Checking your qualifications is a good place to start. If you currently own and live in a home in a low to moderate income neighborhood, or in a designated Green Zone, schedule a zero-risk, free energy review to learn more about possible energy upgrades.

Here are some of the tests you can expect to run during your free energy review:

• Blower door testing
• Thermal imaging and infrared scanning
• Detailed attic evaluation
• Carbon monoxide check

Those who qualify will receive a FREE energy review from a weatherization expert appointed by CenterPoint Energy. The cost of the upgrades and improvements made as part of the HERO program are split between the homeowner and CenterPoint Energy. Contact us to learn more.

An energy analyst will visit a customer’s home and review features for energy efficiency, as well as health and safety. The review typically takes 2-3 hours and may include a detailed attic evaluation, carbon monoxide check, blower door testing, thermal imaging and infrared scanning, and more. Following the energy review, the analyst will review the findings with the homeowner and will provide them with a custom report of their home’s energy usage, including opportunities for improvement.

Some homes with health and safety concerns, such as mold, asbestos, or water intrusion, may be eligible for additional funding to correct these concerns before energy efficiency work can take place. Energy utilities are limited each year by statewide regulations to the amount they can spend on health and safety upgrades that do not impact energy savings, so not all customers will be eligible for these upgrades. Health and safety issues are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Customers participating in the HERO program are not eligible for other rebates from CenterPoint Energy on the same installed measures. Customers may qualify for other incentives outside of CenterPoint Energy.

Homeowners are encouraged to research other energy funding resources available to them.

CenterPoint pays 50% of the approved installation upon project completion. The customer portion of the improvement is paid by the customer to the contractor. Homeowners are encouraged to research other energy funding resources available to them.

The visit will take approximately 2 to 3 hours, and you will have one to three trained experts in your home for the duration of the visit. Very rarely, additional people may join, but we’ll contact you before any more team members join your visit.

Someone 18 or older must be present for the entire visit, but they don’t need to stay with the crew for the whole visit.

Before your visit, please do the following:

1. Clear a path for the crew to access the attic, water heater, heating system, and exterior doors.
2. Close all windows and exterior doors.
3. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, close the damper and remove loose ash. If you have a gas fireplace, please leave it off before and during your visit.

While not necessary to conduct an energy audit, an infrared (IR) camera can be a useful tool when there is at least a 20-degree temperature difference between your home’s indoor air temperature and the outdoor temperature. IR images are one of the many ways your auditor can identify specific areas in your home that may have insufficient insulation or air sealing, such as your exterior walls or attic. These images are typically collected while the auditor is also running the blower door test, which performs effectively at all temperatures.