BGE & PEPCO Rebates — Up to $15,000 Back on Home Energy Upgrades
Maryland homeowners in Baltimore, Towson, Columbia, Annapolis, Bethesda, and across the BGE and PEPCO service areas have access to one of the most generous utility rebate programs in the country. This is the complete 2026 guide to how it works, what it covers, and how to get every dollar you're entitled to.
What Are the BGE and PEPCO Home Performance Rebates?
BGE and PEPCO home performance rebates are Maryland utility incentives worth up to $15,000 per home, awarded to homeowners who complete qualifying energy efficiency upgrades through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® (HPwES) program. Both utilities participate in this state-supported initiative, which requires a $100 energy audit as the entry point and uses a whole-house approach to calculate rebate values.
Rather than handing out small, one-off rebates for individual purchases, HPwES assesses the entire home, identifies where energy is being wasted, and submits a modeled improvement plan. The rebate amount is calculated based on projected energy savings — which is why the numbers can be so significant.
For envelope and equipment upgrades — air sealing, insulation, HVAC, duct work, windows and doors.
- Up to $15,000 total with electrification upgrades included
- Applied as instant discount at project completion
- Verified on the BGE Smart Energy Rebates page
Mirror rebate tiers through the PEPCO Home Energy Savings Program — same structure, same $15,000 ceiling.
- Up to $15,000 total with electrification upgrades included
- Covers Montgomery and Prince George's Counties
- Verified on the PEPCO Home Performance page
How the Rebate Program Works — Step by Step
Accessing a BGE or PEPCO home performance rebate requires four steps, in this exact order: (1) schedule a $100 BPI energy audit, (2) receive your rebate eligibility report, (3) complete the approved work through an HPwES contractor, and (4) receive the rebate as an instant discount at project completion. The sequence matters — work completed before the audit is not eligible, and homeowners have up to one year from the audit date to complete qualifying work.
Schedule a $100 BPI Energy Audit
This is the required entry point into the program. A BPI-certified energy auditor performs a comprehensive assessment of your home using diagnostic tools: a blower door test, thermal imaging camera, and combustion safety checks. The audit normally costs $400; BGE and PEPCO subsidize $300 of it, so you pay $100.
For $100, you unlock access to thousands of dollars in rebates — and a complete diagnostic of your home's energy performance. See what's included in our energy audit →
Receive Your Rebate Eligibility Report
After the audit, you receive a detailed written report showing exactly how much insulation your home is missing, where air is leaking, and — critically — how much in rebates you qualify for. You have up to one year from your audit date to complete work and claim your rebates.
Complete the Approved Work
Work must be completed by an approved contractor participating in the HPwES program. Leonard Home Performance is an approved contractor for both BGE and PEPCO, which means your rebates are accessible directly through us — no third parties, no hand-offs, no paperwork for you to file.
Rebates Are Applied as an Instant Discount
This is the part most people don't realize: in most cases, the rebate comes off the top of your project cost at the time of work. You don't pay full price and wait for a check. The rebate is deducted directly on your invoice — if your project costs $4,000 and you qualify for $2,000 in rebates, you pay $2,000.
Need help covering the remainder? 0% financing is available and can be combined with rebates for the lowest possible out-of-pocket cost.
Which Upgrades Qualify for Rebates?
The HPwES program covers a wide range of improvements, grouped broadly into envelope work (sealing and insulating the house itself) and equipment upgrades (HVAC, water heating, and appliances). For most Baltimore-area homes, envelope work delivers the fastest return and the largest comfort improvements.
Where Most Homes Get the Biggest Gains
Sealing and insulating the building shell. This is what drives comfort improvements and the largest rebate awards for older Maryland housing stock.
- Attic air sealing — closing the gaps driving the stack effect
- Attic insulation to R-49 or R-60
- Insulation removal when existing material is contaminated or damaged
- Crawl space insulation and encapsulation
- Knee wall insulation for rooms with sloped ceilings
- Duct sealing and duct insulation
Higher Rebate Ceilings with Electrification
Equipment replacements qualify for the larger rebate tier, especially when electrification upgrades are included alongside envelope work.
- High-efficiency furnaces, heat pumps, and central A/C
- Heat pump water heaters — significant rebate value
- Smart thermostats
- ENERGY STAR windows and doors
- ERV / HRV whole-home ventilation (when appropriate)
Wondering which category applies to your home first? For most older houses in Roland Park, Catonsville, Columbia, Silver Spring, and similar pre-code neighborhoods, the answer is almost always envelope work. Read our guide: Air Sealing vs. Insulation — Which Comes First? →
What a Rebate Looks Like in Practice — Columbia, MD
A homeowner in Columbia came to us frustrated that her upper floor was cold all winter despite having a relatively new furnace. After her $100 energy audit, we found attic insulation at R-11 (target is R-49 to R-60 for Maryland's climate zone) and significant air leakage at top plates and recessed lights — her blower door score was nearly double what it should have been.
Insulation Removal, Attic Air Sealing & R-60 Cellulose
Existing poor-quality insulation removed, every top-plate penetration and recessed light sealed, then blown-in cellulose to R-60 across the attic floor.
The Mistake That Costs Maryland Homeowners Thousands
Here's a costly pattern we see repeatedly across Baltimore, Ellicott City, Bethesda, Towson, Annapolis, and everywhere else we work:
"The HVAC salesman mentioned a $400 rebate, so I signed."
A homeowner's HVAC system is aging. An HVAC salesperson quotes them a new high-efficiency heat pump and mentions a "$400 BGE rebate." It seems reasonable, so they sign. The new system gets installed. The house is still not comfortable.
What they didn't know: the same heat pump, purchased through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, would have qualified for a rebate of $1,500–$2,000 or more — because the HPwES model accounts for the whole-house impact of the upgrade, not just the equipment spec sheet.
Worse, a year later they discover the house is still uncomfortable because the attic was never addressed. Now they need insulation work anyway — but the rebate clock may have reset, and the sequencing advantage is gone.
Am I in the BGE or PEPCO Service Area?
Your utility provider determines which rebate program you have access to. Not sure which you're with? Check the header of your electric bill. Here's a general breakdown for the Baltimore and D.C. metro areas:
Central Maryland
Most of central Maryland, including Baltimore City and Baltimore County plus the surrounding suburban and exurban counties.
- Baltimore City
- Baltimore County — Towson, Catonsville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Timonium
- Howard County — Columbia, Ellicott City, Clarksville
- Anne Arundel County — Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Pasadena
- Harford County — Bel Air, Abingdon
- Carroll County
Montgomery & Prince George's Counties
The D.C. suburbs in Maryland — largely Montgomery County and parts of Prince George's.
- Bethesda
- Rockville
- Silver Spring
- Chevy Chase
- Potomac
- Gaithersburg
Leonard Home Performance is approved for both BGE and PEPCO, so regardless of which service area you're in, we can run your audit and complete your project. See our full Maryland service area map →
The Credentials That Unlock the Rebate Program
The HPwES rebate program is gated on contractor credentialing — a real differentiator, not marketing language. Brian Leonard has completed over 1,400 energy audits across the Baltimore and D.C. metro over a 7+ year career.
The credential required to perform a qualifying HPwES energy audit is the BPI Building Analyst Technician certification. Brian holds that credential, along with several additional BPI certifications that aren't strictly required for the audit itself but reflect deeper training across home performance work:
- BPI Building Analyst Technician — the required credential for performing HPwES energy audits; covers whole-house diagnostics, blower door testing, and combustion safety
- BPI Building Analyst Professional — advanced training in whole-house energy modeling and building science analysis
- BPI Quality Control Inspector — third-party verification methodology for completed insulation and air sealing work
- BPI Energy Auditor — additional auditing credential covering advanced diagnostic protocols
- MHIC Licensed #165469 — Maryland Home Improvement Commission licensed contractor
- Approved for both BGE and PEPCO — rebate paperwork handled entirely by us
We serve homeowners across Baltimore City and County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, Carroll County, and Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. More about Brian and our approach →
BGE & PEPCO Rebate FAQ
Yes. All work must be completed by an HPwES-approved contractor. Leonard Home Performance is approved for both BGE and PEPCO programs. If you use a contractor not in the program, your rebates are forfeited — even if the work itself is quality work. The credentialing is tied to the rebate pathway, not the job.
In most cases, rebates are applied as an instant discount at the time of project completion — you never pay full price and wait for reimbursement. Your final invoice reflects the deducted amount. This is one of the biggest advantages of HPwES over older rebate structures that required you to float the full cost for months.
No. The energy audit must happen first — it's the documentation the utility uses to model the rebate value. Work completed before the audit is not eligible for HPwES rebates. This is the most common reason homeowners lose out on thousands of dollars.
You have up to one year from your audit date to complete qualifying work and claim your rebates. Most homeowners complete their work within a few months of the audit. If more than a year passes, a new audit is required.
No — the $100 is the cost of the audit itself. However, the detailed diagnostic report you receive is valuable on its own: blower door readings, thermal images of your specific leak locations, and prioritized recommendations you can take to any future contractor. If you do proceed with work, the $100 is credited toward your project.
The program is designed for this. You can access rebates for both under the same audit, up to the program maximum. We'll help you prioritize — in almost every case, envelope work should come first, because it often reduces the HVAC capacity you actually need and prevents you from oversizing new equipment.
Yes, and it's the lowest-out-of-pocket path for most homeowners. Rebates reduce the total project cost; financing spreads the remainder across monthly payments at 0% interest. On a $6,000 project with a $2,500 rebate, you'd finance $3,500 — typically in the range of $75–$100/month. See our financing options →
Electrification upgrades replace fossil-fuel equipment with electric alternatives. The most common — and most rebate-valuable — in Maryland is the heat pump water heater, which replaces a gas or electric resistance water heater with a much more efficient heat pump unit. Heat pump HVAC systems and induction cooking appliances also qualify. Adding one of these to an envelope-only project can push your rebate tier from $10,000 up to $15,000.
Find Out Exactly What You Qualify For
The only way to know your specific rebate amount is to complete the $100 energy audit. There's no obligation to proceed with any work afterward — but in our experience, once homeowners see the numbers, it's an easy decision.