Efficiency Maine Insulation Rebates Are Changing on October 1
The rebate stops being a percentage of what you spend and becomes a flat amount for each area of your home you insulate. For most Maine homeowners doing more than one area, that means more money back — and a number you can know before the work starts.
The short version
- Old way: your rebate was a percentage of your project cost, capped by income tier.
- New way: your rebate is a flat dollar amount for each area you insulate — attic, wall, and basement each count separately.
- Air sealing now earns its own rebate, separate from insulation.
- Lifetime cap: up to $8,600 per home, or $5,600 per mobile home.
- Applies to work completed on or after October 1, 2026. Projects finished before then follow the current rules.
What actually changed
A share of what you spend
Your rebate was calculated as a percentage of your total project cost, with a dollar ceiling that depended on your income tier. Spend more, get more — until you hit the cap. You could not know your exact rebate until the project was priced.
A set amount per area
Each area of your home you insulate earns a fixed rebate, set by how much space is insulated there and your income tier. Cost no longer drives the rebate — so you can know your number before anyone picks up a tool.
Why this is good news for most homeowners. Because every area counts on its own, a whole-home project now earns considerably more than a single-room fix. A homeowner insulating their attic, walls, and basement collects three separate rebates instead of one capped percentage — and it is far easier to understand what you are getting.
The new insulation rebates
Amounts are per area. Insulate more than one area and the rebates add together, up to the lifetime cap.
| Area insulated | Low income | Moderate income | Any income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small attic, wall, or basement 250–499 sq ft insulated in that area |
$2,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Large attic, wall, or basement at least 500 sq ft insulated in that area |
$4,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Mobile home underbelly at least 500 sq ft insulated |
$5,000 | $4,000 | $3,000 |
Air sealing is now its own rebate
Under the new rules, air sealing earns a rebate on its own terms — and it stacks on top of the insulation rebates above.
| Air sealing work | Low income | Moderate income | Any income |
|---|---|---|---|
| All accessible attic air leaks sealed | $300 | $225 | $150 |
| All accessible basement or mobile home underbelly air leaks sealed | $200 | $150 | $100 |
| Air sealing in the living space, including drafts around doors and windows | $100 | $75 | $50 |
What counts as an “area”
Efficiency Maine calls these zones. There are three, and your home can earn one insulation rebate and one air sealing rebate in each.
Attic
All attics and cathedral ceilings combined, including the floors, walls, and slopes exposed to any attic area.
Wall
All exterior framed walls of the home combined. Mobile home walls are not included.
Basement or Underbelly
Floors separating heated space from unheated space or outside air, and concrete foundation walls — or, for a mobile home not on a foundation, the underbelly.
Who qualifies for which tier
| Tier | How you qualify |
|---|---|
| Low income | Someone in the household participates in HEAP, SNAP, TANF, or MaineCare. Verification required. |
| Moderate income | Adjusted Gross Income up to $70,000 for individual filers, or $100,000 for joint filers. Verification required. |
| Any income | No income requirement. Every eligible Maine homeowner qualifies at this level. |
Other program requirements still apply: the home must be in Maine, the insulated space must be heated all heating season, the work cannot be part of new construction or an addition, and the work must be installed by an Efficiency Maine Residential Registered Vendor. Low and moderate income tiers also require an owner-occupied principal residence. Rebate claim forms must be emailed or postmarked within six months of project completion.
What this means for your project
The date that matters is when the work is completed, not when you request a quote or sign a contract.
Finishing before October 1, 2026? Your project falls under the current program — a percentage of project cost, capped by income tier. Nothing about your rebate changes.
Finishing on or after October 1, 2026? Your project falls under the new per-area rebates described on this page. If you are starting a conversation now, this is almost certainly the program that applies to you.
We are an Efficiency Maine Residential Registered Vendor, and we handle the rebate paperwork either way. If you are weighing what to do, the useful question under the new rules is no longer “what percentage comes back?” — it is “which areas of my home qualify, and how much space is in each?” That is exactly what a free assessment answers.
Program details and incentive amounts are set by Efficiency Maine and are subject to change. This page summarizes the published program for upgrades completed on or after October 1, 2026. For official program terms, visit efficiencymaine.com.
See What Your Home Actually Qualifies For
Tell us what is going on and we will tell you which areas qualify, what they are worth under the new rules, and what makes sense to do first.