Sacramento County Utility Companies Navigate the Effects of the Coronavirus: What It Means for You
At the beginning of 2020, Sacramento county residents were offered lucrative rebates for choosing to upgrade their HVAC systems to a more carbon-free fuel source. Since the downturn of the economy in America, businesses, even utility company SMUD, have been oozing money. SMUD has had to focus more on taking care of customers who can’t afford to pay their bills during the epidemic. This is putting pressure on the source of funding for the 2020 rebates. SMUD is even suspending certain rebates.
Getting to Carbon Neutral
As SMUD utility company guides its customers with a plan called electrification, their goal is to follow California’s mandate to become carbon neutral in the next 20 to 30 years. One way of doing this was to incentivize their Sacramento County residents to stop using fossil fuels to heat their homes. Various options for upgrading a home’s HVAC system exist.
Reduced and Suspended SMUD Rebates on the Horizon
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, however, half of the rebates have been suspended, at least until the end of the year. The others have been reduced but still offer an exceptional rebate opportunity for switching from gas to electric. Customers can still work with their contractors to get these upgrades until the funds run out.
| Measure | Current Rebate | Effective May 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioner with gas furnace upgrade | $1,500 | Suspended |
| Dual fuel HVAC upgrade | $2,500 | Suspended |
| Heat pump HVAC upgrade – electric to electric | $1,500 | $750 |
| Heat pump HVAC upgrade – gas to electric | $4,000 | $2,500 |
In March, we told you about the reductions in water heater rebates. We let our readers know those rebates would only be around until the funding source ran out. We’ve also been telling our customers who are looking to upgrade their HVAC systems that the HVAC rebates wouldn’t be this rewarding for long. By the end of summer, we at Fox Family thought the rebates would be depleted.
Timing is Everything
There is still time to get your HVAC upgrade project done this year, and there are some great financing options we offer to get them done. But again, time isn’t on your side. Get in on these rebates now while they exist, because we don’t see them being around, or at least this fruitful for long.
