- By Rob LaHood
- Business & Technology
Print 
Rochester, NY – NYSEG and RG&E will reopen the companies’ residential natural gas rebate programs on October 1 following New York State Public Service Commission approval of a request for additional funding for the programs."We are pleased the PSC approved additional funding for rebates to encourage our residential customers to replace existing natural gas equipment with energy efficient equipment," said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E. "Energy efficient equipment has many benefits: lower energy bills for customers, increased business for qualified installers and the environmental benefits of lower energy consumption."
NYSEG’s and RG&E’s previous natural gas rebate programs were suspended last spring nearly two years sooner than expected due to unprecedented customer participation.
There are some changes to the rebate programs from the programs that were offered late last year and early this year:
New rebate amounts
The qualifying equipment remains the same and generous rebate levels are still available. The new rebate amounts are:
- $115: High-efficiency natural gas furnace (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 90% or greater)
- $225: High-efficiency natural gas furnace (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 92% or greater) with an electronically-controlled motor
- $340: High-efficiency natural gas furnace (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 94% or greater) with an electronically-controlled motor
- $280: Water boiler (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 85% or greater)
- $560: Water boiler (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 90% or greater)
- $280: Steam boiler (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency 82% or greater)
- $56: Boiler reset control (Installed by a contractor at the time of a qualifying boiler installation.)
- $170: Indirect water heater (Installed by a contractor at the time of a qualifying boiler installation. An indirect water heater uses the main boiler to heat a fluid that is circulated through a heat exchanger in a water storage tank.)
- Programmable thermostats: $15 (Installed by a contractor at the time of a qualifying furnace or boiler installation. Limit: two.)
- $340: Duct sealing (Installed by a contractor at the time of a qualifying furnace or boiler replacement.)
An online rebate reservation system has been implemented at nyseg.com and rge.com to ensure program funds are not overextended. All new rebate requests must first be reserved in the rebate reservation system to be valid. No versions of rebate applications other than the online, reserved copy will be accepted.
Automatic program closure
The NYSEG and/or RG&E rebate program will automatically close once all funding for the program has been accounted for by rebate reservations. Once funds are exhausted, a program closure announcement will be displayed on the natural gas rebate program informational pages at nyseg.com and rge.com.
These rebate programs are being offered in accordance with an April 9, 2009 PSC order approving Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS) efficiency programs for natural gas utilities across the state. The programs are funded through the systems benefit charge appearing on all natural gas customers’ bills.
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