Inflation Reduction Act Home Energy Rebates
- Wisconsin households have received more than $7 million in rebates for upgrades that improve the efficiency and comfort of their homes and lower their energy bills through the Inflation Reduction Home Energy Rebate (IRA HER) programs.
- These rebates are reaching all corners of the state, with projects being completed in 67 of the 72 counties in Wisconsin so far.
- IRA HER rebates continue to be available in 2026 under two programs: the Home Efficiency Rebate Program (HOMES) and the HOME Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program (HEAR).
- The HOMES program offers rebates for upgrades such as insulation and high efficiency heating and cooling systems.
- The HEAR program offers rebates to households installing heat pumps and other efficient electrical equipment. Additional qualified improvements include:
- Insulation and air sealing
- Upgraded electrical panels and wiring
- Heat pump clothes dryers
- Electric ranges and cooktops
- Qualified single family and multifamily projects are eligible for HOMES and HEAR rebates by working with IRA Registered Contractors. HEAR rebates for certain products are also available through purchases at participating retail stores.
- To learn more, to see what may be available for your home, and to find an IRA Registered Contractor or retail store, visit the link below.
Focus on Energy
- Focus on Energy has increased rebate amounts for several popular Residential and Business program measures in 2026. The sections below highlight a few of the changes taking effect in the new year.
- Residential:
- Single-family insulation and air sealing rebates have increased by 25%.
- Households earning between 80% and 150% of Area Median Income (AMI) are now eligible for enhanced insulation and air sealing rebates.
- Rebates for lighting and HVAC upgrades in multifamily buildings have increased to align with business program rebate levels.
- Solar PV rebates for residential customers will increase from $300 per system to $600 per kW up to a maximum of $2,400.
- As a reminder, Focus on Energy rebates can be “stacked” with qualifying IRA Home Energy Rebates to maximize cost savings.
- Prescriptive rebates for business customers have increased 20-30% for most technology types.
- Incentives for custom energy efficiency projects have increased by 30%.
- Solar PV incentives will be $600 per kW up to $2,400, then $50 per kW thereafter up to a maximum of $25,000
- To learn more about what Focus on Energy incentives and rebates may be available for your home or business, visit the links below.
Federal Funding Opportunities
Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) is excited to announce Round 2 of the Energy Storage Innovations Prize. It is now open for submissions. This single-phase, $300,000 competition aims to gain insights on innovative, emerging, and next-generation energy storage solutions that address niche markets and inform the DOE’s strategy on transformative storage technologies to accelerate grid modernization for all consumers, while achieving needed reliability, affordability, resilience, and energy security.
- The competition is open to individuals; academia, non-federal government entities, small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other inventors who are working on nascent or emerging energy storage innovations that address less conventional use cases (e.g., serving communities in remote environments, extreme operating conditions).
- Submissions are due April 21, 2026, at 4 P.M. Central.
- To learn more about the competition, visit the links below.
Learning Opportunities
Focus on Energy February Webinar and Trainings
- On Tuesday, February 10, from 9 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Central, Focus on Energy will host Commercial Refrigeration, Equip & Refrigerants: Approach to Future Changes.
- This course will include an overview of recent regulatory changes, enacted in 2025, impacting allowable Global Warming Potential (GWP) of refrigerants, guide future expectations in larger commercial refrigeration equipment, medium-sized split systems, HVAC, smaller self-contained cooler/freezer equipment, as well as best-practice concepts.
- There is no charge to participate, but registration is required. Participants must register by Friday, February 6, 2026.
- On Tuesday, February 24, from 9 A.M. – 10 A.M. Central, Focus on Energy will host a webinar, Developing an Energy Plan. Topics to be discussed include:
- The elements of a seven-step energy plan.
- Deciding to hire or train an energy manager.
- Financing an energy plan.
- Energy-efficiency tools and resources to support the energy plan.
- The webinar requires registration and space is limited. Visit the link below to register.
- The OEI also recently published a TA page on Energy Planning to support municipalities and other entities interested in Energy Planning. The site provides an overview of the planning process, as well as additional resources.
- To learn more about the webinar and training, as well as to register for each, and to explore the topic of energy planning, visit the links below.
2026 RENEW Wisconsin Energy Summit
- Join RENEW Wisconsin at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, for their annual summit.
- This year's theme is “Resilience by Design: Building Strength and Stability,” and topics will include:
- How advancements in renewables are making energy more reliable
- Policy tools that can provide long-term stability for the industry
- Lessons from collaborations that have moved communities forward
- Strategies to ensure clean energy solutions reach every corner of Wisconsin
- To learn more about the summit, to register, and to view the agenda, visit the links below.
Wisconsin Geothermal Association Annual Conference
- Join the Wisconsin Geothermal Association on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and Thursday, February 12, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin, for their annual conference.
- Learn more about geothermal heating and cooling in the state, including the state of the industry and different projects.
- To learn more about the conference, to see the agenda, and to register, visit the links below.
National Labs Release Free Online Tools for Industry to Help Reduce Energy Costs
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Laboratory of the Rockies recently developed new software tools to improve efficiency of industrial manufacturing operations, by assisting with reducing energy costs and energy system optimization.
- The Manufacturing Energy Assessment Software for Utility Reduction (MEAUR) contains 80 equipment-specific calculators and energy assessment modules for industrial systems.
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Visualizing Energy Reporting Information and Financial Implications (VERIFI) analyzes energy use across an organization; one or more facilities’ utility bills can be uploaded to visualize data, analyze trends, and track progress toward goals.
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JUSTIFI identifies the non-energy benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures.
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REopt assesses a site’s economic and technical potential for onsite energy. REopt can evaluate the following technologies in standalone or multi-technology scenarios: photovoltaic arrays, battery energy storage systems, wind turbines, chilled water storage, geothermal heat pumps, air-source heat pumps, concentrating solar-thermal power, prime power generators, and combined heat and power systems. The software identifies the most economic system based on site characteristics and financial parameters.
- To learn more about each free tool or to try them, visit the links below.
Energy News and Research
Focus on Energy and Alliant Energy Launch Smart Thermostat Program
- Focus online marketplace now makes it easy for Alliant Energy customers who purchase smart thermostats from the Focus on Energy Marketplace to enroll in Alliant's Energy Smart Hours.
- Smart thermostats help heat and cool homes efficiently to lower energy bills.
- To learn more about smart thermostats and Alliant’s Smart Hours program, visit the links below.
The Public Service Commission and Data Centers
- The PSC launched a new webpage to provide information on the PSC's regulatory duties apply to data centers and how the public can get involved with related proceedings.
- The PSC has no direct regulatory oversight of the development or operations of data centers and does not grant permits to construct or operate data centers in Wisconsin. The PSC does regulate the electric, gas, and water utilities that are obligated to provide service to facilities, including data centers, located in their service territories.
- To learn more, visit the link below.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls Finishes First in Focus on Energy’s Higher Education Kit Challenge
- Students from UW-River Falls earned first place in Focus on Energy’s Higher Education Kit Challenge, along with a $5,000 prize.
- The sustainability challenge was open to all Wisconsin higher education institutions. The challenge encourages schools to support those living in off-campus housing to engage in energy-saving behaviors. The school with the most student orders of Focus on Energy’s Ultimate Care Package wins.
- This year UW-River Falls’s students and staff ordered 116 kits, reducing their energy use by 3,930 kWh. The university promoted the challenge at 15 campus events. The $5,000 prize will go towards the university’s North Hall second-floor hallway project to upgrade to LED fixtures.
- To learn more about UW-River Falls effort, the Ultimate Care Package and the Higher Education Kit Challenge, visit the links below.
Geothermal Heating and Cooling in Wisconsin: Epic’s Geothermal System
- Epic Systems Corporation’s (Epic) geothermal system has 6,100 boreholes across 4 borefields and 2 lake exchange systems that provide the heating and cooling for about 40 buildings.
- Already one of the world’s largest, Epic is expanding it by adding another 2,400 boreholes.
- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “Large tech companies use substantial energy, and the data center needs to be cooled around the clock, eventhrough the Wisconsin winter. Excess heat from the data center is transferred into the relatively cooler ground beneath the building, maintaining optimal temperature in the data center with much less electricity than traditional air conditioning.”
- To learn more about Epic’s geothermal system or about geothermal heating and cooling in general, visit the links below.
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