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Lower your bill · Home energy check-up

A free home energy check-up, paid for by your utility

The EmPOWER Maryland Quick Home Energy Check-up sends a utility-approved contractor to your home at no charge. They install energy-saving items on the spot and leave you a list of bigger upgrades with rebates attached. Homeowners and renters, no income requirement.

See how to book Find every program I qualify for

For BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO customers.

No charge
Quick Home Energy Check-upYour home
In-home visit, approved contractor$0
LED bulbs installed$0
Smart power strips$0
Faucet aerators, showerheads$0
Pipe insulation$0
Cost to you$0

Funded by the EmPOWER Maryland charge already on every bill. What gets installed depends on what your home already has.

How it works

One visit, a lighter bill, and a plan for the rest

EmPOWER Maryland is the state's energy-efficiency program. It is funded by a small charge on every BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO bill, and the Quick Home Energy Check-up is the simplest way to get that money back into your home.

You book through your utility or a participating contractor, a technician visits, and you keep everything they install.

  1. Book the visit

    Request a check-up on your utility's program page or through a participating contractor. You will need your utility account and a time when an adult can be home. There is nothing to pay and nothing to buy.

  2. The visit

    A utility-approved technician walks through your home, checks lighting, hot water, heating and cooling, and installs energy-saving items on the spot: LED bulbs, efficient showerheads and faucet aerators, smart power strips and pipe insulation, depending on what you already have.

  3. Your list of rebated upgrades

    You get a written list of bigger improvements that fit your home, each with the EmPOWER rebate attached, such as insulation, air sealing or an HVAC tune-up. Act on it with any participating contractor, or not at all. It is your list.

Who qualifies

Nearly every Maryland household. Renters included.

An account with an EmPOWER utility

BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO customers all pay the EmPOWER charge and all qualify for the check-up. If you get your electricity from a municipal utility or another co-op, ask them what they offer.

Homeowners and renters, any income

There is no income requirement. Houses, townhomes, condos and apartments all qualify. The items installed are small and do not alter the home, so renters do not normally need landlord permission.

Income-qualified: deeper upgrades at no cost

If your household is income-qualified, the EmPOWER Limited Income Energy Efficiency Program through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development goes further than a check-up: no-cost insulation and air sealing, hot water and heating system repairs, lighting, and limited health and safety repairs. If you have been approved for OHEP, you usually qualify.

How to book

Three ways to book. Start with your utility.

Every route leads to the same utility-approved contractors and the same no-charge visit. Choose whichever is easiest for you. Utility Advisor receives no compensation for any referral on this page.

Direct route

Your utility's program page

Each utility runs its own EmPOWER site where you can request a check-up and see the current rebates. Pick yours:

BGE · Pepco · Delmarva Power · Potomac Edison · SMECO

A contractor-matching service

Maryland Smart Energy

One option: a service that matches you with a participating contractor for the check-up and any rebated upgrades on your list. Other participating contractors are listed on your utility's program page.

Get matched

Income-qualified route

DHCD's EmPOWER Limited Income program

Delivered by approved weatherization contractors. If you have been approved for OHEP you usually qualify, and we can help you get the application in.

Apply with Efficient Home
DHCD program details and income limits

Before the visit

  • ✓Have a recent utility bill handy so the contractor can confirm your account is with an EmPOWER utility.
  • ✓Make sure the technician can reach the water heater, furnace or heat pump, and the main light fixtures.
  • ✓Ask them to walk you through the upgrade list before they leave, and which rebates apply to each item.
  • ✓A legitimate check-up never asks for payment, a deposit or your utility login password.

Not the same as

  • A paid home energy audit. Some contractors offer a deeper diagnostic audit with a blower door test. Useful, but a separate service with its own fee and rebate. The check-up is the no-charge first step.
  • A door-to-door offer. Participating contractors do not need to sell you anything at your door. Book through your utility's page and you know who is coming.
  • Switching your electricity supplier. Nothing about the check-up changes your utility, your supplier or your rate.
Questions

What people ask us about the check-up

Still unsure? Call (443) 222-1221 and a program volunteer will walk through it with you. Free, no sales pitch.

Is the check-up really free?
Yes. There is no charge for the visit or for the items installed during it. EmPOWER Maryland is funded by a small charge that is already on every BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO bill, so you are paying into it either way.
I rent. Can I get one?
Yes. Renters and homeowners both qualify. The items installed are small and do not alter the home, so landlord permission is not normally needed. Check your lease if you are unsure.
What gets installed during the visit?
Typically LED bulbs, efficient showerheads and faucet aerators, smart power strips and pipe insulation, depending on what your home already has. The contractor also leaves a list of bigger upgrades with the rebates attached.
Will someone try to sell me something?
The check-up itself has nothing to buy. The list of recommended upgrades is yours to act on or ignore, and you can get quotes from any participating contractor, not only the one who did the visit.
Is there an income requirement?
No. The Quick Home Energy Check-up is open to any residential customer of an EmPOWER utility. Income-qualified households can also get deeper no-cost upgrades, such as insulation and air sealing, through the state's EmPOWER Limited Income program.

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