Home Energy Rebate Tools

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) supports the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of State and Community Energy Programs' (SCEP) Home Energy Rebate team. PNNL's primary role is to assist in the development of the program's national database and the associated Application Programming Interface (API) that can be used to connect to it. PNNL also supports the documentation of the process workflows for the Home Energy Rebate programs.

Window installation photo (left) by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; remaining photos by Dennis Schroeder | National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

PNNL's goal is to help the Home Energy Rebate programs operate smoothly and efficiently. To achieve this, it is important to gather stakeholder feedback throughout the development process. PNNL values your input and encourages you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and concerns to help shape the system before its final implementation. DOE will host an interactive directory to State-specific rebate applications. Consumer access will be made available as States publish their rebate landing pages.

Stay involved in updates and announcements from the Rebate Tools team by subscribing to our mailing list.

API

As part of this effort, PNNL will create an API that will provide a set of rules and protocols to allow external entities to connect to the national rebate tracker. In the context of the Home Energy Rebate programs, the Rebate API serves as a bridge between the central database, external systems, and the internal Address API that protects personally identifiable information (PII).

The purpose of the API is to facilitate the reporting of program data to DOE by enabling authorized stakeholders, such as state energy offices and implementers, to securely access and report the required information. By streamlining the data reporting process, the API enhances transparency, accuracy, and efficiency in tracking and analyzing the program's impact.

API Update - November 21, 2023

Interested in how the API works? Watch the demo below to better understand the process and learn how you can participate in providing feedback.

The development team is accepting feedback on the November 21, 2023, API iteration through December 22, 2023.

Rebate API Documentation

The link above is publicly accessible, but a username and password are required to use the API. To request a username and password, email the development team at RebateTools@pnnl.gov.

Process Workflows

PNNL recognizes that the success of the Home Energy Rebate programs hinges not only on a robust API but also on actionable workflows. These workflows define the step-by-step procedures that relevant stakeholders (such as state energy offices, implementers, and vendors) planning to use the DOE Rebate API will follow to participate in and administer the program effectively. The table below outlines the possible avenues to claim Home Energy Rebates, and each hyperlink leads to the proposed workflow.

Workflow Number (Hyperlink)	Title	Rebate Redeemed at Vendor?	Last Updated
1	Measured Rebate Initiated by The Aggregator/Installer for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home	No	November 21, 2023
2	Measured Rebate Initiated by The Aggregator/Installer for A Single-Family, Tenant-Occupied Home	No	November 21, 2023
3	Measured Rebate Initiated by The Aggregator/Installer for A Multi-Family, Tenant-Occupied Building	No	November 21, 2023
4	Modeled Rebate Initiated by The Installer for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home	No	November 21, 2023
5	Modeled Rebate Initiated by The Installer for A Single-Family, Tenant-Occupied Home	No	November 21, 2023
6	Modeled Rebate Initiated by The Installer for Multi-Family, Tenant-Occupied Building	No	November 21, 2023
7	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer for Coupon Redemption at Vendor for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home	Yes	November 7, 2023
8	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer for Coupon Redemption at Vendor for A Single-Family, Tenant-Occupied Home	Yes	November 7, 2023
9	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer with Building Owner for Coupon Redemption at Vendor for A Multi-Family, Tenant-Occupied Building	Yes	November 7, 2023
10	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer with Tenant for Coupon Redemption at Vendor for A Multi-Family, Tenant-Occupied Building	Yes	November 7, 2023
11	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Building Owner for Coupon Redemption at Vendor for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home (DIY)	Yes	November 21, 2023
12	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home	No	November 7, 2023
13	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer for A Single-Family, Tenant-Occupied Home	No	November 7, 2023
14	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer with Building Owner for A Multi-Family Building	No	November 7, 2023
15	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer with Tenant for An In-Unit Upgrade in A Multi-Family Building	No	November 7, 2023
16	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Building Owner for A Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Home (DIY)	No	November 7, 2023
17	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Installer when State Allows Instant Eligibility Verification	No	November 7, 2023
18	Electrification Rebate Initiated by The Building Owner (DIY) when State Allows Instant Eligibility Verification	No	November 7, 2023

Note: Workflows are subject to change and will be modified as feedback is incorporated, and requirements and recommendations are updated.

Quality Install Tool

PNNL’s Quality Install Tool is open source and can be used to support the Home Energy Rebate workflows outlined above. The Quality Install Tool simplifies, standardizes, and expedites the creation of high-quality installation documentation using photo-based prompts throughout the process, and automatically generates a presentable Quality Install Report PDF that can be saved, emailed, or printed. Relevant Quality Install Tool workflows will continue to be updated in the web app over the next few months.

Stakeholder Meetings

Please note: Everything shared is tentative and subject to change. Anything provided is for feedback purposes and is not final.

September 21, 2023 - 50122 Workflow Webinar for Distributors, Manufacturers, Retailers, and Vendors

Meeting Presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ addresses technical questions. For all programmatic questions, please refer to the SCEP FAQ.

Will community-based groups be involved in the program design and implementation?
Community-based groups are involved in the program requirements and design on a federal level. DOE will incorporate feedback from all groups for design and implementation and provide guidance but will let states design the program that works best for them.

Are the eligibility requirements aligned with other federal and state programs?
Eligibility requirements are based on how a household’s income compares to the Area Median Income (AMI) associated with that household’s address and number of occupants. Depending on the rebate type, a household’s income is compared to the corresponding 80% AMI and/or 150% AMI level. Not all federal and state programs use AMI as the basis for eligibility; however, DOE has developed a list of categorically eligible programs and noted how they can be used to either qualify a household as meeting the 80% or 150% AMI level. Applicants can also provide income information which can readily be compared in real time with the 80% and 150% AMI levels associated with their address and number of occupants.

What party is responsible for income verification?
Income verification will be handled by states and their chosen implementers.

Is there a qualified products list?
Yes, a list of qualified products is being created by the US EPA and will be publicly available.

How should the required unique address ID be generated?
DOE has a separate address-service API that takes in an address and returns a unique address ID, a boolean indicating whether the address is in a disadvantaged community, and the AMI levels for the address. Users of the rebate API must use the unique address ID obtained from the address-service API.

Where can the workflow reference “Data & Tools Requirements Guide” be found?
The Data & Tools Requirements Guide was originally released on July 27, 2023, and can be found on the DOE website under "Supplemental Documents."

Are there specific workflows for different housing types, such as affordable housing, manufactured housing, and multifamily housing?
Yes, workflows are provided for single-family and multifamily housing. Specific requirements regarding income-qualified housing can be found in the requirements document(s).

Can homeowners obtain multiple project bids while the rebate reservation is active?
The rebate reservation should only be requested once a project is under contract, or a bid is accepted. Reservations will be cancellable in the event that project plans change.

Is there real-time API feedback on eligibility and rebate reservations?
Yes, communicating with the API will provide real-time responses.

Is there real-time eligibility verification?
Currently, real-time responses are not possible unless a state allows for instant eligibility verification. Otherwise, the verification process may take minutes to days depending on the state-specific program design.

How are returns or refunds at vendors handled?
States will need to develop a plan for how to track returns to vendors. Vendors using coupons generated through the DOE/PNNL rebate tracker and coupon generator should be able to retrieve and report information on returns. Refunds and warranty claims will be handled by the vendors and/or manufacturers.

How will contractors and vendors be paid?
Payment processes will be designed and implemented by the state or its program implementer. Some states may elect to hire specific firms to remit payments while others will likely integrate this function into the other services provided by an implementer.

Is there an endpoint to track project status and remaining funds for a specific address?
States may decide to create an interface for project tracking. This will not be dictated by DOE.

What is the default data source for calculating energy usage?
DOE will publish a list of approved modeling software.

Can states launch programs without APIs?
In states and territories with limited resources, an alternative method of reporting will be available.

Get Involved

PNNL invites you to explore this webpage, learn more about the proposed API and workflows, and provide your valuable feedback. Please email RebateTools@pnnl.gov with feedback and suggestions. Thank you for your participation in this important endeavor.

Stay involved in updates and announcements from the Rebate Tools team by subscribing to our mailing list:

Research topics

Energy Efficiency

Residential Buildings

Building Technologies