Peterborough and Harrisville are kicking off a campaign to enroll residents in a rebate program that could help pay for energy efficiency upgrades.
The program, known as HeatSmart+, offers $3,300 to residents to reimburse things like weatherization, electric panel upgrades, electric stoves, and electric heat pumps, water heaters and clothes dryers.
Tricia Cheever, the energy and community planner for the town of Peterborough, said money is the barrier for many people when it comes to switching off of fossil fuels – and this is one way to make it less expensive.
“All of this kind of aligns with the end goal of electrification and being more renewable that both these towns want and see for the future” she said.
To qualify for the grants, people must submit information about income (preference is given to low and moderate-income households). Only single-family residences will qualify – a decision made because the federal requirements for grantmaking to multi-family buildings were too difficult to meet, Cheever said.
The federally funded grants will cover expenses from September 2024 through September 2027. The grants cannot be “stacked” with other federal grants, like the energy efficiency and electrification grants expected to launch in New Hampshire this year.
But, Cheever said, people could use the HeatSmart+ grants to prepare their home for electrification – using the money towards weatherization or electric panel upgrades.
About 20 households have already applied for grants, and most have been eligible. The grant money is expected to fund upgrades for about 80 households total.
The HeatSmart+ program is also funding classes for people interested in learning how to install heat pumps or to do other energy efficiency work. Tuition assistance is available for people who can show they intend to use the classes towards careers in the Monadnock region.
Kickoff events in Peterborough and Harrisville begin on Saturday and extend throughout next week. Residents can find more information at the HeatSmart+ website. Information on classes is available through MAXT Makerspace.
