U.S. Energy Secretary Joins State, Milwaukee Officials To Launch First in Nation Rebate Program

Sec. Jennifer Granholm. Photo taken Aug. 2, 2024 by Graham Kilmer.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Milwaukee Friday as Wisconsin became the first state in the county to launch a home energy efficiency program using funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

The State of Wisconsin launched a rebate program, Home Efficiency Rebate Program (HOMES), providing residents cash back for energy efficiency upgrades they make to their home. The program is part of an $8.8 billion federal funding created in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

In Wisconsin, the state is making $75 million in rebates available to residents who install energy-saving measures, like heat pumps, electrical panels and insulation.

The IRA is a landmark piece of legislation for President Joe Biden‘s administration, and Sec. Granholm was joined Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy and longtime Democratic politico John Podesta at to promote Biden’s economic and climate agenda, which have become intertwined thanks to the programs created through the IRA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The event was held at Milwaukee Area Technical College’s (MATC) downtown campus.

“President Biden places clean energy at the center of that agenda because it tackles the climate crisis, it creates jobs, it lifts up communities that have been left out and left behind, and it gives American families a bit more breathing room, as he likes to say, by lowering their bills,” Podesta said. “The Inflation Reduction Act HOME Energy rebates are an important tool to expand that breathing room.”

It was the second time in one week that a cabinet secretary visited Milwaukee, promoting the president’s agenda and accomplishments. U.S. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg was in Milwaukee Wednesday, visiting the port and riding the Amtrak Hiawatha.

Milwaukee is the largest Democratic stronghold in Wisconsin, which is shaping up to be a critical battleground state that will play a role in deciding the 2024 presidential election. Officials like Granholm and Podesta made sure to talk up more than just Biden’s climate policies, touching on efforts to lower prescription drug costs and eliminate student debt. While Biden is no longer seeking reelection, Vice President Kamala Harris has quickly become the party’s presumptive nominee.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley both attended the event and said the IRA funding and rebate programs will complement and support their work to advance climate-related policy at the local level.

But it was also an opportunity to celebrate Wisconsin’s achievement as the first state to launch a rebate program using IRA funding.

The program will allow single-family households in Wisconsin to claim up to $10,000 in rebates for installing home energy efficiency upgrades. Multi-family properties are also eligible for the rebates. Residents can check their eligibility and access rebates through the state’s Focus on Energy program.

All the technologies eligible for rebates also help homeowners lower their monthly costs, Granholm said, “But here is the kicker is that unfortunately, many of the people taking advantage of this, most of the people taking advantage of this, are higher income.”

The rebate programs are designed to make it easier for people with lower incomes to begin making these upgrades to their homes. Families making 80% or less of the median area income are eligible for the largest rebate, with rebates going down as incomes go up.

The energy rebate programs are also intended to support manufacturing and other jobs, Granholm said, holding up dozens of companies in Wisconsin that make products, like heat pumps, that will be eligible for rebates.

“This is proof we don’t have to choose between protecting our environment and economic development and creating jobs,” Gov. Tony Evers said. “We can and we are doing both.”

The HOMES program is not the only rebate program Wisconsin is launching. The state is planning to open up another  rebate program in the fall, which will reimburse residents for part of the cost to purchase high-efficiency appliances.

Public Service Commission head Summer Strand said homeowners can stack the rebates and other Focus on Energy programs.

“We stand ready to get these rebates into the hands of households and communities across this state,” Evers said.