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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 09-309

NOTICES

Keystone HELP Loan and Rebate Program

[39 Pa.B. 1062]
[Saturday, February 21, 2009]

   The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces the opening of a new incentive program for homeowners undertaking energy efficiency projects. The Keystone HELP Loan and Rebate Program, offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and AFC First Financial Corporation, provides rebates and low-interest loans, enabling Commonwealth homeowners to purchase and install energy efficient equipment or to undertake whole-house improvements that will result in reduced energy consumption.

   An eligible applicant must be a resident of this Commonwealth, with a combined household income of no more than $150,000 per year. The home in which the improvements are installed must be the applicant's primary residence, and be owned and occupied by the applicant. For a Keystone HELP loan, the applicant must demonstrate good credit history and the ability to repay the loan.

   The Keystone HELP rebates will be available for the purchase and professional installation of certain qualifying equipment, such as heat pumps, boilers, windows and doors bearing the ENERGY STAR label. Rebate value will be 10% of the total project cost, up to a maximum rebate of $500. Only projects completed after the program opening date of February 23, 2009, will be eligible.

   As an alternative to the rebates, Keystone HELP low-interest loans will be available for the purchase and professional installation of the same projects qualifying under the rebate program. Additionally, projects that meet the criteria for a ''whole house energy efficiency project'' will be eligible for Keystone HELP loans at a much lower interest rate. Interest rates range from 4.99% to 6.99%, and the maximum loan amount is $35,000. Only projects initiated after the program opening date of February 23, 2009, will be eligible.

   The application forms and program guidelines are available on the program's web site at www. KeystoneHELP.com or on the Department's web site at www.dep.state.pa.us (DEP Keyword: ''Residential Energy Efficiency''). Applications are also available from the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772 or (717) 772-8911. For questions regarding the eligibility of projects, contact David Althoff, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, at (717) 772-8911 or residentialenergy@state.pa.us before submitting an application.

   AFC First Financial Corporation will begin accepting applications on February 23, 2009. Rebates and loans will be awarded to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. A total of $1 million is available for rebates this fiscal year. A total of $16.0 million is available for loans this fiscal year.

JOHN HANGER,   
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 09-309. Filed for public inspection February 20, 2009, 9:00 a.m.]


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