October 13, 2025
It is extremely disappointing to learn of NYSERDA’s decision to significantly cut funding for the Empower+ program. The reduction from $220 million to $80 million will have serious consequences for businesses like NOCO that are investing in a renewable energy future.
More importantly, this decision will directly harm residential customers, especially low-income households, who depend on rebates and incentives to install energy-efficient products that lower their energy costs. Many of these families were receiving up to 100% coverage for critical upgrades under Empower+.
In 2023, the New York State Legislature expanded eligibility to include moderate-income households, families that may not qualify as low-income but are still struggling to make ends meet. This expansion reflected the recognition that energy efficiency is one of the most effective tools to create affordability and resiliency. Energy bills continue to rise, with recent utility rate increases adding as much as $600 a year to some household budgets. Programs like Empower+ deliver lasting relief, not temporary patches, by reducing energy use month after month.
At NOCO, we’ve invested in workforce training to install electric heat pumps, high-efficiency lighting, insulation, air sealing, and other energy-saving measures supported by Empower+. Since joining the program in May 2024, NOCO has served 151 households, securing more than $1.25 million in improvements that reduce energy use and create long-term savings.
Statewide, since its launch in 2023, 68,421 low-income households and 3,403 moderate-income households have benefited from Empower+. Nearly 42,000 retrofits completed by the end of 2023 delivered an estimated $25.8 million in annual energy bill savings. That is money that goes directly back into local economies, strengthening communities while advancing the state’s clean energy goals.
Cutting funding by two-thirds will sharply reduce these benefits and undermine the Climate Act’s promise to invest in disadvantaged communities.
When the Legislature reconvenes in January 2026, restoring full Empower+ funding should be a top priority in the state budget. New York’s commitment to its families, its workforce, and its climate goals depends on it.
Source: "Empower+ has delivered great benefits in WNY" by Michael Casciano, The Buffalo News
Read the full article at buffalonews.com
