Insulation and Air Sealing Rebates in Pennsylvania
Columbia Gas | Pennsylvania
As Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania prepared to enter the final program year of its three-year Phase I Demand Side Management (DSM) portfolio, the utility wanted to add a prescriptive residential rebate for insulation and air sealing. GEEG has served as Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s portfolio consultant since 2022, providing portfolio design, expert witness testimony, regulatory assistance, and ongoing implementation support.
GEEG provided assisted with the design and launch of the new rebate in a way that would deliver meaningful energy savings without creating unnecessary barriers for customers or contractors. GEEG’s work included research into successful insulation and air sealing programs serving similar markets, which informed a straightforward incentive design: 25% of project costs, capped at $2,500.
GEEG also worked with the third-party rebate processor to establish the data collection requirements and application parameters needed to evaluate installations. The resulting application balanced the need to document often-complex insulation and air sealing projects with a simple process for customers and contractors.
To further expand opportunities for customers, GEEG developed a calculator that allows contractors participating in Columbia Gas’s Audits and Rebates (A&R) program to determine how the new rebate could be combined with existing A&R incentives. The A&R program provides up to $3,600 at no cost to eligible customers with incomes up to 250% of the Federal Poverty Limit who are not otherwise eligible for Columbia Gas’ Low-Income Usage Reduction Program. By facilitating this incentive stacking, the calculator can increase the available per-home budget for insulation and air sealing to $4,800.
The rebate launched in January 2025, and GEEG continued to provide implementation support throughout the launch and on an ongoing basis. GEEG trained participating A&R contractors on the rebate stacking calculator and application process and provided subsiquent one-on-one technical assistance. GEEG also advised the third-party rebate processor on questions involving the eligibility of specific insulation products and installation methods.
Through this ongoing implementation work, GEEG developed an insulation and air sealing guidance document for use during application review. The guide addresses common insulation and air sealing applications and clarifies an important distinction: when insulation can also serve as air sealing and when it cannot. The guidance has been incorporated into the rebate processor’s application review process, supporting more consistent and efficient application decisions.
