Checked October 19, 2026

Rebates and tax credits in Georgia

Federal tax credits ended for work done after 2025. What still helps pay for fresh air in Georgia is below, checked October 19, 2026. Programs change and money runs out, so check each one’s own page before you buy or sign.

Money toward an HRV or ERVOther states
HRV or ERV, in plain words
  • Fresh in, stale out Two fans swap stale indoor air for outdoor air all night, and can supply a closed bedroom.
  • Keeps much of the heat The two streams pass through a core, so winter air comes in warmed. An open window can’t.
  • HRV or ERV? HRV: heat recovery ventilator (heat). ERV: energy recovery ventilator (heat and some moisture).
  • Not a purifier A purifier cleans the air you have but brings none in, so CO2 stays put.

Measure first: you may not need one.HRV vs ERV guideUnits we’ve reviewed

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.

We didn’t find a program in Georgia that names HRVs or ERVs. Your electric and gas utilities are still worth asking: search “[utility] HRV rebate” and “[utility] ERV rebate”.

Federal home energy rebates

Federal money that Georgia 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.

HEAR in Georgia

Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (also called HEEHR)

PausedNo ventilation category

Georgia's HEAR has been paused since August 14, 2026 and is not taking new applications. The state says it will reopen with limited funding in October 2026, but only for electrical wiring and panel upgrades done alongside an eligible single-family Home Efficiency Rebates (HER) project, and not for multifamily buildings; the page checked on October 18 still says paused. Before the pause, HEAR's ventilation part (within a $1,600 insulation, air sealing and ventilation limit) covered only ENERGY STAR range hoods, in-line fans and bathroom/utility fans, and only in homes that also got air sealing or tested below 3 ACH50. HRVs and ERVs were not listed.

Who qualifies: Households with income less than 150 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) in their county (program flyer).

State’s page: 2026-08-14

HOMES in Georgia

Whole-home rebates, based on modeled or measured savings

OpenVentilation not confirmed

Georgia's Home Efficiency Rebates (HER, the state's name for HOMES) pay for whole-home upgrades based on predicted energy savings, starting with a home energy assessment from a program-approved contractor. Households at or below 80% of AMI can get up to 98% of costs, up to $10,000 (20% to 34% savings) or $16,000 (35% or more). Households above 80% of AMI can get up to 50%, up to $2,000 or $4,000. GEFA says the program fully launched in spring 2025 and had issued more than $50 million in rebates by August 12, 2026, and the August 14 HEAR update ties the reopened HEAR to HER projects. The HER page does not mention ventilation.

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 Energy Improvement Program (single family)

    Georgia Power · Georgia Power residential customers

    Air sealing: 50% of cost up to $400 (electric) or up to $300 (gas). Attic insulation: up to $300 (DIY up to $200). Duct sealing: up to $600. Home energy assessment: up to $150. Bundles: Basic Comfort Duo (attic insulation and air sealing) up to $1,150 including a $300 bonus; Home Comfort Trio (attic insulation, air sealing and duct sealing) up to $1,850 including a $400 bonus.

    Air sealing and bundles must be done by a Program Installer, with blower door tests before and after and at least a 20% reduction in CFM50; homes with combustion appliances must pass combustion safety testing. Attic insulation only if the existing level is R-38 or less, brought to R-49 across the whole attic. Apply within 60 days of the paid-in-full invoice. Terms valid August 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028. The 2026 requirements and rebate list do not mention ventilation.

    Doesn’t mention ventilationProgram page: Effective 2026-08-01 to 2028-12-31

State tax credits

We didn’t find a Georgia 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 Georgia it’s run by Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA); GEFA's website has a Weatherization Assistance Program section.

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

  • Georgia HEAR applicants with an approved reservation from before the August 14, 2026 pause are told to call the program Contact Center at (877) 348-5237.
  • No Georgia utility rebate that names HRVs or ERVs was found. Only Georgia Power was checked in depth; EMCs were not.
  • Georgia's old clean energy property income tax credit covered property placed in service from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2014 (from a 2020 copy of the Georgia Code on Justia, a secondary source). No current Georgia tax break for ventilation, air sealing or insulation was found, but the Georgia Department of Revenue was not checked, so this stays unknown. (source s11)
  • The GEFA weatherization link was taken from GEFA's site menu and was not opened.

Not tax or legal advice. We list what each program’s own pages said on the date shown, never which to choose, and we don’t know whether you qualify.

Sources