Rebates and tax credits in Delaware

Money toward an HRV or ERV

Programs that pay toward the unit itself. Some take the money off at the distributor, so ask whether an installer’s price already includes it.

• Home Performance with ENERGY STAR: Mechanical Ventilation Equipment (ERV/HRV/Continuous Exhaust)

  Energize Delaware (Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility) · Delaware homes; renters may take part with the owner's permission

  $400 (standard); $600 (Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR)

  One rebate per home on the total cost of ventilation upgrades. A Home Performance with ENERGY STAR assessment comes first (customer co-pay $50, $100 for homes over 3,000 sq ft, $25 if income-qualified), and a program-approved contractor does the work. Standard rebates are capped at the listed amount or 50% of installed cost, whichever is lower; Assisted rebates at the listed amount or 75%. The flyer does not define who qualifies for Assisted; the program page says income-qualified customers pay the $25 co-pay, which matches the Assisted column. Payment comes 6 to 8 weeks after the final application is approved.

  Names HRVs or ERVsProgram page: Effective Date: 11/01/2024 (flyer copyright 2025)

Federal home energy rebates

Federal money that Delaware runs. HEAR has a category for “insulation, air sealing, and ventilation” worth up to $1,600 for households under 150% of area median income; each state decides what counts as ventilation. ENERGY STAR’s table for HEAR says this category requires ENERGY STAR certification, and ENERGY STAR’s U.S. criteria for ventilation cover fans, not HRVs or ERVs, so ask the program whether an HRV or ERV counts before relying on it. HOMES pays toward whole-home upgrades modeled to save energy.

Air sealing and insulation

These programs are more common than ventilation rebates, and sealing a house is often what makes it need planned fresh air. If a program is sealing yours, ask whether it requires ventilation afterward and whether it pays for it.

• Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (air sealing and insulation)

  Energize Delaware (Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility) · Delaware homes, after a program assessment

  Air sealing $900 (20% leakage reduction), $1,300 (30%) or $1,800 (40%) standard, or $1,100, $1,500 or $2,000 Assisted. Attic insulation $900 (add R-19) or $1,100 (add R-30) standard, $1,100 or $1,400 Assisted. Wall insulation $1,800 standard, $2,400 Assisted. Other listed items include knee wall, rim joist, foundation wall and floor insulation and crawlspace encapsulation. Rebates are capped at the listed amount or a share of installed cost (50% standard, 75% for air and duct sealing and for Assisted). The same program pays the ventilation rebate above.

  Also pays toward ventilationProgram page: Effective Date: 11/01/2024

State tax credits

We didn’t find a Delaware tax credit for ventilation, air sealing or insulation, and couldn’t confirm there is none.

Low-income help

The federal Weatherization Assistance Program can pay for air sealing, insulation and, where needed, ventilation at no cost to households that qualify by income. In Delaware it’s run by DNREC (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control), which offers a free Weatherization Assistance Program.

Before you sign

1. Don’t start work yet. Many programs need pre-approval, a participating contractor or a test first, and work begun early often can’t qualify.
2. Write down your electric and gas utilities. Rebates usually follow the utility, not the town.
3. Read the conditions: a listed contractor, a qualifying model, your heating fuel, income limits, and install and claim deadlines.
4. Ask each installer whether any discount is already in their price, and who files the paperwork.
5. Get it in writing: each rebate, who applies for it, and what happens to the price if it’s denied.

More on costs and how to check: What drives the cost of ventilation and How to compare quotes.

Worth knowing

• The Energize Delaware flyer we found is marked effective November 1, 2024, and the program page advertised a 25% bonus that ended September 30, 2025. We could not find a newer rebate sheet, so confirm current amounts with Energize Delaware before work starts. (sources s18, s19)
• DOE changed the federal HEAR rules in May 2026 (Program Notice 26-2, effective May 29, 2026): HEAR can no longer pay to replace gas, oil or propane equipment with electric, homes generally must use rebates for insulation and air sealing before heating and cooling upgrades, and ventilation is still a HEAR project type that can be claimed in stages. Programs that had not launched must follow the new rules before launching. (sources s39, s40)
• We did not check Delmarva Power or Delaware Electric Cooperative rebates yet.