNY is the back office. The front door is the no-cost home energy assessment. The back end is the loan program — the On-Bill Recovery Loan, the Smart Energy Loan, and the Companion Loan that pay for what the assessment recommends. Those products are documented on NYSERDA Residential Financing.

The "green jobs" half of the name is literal. GJGNY money supports Building Performance Institute (BPI) contractor certification, on-the-job training, and the Clean Energy Hubs network. The same law that funds your audit funds the auditor's training.

Who qualifies

For the no-cost home energy assessment: any owner of a 1-to-4 family home in New York State. There is no income test for the basic assessment offered through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR.
For an income-qualified path: households at or below 80% of State or Area Median Income are routed to EmPower+, which provides the assessment plus no-cost installation of qualifying measures rather than a loan.
For GJGNY loans: 1-to-4 family homeowners, 540 minimum credit score, work performed by a contractor participating in the relevant NYSERDA program. Income-qualified households (at or below 80% of State Median Income) receive a discounted rate. Full underwriting and product details are on NYSERDA Residential Financing.

What you get

The assessment is the part most homeowners interact with directly:

A walk-through of the home by a BPI-certified contractor enrolled in NYSERDA's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR network, at no cost to the homeowner under GJGNY funding.
A written Home Energy Plan that documents where the home is losing energy, flags health and safety issues (combustion safety, moisture, ventilation), and lists recommended measures with rough costs.
A virtual assessment option through navigator.climative.ai/nyserda for homeowners who prefer a remote evaluation.
A direct handoff to the program that pays for the work: Comfort Home Program for envelope work, NYS Clean Heat for heat pumps, EmPower+ for income-qualified households, and the GJGNY loans for everything not covered by a rebate.

The assessment itself does not commit you to any work. It produces a document. What you do with the document is up to you.

How to apply

Go to the Home Energy Plan page on NYSERDA and request a no-cost assessment. The portal routes you to a participating contractor in your area or to the virtual assessment tool.
Schedule the in-home or virtual visit. An in-home assessment typically runs 2 to 3 hours; a BPI-certified auditor inspects insulation levels, air leakage points, HVAC equipment, hot water, and combustion safety.
Review the written Home Energy Plan when it arrives. The plan lists measures, expected energy savings, and which NYSERDA program funds each measure.
Decide which measures to pursue. The contractor who did the assessment is often the one who would perform the work, but you are not obligated to use them.
If you need financing, apply through NYSERDA Residential Financing. The lender uses the Home Energy Plan as part of the project scope review.

How this stacks with other programs

GJGNY is the connective tissue. A typical sequence for a 1970s house with an aging boiler:

The GJGNY-funded assessment identifies attic and rim joist air leakage, undersized wall insulation, and an oversized oil boiler near end of life.
Comfort Home Program pays a flat rebate of $2,500 to $3,000 for the insulation and air sealing package.
NYS Clean Heat pays the utility rebate on a cold-climate heat pump replacing the boiler.
A GJGNY loan finances whatever the rebates do not cover.

For an income-qualified household, the same assessment routes to EmPower+ instead, which covers most or all of the work at no cost rather than offering a loan.

The audit is the document that connects these programs. Skipping it is the most common reason a project gets quoted twice or stacked wrong.

What to ask your auditor

Are you a Building Performance Institute (BPI)-certified auditor, and which BPI credentials do you hold (Building Analyst, Envelope Professional, Heating Professional)?
Will the assessment include a blower door test and combustion appliance zone test, or is this a visual walk-through only?
Will the Home Energy Plan call out which measures are eligible for Comfort Home versus EmPower+ versus Clean Heat, with the rebate amounts?
If I want to finance the work, will you submit the project scope to NYSERDA's lending partner, or do I apply separately?
How long is the Home Energy Plan valid before I need a new assessment to re-qualify for rebates?

Common pitfalls

Treating the assessment as a sales pitch. A BPI-certified auditor documents the house. If the written plan is a single quote for a single product, that is not a home energy assessment.
Letting the plan expire. NYSERDA rebates require recent documentation. An assessment from three years ago will not satisfy a Comfort Home application.
Income-qualified households on the wrong track. A homeowner at 70% of State Median Income who finances Comfort Home work with a GJGNY loan has bypassed EmPower+, which would have covered the work at no cost. Confirm your income tier before signing financing documents.
Choosing the virtual assessment when a blower door test would change the recommendation. The remote tool cannot measure actual air leakage. For older homes, the in-person assessment is usually the right call.
Assuming the auditor is the only contractor option. The Home Energy Plan is yours. You can solicit competing bids from any contractor in the relevant NYSERDA program.

Important dates

GJGNY has no announced sunset as of May 27, 2026. The 2009 statute is open-ended; funding renews through annual RGGI auction proceeds. The assessment program operates year-round. Contractor capacity in a given county can become a scheduling constraint in heating season; if you are aiming for a fall heat pump install, request the assessment in spring or early summer.

The GJGNY loan products are funded on the same cycle and have no separate application window.

Source

Green Jobs–Green New York Program, NYSERDA (retrieved May 27, 2026; statutory origin, program scope, RGGI funding source, and $1,500 to $25,000 financing range confirmed here)
Home Energy Plan, NYSERDA (retrieved May 27, 2026; no-cost assessment scope, 1-to-4 family eligibility, virtual assessment portal confirmed here)
Residential Financing Programs, NYSERDA (retrieved May 27, 2026; loan terms cross-referenced for the financing arm)

See also: NYSERDA Residential Financing for the loan products that GJGNY funds.

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with NYSERDA, the State of New York, or any utility. Verify all program details and incentive amounts directly with NYSERDA before making any financial decision.

Verified against www.nyserda.ny.gov, www.nyserda.ny.gov on May 27, 2026.