Arizonans have until Aug. 1 to apply for these household energy efficiency upgrades

Arizonans hoping to take advantage of federal rebates to replace gas appliances with electric models have just over a week left to apply. The Trump administration is making changes to a Biden-era energy efficiency program.

The federally funded Efficiency Arizona program helps income-eligible households upgrade heat pumps, ovens, dryers and other appliances with more energy efficient models. Since its launch in 2024, the program has awarded more than $4.7 million in rebates to Arizona households, resulting in 532,928 kilowatt-hours of energy savings, according to the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency.

“At the household level, it makes a meaningful, measurable impact to household bills,” said Office of Resiliency Director Maren Mahoney. “It also makes a measurable impact on the grid itself and helps the whole system save money.”

But starting in September, the U.S. Department of Energy is changing requirements for the program — the biggest change is that households will no longer be able to use rebates to swap old gas appliances for new electric ones.

So Mahoney said households wanting that type of upgrade should apply by Aug. 1.

“We highly encourage Aug. 1, that will give us enough time to make sure that they get those rebates,” Mahoney said.

The changes coming in September will also add new requirements to ensure homes meet insulation and air sealing standards to qualify for rebates on heat pumps.

Mahoney said several types of rebates will still be available after the requirements change in September. She said Efficiency Arizona is set to run through 2031.

“We recognize that this program, even with the changes, is beneficial and we want to make sure we continue this program up until the end,” Mahoney said. “We know that there’s really great need out there.”