The WISE Instant Rebate Program FAQ's

The WISE Instant Rebate program was originally known as the Huntsville Wise Gold Homes Program (HWG) which started out as a pilot grant program. This program is administered by the Nexus Energy Center in cooperation with numerous electrical utilities & the SEAA. It was and is designed to help homeowners improve their homes energy efficiency and performance by offsetting some of the costs involved with improving their homes by offering instant rebates of up to $750 via specialized Home Performance Contractors. (Currently we are one of the three authorized contractors eligible to offer this program) 

While it was originally limited to customers of Huntsville Utilities, it has now expanded to include not only Huntsville utilities & Athens, but also Lawrence, Limestone, Cullman, Morgan & Madison Counties. (It is currently also slated to include the Birmingham metro area, which includes all of Jefferson & Shelby Counties shortly)

What does "WISE" stand for:

WISE stands for Worthwhile Investments Save Energy. Along the same lines, by making smart choices it can also improve the air you breathe, your comfort, and numerous other quality of life aspects. Many of our past customers call us to help solve a problem and consider the energy savings - the cherry on top. 

Requirements:

The HWG program requires a comprehensive* energy audit to be completed by an industry certified and vetted contractor who will either complete or oversee any improvements selected to be completed. One of the nice features of this program that is missing in others is the ability (at the contractor’s discretion) of a homeowner being able to perform some of the work as long as it is verified by the contractor to meet the applicable standards. 

The 7-Step Process:

1. Sign Up
   • Give us a call directly (256) 352-7235 & mention the program OR
   • Fill out the applicable contact form OR
   • Contact the HWG program directly (Phone 256-539-6272 - E-Mail - Web)
     1. Depending on how you contact them, they will send you the information or explain to you the process
     2. Choose the contractor you would like to perform the audit & work
2. Choose the type of audit* & set up a time for it to be completed
3. Have your home audited
   • Paperwork required - A quick questionnaire on how you heard of the program & your reasons for participating, along with a liability & utility records release form
   • The regular audit typically takes 3 to 4 hours and during this time we will also sit down with you and review any concerns you may have, go over your energy bills, our findings, and a list of our proposed solutions and ways you can start saving money now.
   • Pay the applicable amount for the audit chosen
4. Within 3 to 5 business days EPS will provide you with a full report including everything we discussed and we will submit directly to you a proposal for the work to be accomplished for your review
5. Decision Time - at this time you get to choose if you wish to have the work done.
   •   If yes, we will have you sign a fixed price contract, work out a schedule, & list all the applicable rebates (see below) that are taken off the final payment (if we know of any additional tax credits or rebates you may qualify for we will also let you know about them) 
   • If no, there are no rebates available & the WISE process stops here
     • In case you do change your mind (and the program is still available) you may not have to repeat all the steps above. You will need to contact Nexus Energy directly to see if you still qualify & then us to see what the new contract price might be (Material & labor prices typically go up, not down) 
6. Implementation
   • Based on the contract, all work is completed &/or overseen by the contractor and then verified that it has been done correctly.
   • Besides the applicable check writing, the only other form required is a Customer Evaluation Form
7. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the savings & increased comfort

The HWG Rebates:

In order to qualify for the rebates ($350 to help cover the initial Energy Audit & "up to" $400 for improvements), one must show a "deemed" savings** of at least 20%. Below is full list of the applicable rebates we will offer & the "deemed" savings they are using for the program. (With the advent of them utilizing a third party software company, they may be doing away the deemed savings & move towards a more graduated rebate program based off the software's saving calculation)  

Items marked "0 - must be bundled" are not standalone items, but additional rebates that can be applied if they are bundled with the item above them. For example, let's say as part of your improvements that should be made, we need to bump up the insulation value in your attic, first we will list air sealing all attic penetrations (no rebate), increase insulation to R38 ($210 rebate), and insulate attic hatch ($20 rebate) for a total of $230 in rebates for this area. On the other hand, let's say the attic is great, but no one took care of the attic hatch - the attic hatch will still be listed as an item needing to be done, but there are no "deemed savings" or rebates available as we are not adding insulation.

How much will this cost:

That one is impossible to say without actually seeing your house and defining what really needs to be done. We had one where the Homeowner completed some of the work & had their original installers come back out to fix some major issues we noted for just under a $1,000 before any rebates. Typically though if you need a new HVAC unit, or are fixing some major issues you are probably in the $5-$15K range depending on the size and complexity. With that said, if you are considering some major remodeling work or getting a new HVAC system you are basically looking at getting the audit, advice, and security knowing the work was done properly for free after all is said and done and a few extra bucks back.

** Deemed Savings, Insulation & §460.19: "Savings vary. Find out why in the seller's fact sheet on R-values. Higher R-values mean greater insulating power" The deemed savings are provided by Nexus energy group as a baseline for the rebate program and are not guaranteed savings.