Home Energy Relief Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7197 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7197

To amend Public Law 117-169 to improve access to home energy-efficiency 
 rebates for working families, renters, and owners of older homes, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 22, 2026

 Mr. Bell (for himself and Mr. Mannion) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend Public Law 117-169 to improve access to home energy-efficiency 
 rebates for working families, renters, and owners of older homes, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Home Energy Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION ON COMBINING REBATES PROVIDED UNDER 
              HOMES REBATE PROGRAMS AND HIGH-EFFICIENCY ELECTRIC HOME 
              REBATE PROGRAMS WITH OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS AND REBATES.

    (a) Home Energy Performance-Based, Whole-House Rebates.--
            (1) Repeal.--Paragraph (7) of section 50121(c) of Public 
        Law 117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795(c)) is repealed.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 50121(b) of Public Law 
        117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795(b)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ``retrofit;'' 
                and inserting ``retrofit; and'';
                    (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ``program; and'' 
                and inserting ``program.''; and
                    (C) by striking paragraph (6).
    (b) High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program.--
            (1) Repeal.--Paragraph (8) of section 50122(c) of Public 
        Law 117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795a(c)) is repealed.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 50122(b) of Public Law 
        117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795a(b)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``sale;'' and 
                inserting ``sale; and'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (3); and
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (3).

SEC. 3. HIGH-COST URBAN RETROFIT BONUS REBATES.

    Section 50122(c) of Public Law 117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795a(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) Bonus rebates for upgrades and purchases relating to 
        certain housing.--
                    ``(A) In general.--From the amount of any grant 
                provided under this section, a State energy office or 
                Indian Tribe may provide to an eligible entity that 
                received a rebate from the State energy office or 
                Indian Tribe under a high-efficiency electric home 
                rebate program a bonus rebate for the purchase of an 
                appliance or a nonappliance upgrade under a qualified 
                electrification project carried out or relating to 
                housing built prior to January 1, 1970.
                    ``(B) Amount of bonus rebate.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A bonus rebate provided 
                        under this paragraph may not be greater than 20 
                        percent of the amount of the initial rebate 
                        provided under the high-efficiency electric 
                        home rebate program.
                            ``(ii) Exception to max amount.--Subsection 
                        (c)(3)(C) shall not apply to a bonus rebate 
                        provided under this paragraph.
                            ``(iii) Not in excess of costs.--An 
                        eligible entity may not receive a sum of 
                        rebates under this section that exceeds the 
                        cost of the qualified electrification 
                        project.''.

SEC. 4. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than two years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Energy 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate a report that includes--
            (1) the number of households that received a rebate under a 
        HOMES rebate program or a high-efficiency electric home rebate 
        program during the year preceding the report;
            (2) the household average energy savings resulting from 
        upgrades, purchases, and retrofits for which a rebate was 
        provided under a HOMES rebate program or a high-efficiency 
        electric home rebate program; and
            (3) recommendations for further increasing the access of 
        low-income and high-energy-burden households to such rebates.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) HOMES rebate program.--The term ``HOMES rebate 
        program'' has the meaning given such term in section 50121(d) 
        of Public Law 117-169 (42 U.S.C. 18795(d)).
            (2) High-efficiency electric home rebate program.--The term 
        ``high-efficiency electric home rebate program'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 50122(d) of Public Law 117-
        169 (42 U.S.C. 18795a(d)).
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