Home Energy Relief Act

This bill amends existing law to improve access to home energy-efficiency rebates for working families, renters, and owners of older homes. It removes restrictions on combining certain federal rebates, adds bonus rebates for older urban housing, and requires regular reports to Congress on rebate programs.

Sec. 2, Elimination of prohibition on combining rebates: This section repeals provisions that previously prevented homeowners from combining rebates from the HOMES rebate program and the high-efficiency electric home rebate program with other federal grants and rebates. It also makes related technical amendments to the law.

Sec. 3, High-cost urban retrofit bonus rebates: This section allows state energy offices or Indian Tribes to provide bonus rebates of up to 20 percent of the initial rebate amount for qualified electrification projects in housing built before January 1, 1970. The total rebates cannot exceed the project cost, and the usual maximum rebate limit does not apply to these bonuses.

Sec. 4, Reports to Congress: This section requires the Secretary of Energy to submit annual reports to Congress starting two years after enactment. The reports must include the number of households receiving rebates, average household energy savings from upgrades, and recommendations for increasing access to rebates for low-income and high-energy-burden households.