Rebates and tax credits in Tennessee

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.

• TVA EnergyRight home energy rebates (insulation, air sealing, duct work)

  Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) with participating local power companies · Customers of local power companies that buy power from TVA and take part in EnergyRight

  Attic insulation, wall insulation and home envelope air sealing: $300 each for qualifying work. Duct sealing and insulation: $300 (TVA's 2026 rebate article). TVA's undated rebate page lists different insulation amounts: attic insulation $500, wall insulation $300 and floor insulation $100 per home, envelope air sealing $300 per home, and duct sealing, repair, insulation or replacement $300 per system. Confirm the current amount with your contractor or power company.

  Only for customers of participating local power companies. Work must be done by a member of TVA's Quality Contractor Network and meet TVA standards in effect on the installation date. The contractor submits the rebate within 30 days of installation; you then have 60 days from the first email to claim it, or it is forfeited. Paid by paper check mailed to the home. Renters need landlord permission, and the landlord receives the rebate. The pages do not mention ventilation.

  Ventilation not mentioned in what we readProgram page: Rebate article published 2026-02-01, modified 2026-10-06; rebate page undated

• TVA EnergyRight Home Uplift

  Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) with participating local power companies · Income-eligible customers of local power companies that offer Home Uplift

  Free upgrades; TVA says it provides "an average of $10,000" in free home energy upgrades per home.

  Must meet income qualifications (limits not stated on the page), live in a single-family home or a manufactured home built after 1976 on a permanent foundation, and not have received upgrades from a similar TVA-funded project in the last 20 years. Example upgrades: new or repaired HVAC units, attic and wall insulation, appliances and electric water heaters. Apply at homeuplift.mytva.com/qualify or call 1-888-986-7262. The page does not mention ventilation.

  Ventilation not mentioned in what we readProgram page: Page modified 2026-10-01

State tax credits

We didn’t find a Tennessee 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 Tennessee it’s run by Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA).

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

• TDEC suggests TVA EnergyRight rebates or the Weatherization Assistance Program while the state rebates are not yet available. (source s28)
• TVA EnergyRight rebates and Home Uplift are only for customers of participating local power companies that buy power from TVA. Ask your power company whether it takes part.
• No utility rebate naming HRVs or ERVs was found among the utilities checked.