Checked October 19, 2026

Rebates and tax credits in Virginia

Federal tax credits ended for work done after 2025. What still helps pay for fresh air in Virginia 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 ERV Other 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 guide Units we’ve reviewed

One program names HRVs or ERVsToward an HRV or ERV
Not launched yetFederal HEAR rebate, run by the state
3 foundAir sealing and insulation programs
1 foundState tax credits for this work

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 Program, ERV incentive
Appalachian Power (TakeCharge VA) · Virginia single-family homes served by Appalachian Power
Energy recovery ventilator: $1,500 in homes with air conditioning and electric resistance heat, or $650 in homes with an electric heat pump. HP Plus only; no standard incentive. HRVs are not listed.
HP Plus is for households with income of 61% to 99% of the Virginia State Median Income. The ERV must be in the HVI Certified Ratings listing. The home must be heated with electricity. A free Home Energy Assessment is required for all rebate measures, and work is booked through the program's contractor network. Amounts are from the 2025 incentive guide (marked VNOV24); the program page now points to a January 2026 guide that was not reviewed, so amounts may have changed.
Names HRVs or ERVsProgram page: January 2026 guide (VJAN26)

Ventilation rebates that don’t name HRVs or ERVs

Usually ENERGY STAR bath or kitchen fans. Ask the program whether a balanced system qualifies before counting on it.

Home Performance Program, ENERGY STAR bathroom exhaust fan
Appalachian Power (TakeCharge VA) · Virginia single-family homes served by Appalachian Power
$25 per ENERGY STAR bathroom exhaust fan. HP Plus only; no standard incentive.
Same as the ERV incentive: HP Plus income range (61% to 99% of Virginia State Median Income), electric heat, Home Energy Assessment first. From the 2025 guide; may have changed.
Ventilation, not HRVs or ERVs by nameProgram page: January 2026 guide (VJAN26)

Federal home energy rebates

Federal money that Virginia 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 Virginia

Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (also called HEEHR)

Not launched yetVentilation category

Virginia has not launched its Home Energy Rebates. Virginia Energy says launch depends on U.S. DOE review and approval, that it sent updated application materials in September 2026, and that it cannot give an estimated date. Its FAQ lists a planned HEAR category of 'Insulation, air sealing, and ventilation: Up to $1,600' but does not say which ventilation products would count.

Who qualifies: Households earning up to 150% of the area median income.

State’s page: 2026-10-13

HOMES in Virginia

Whole-home rebates, based on modeled or measured savings

Not launched yetVentilation not confirmed

Not launched, and waiting on the same DOE approval. Virginia Energy says HOMES will be based on modeled energy savings with a 20% minimum, and that eligibility and amounts will depend on household income and building type; detailed criteria are still being set.

State’s page: 2026-10-13

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 Program (air sealing and insulation)
Appalachian Power (TakeCharge VA) · Virginia single-family homes served by Appalachian Power
Free Home Energy Assessment. Whole-home air sealing: $90 to $180 per home with electric resistance heat, $40 to $85 with a heat pump. Attic insulation, per 1,000 sq ft: $1,500 standard or $2,000 HP Plus (electric resistance heat), $700 or $900 (heat pump); the program page says up to $2,000 per home. Wall insulation: HP Plus only.
Home must be heated with electricity. Air sealing needs a blower door test and at least a 10% reduction. Attic insulation must rise by at least R-20 and meet R-38. HP Plus amounts are for households at 61% to 99% of Virginia State Median Income. Amounts are from the 2025 guide; a January 2026 guide exists but was not reviewed. The guide does not mention ASHRAE 62.2, but it pays for ERVs and ENERGY STAR bath fans under HP Plus.
Also pays toward ventilationProgram page: 2025 guide (marked VNOV24)
Home Energy Audit (Comprehensive Home Energy Audit)
Dominion Energy Virginia · Dominion Energy Virginia customers in single-family detached or attached homes
Rebates for larger improvements such as insulation, air sealing and duct sealing after a Comprehensive Audit; the page does not list amounts.
Must be the account holder and own the home or have the owner's permission. The audit is scheduled with a participating contractor, who also submits the rebate application. The page does not mention ventilation.
Ventilation not mentioned in what we read
Income and Age Qualifying Energy Savings Program
Dominion Energy Virginia · Dominion Energy Virginia residential customers; not offered everywhere every year
No cost. Measures can include attic insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, floor insulation, heat pump and AC tune-ups and heat pump water heaters (restrictions apply).
Household income at or below the greater of 80% of local median income or 60% of state median income (for example $44,776 for one person at 60% of state median), or age 60 or older with income at or below 120% of state median income ($89,552 for one person). Homeowner permission required. Call 888-366-8280, option 2. The page does not mention ventilation.
Ventilation not mentioned in what we readProgram page: Income limits from a May 2026 Virginia Housing file

State tax credits

Sales tax holiday for ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products
No sales tax on qualifying items of $2,500 or less each.
A three-day state sales tax exemption, August 7 to 9, 2026, on qualifying ENERGY STAR or WaterSense products bought for home or personal use.
Ventilation doesn’t count

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 Virginia it’s run by Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), delivered by local nonprofit providers by county.

Before you sign

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.
Write down your electric and gas utilities. Rebates usually follow the utility, not the town.
Read the conditions: a listed contractor, a qualifying model, your heating fuel, income limits, and install and claim deadlines.
Ask each installer whether any discount is already in their price, and who files the paperwork.
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

Appalachian Power's Virginia Home Performance program is the only program found in this group that names an ERV (HRVs are not listed). It is limited to electrically heated homes and to HP Plus households.
The Virginia Tax list of qualifying ENERGY STAR items names air conditioners, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, clothes washers, dishwashers, light bulbs and refrigerators. Ventilating fans, HRVs, ERVs and insulation are not on it. The list carries only a 2017 copyright, so confirm it is current. The 2026 holiday has passed; the page does not say whether it continues.
Virginia's Weatherization Assistance Program lists installing ventilation fans among its typical services.
The Dominion home energy evaluation page was read from Dominion's content-delivery copy (azureedge.net), not dominionenergy.com itself.

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.