Rebates and tax credits in Vermont

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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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 (weatherization)

  Efficiency Vermont · Vermont homes statewide

  "Get 75% of project costs covered, up to $7,000." Work is done by an Efficiency Excellence Network contractor. Income-qualified households can get extra help, and Home Energy Loans with no-to-low interest go up to $25,000. Burlington Electric Department and VGS also offer rebates. Ventilation is not mentioned.

  Ventilation not mentioned in what we readProgram page: Efficiency Vermont news release 2026-07-28

State tax credits

We didn’t find a Vermont 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 Vermont it’s run by Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity (Department for Children and Families), through local weatherization agencies; a no-cost, whole-home energy retrofit for income-eligible Vermonters..

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

• Efficiency Vermont keeps a qualified products list for whole-home ventilation that includes ERVs, and its ventilation page links to its rebate list. We did not find a homeowner rebate amount for an HRV or ERV, and its residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning rebate form (code EV-10990-0826) lists none. (sources s38, s39, s40)
• Vermont's Public Service Department page still says HOMES weatherization "will launch in 2025"; the January 2026 testimony is newer and says launch was expected in 2026. (sources s34, s35)
• 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, and ventilation is still a HEAR project type. Vermont's HEAR plan was built around heat pumps, so its design may change. (source s9)