The dream is to electrify everything, and to do it now. The reality is that Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) serves 500,000 households, and shifting from one energy source to another is going to take time.
So for those of us who can’t yet leave gas behind, PGW has EnergySense, a program designed to help customers manage energy use, save money and adopt more energy-efficient technologies. The program offers rebates on purchases of new appliances that meet energy efficiency standards and provides low-cost, easy-to-adopt solutions for residential, commercial and industrial customers.
Stu Jerue, PGW’s director of customer programs, says that the $90 rebate on programmable thermostats has been a very popular choice. That rebate is available to all PGW customers and includes thermostats by Honeywell and Google Nest — some of which cost $99. The Amazon Smart Programmable Thermostat with Alexa has the lowest price — $79.99 — and when Jerue ordered that model using a test account, he said that, after taxes and shipping, the customer would pay only $4.80.
In January 2025, PGW will be launching their EnergySense Kit, a free kit to help customers tackle some basic DIY projects. Jerue says the kits will include caulk, faucet aerators, showerheads and more. These projects should help lower energy bills by reducing water flow and, subsequently, hot water usage.
Jerue understands that people usually buy heating equipment like boilers and furnaces when something breaks. When you need to upgrade your heating system, if you elect to continue using gas, there are rebates for heating equipment — but there’s a 95% efficiency threshold.
“We want to help you choose the most efficient model,” says Jerue. “So our incentive helps to bridge that gap between what the standard efficiency model is, which is usually 80% efficiency, and the high-efficiency model of 95%, which is our requirement.”
Residential equipment rebates of up to $1,400 per piece of equipment are available for eligible homeowners. The rebates bump up to $2,000 per piece for people with low incomes who qualify for the Affordable EnergySense program.
PGW also recently launched an EnergySense program offering rebates for installing insulation and air sealing. The rebates are based on the square footage of the home (65 cents per square foot, and 95 cents per square foot if you meet Affordable EnergySense requirements) and the insulation must have certain “R-values,” a term used to measure the thickness of the insulation. PGW offers slightly lower rebates if you get the insulation without the air sealing, but they strongly encourage having the air sealing done. “We would rather you air seal because that’s going to make the insulation much more effective,” says Jerue.
PGW hopes to build a network of vetted contractors just as the Philadelphia Energy Authority has with solar installers participating in their Solarize Philly program. Right now, PGW requires that contractors be certified by the Building Performance Institute.
Another program that is noteworthy for PGW customers is the Parts and Labor Plan, according to Dan Gross, director of external communications and media relations. It’s an annual subscription service offering repair coverage for heating appliances like boilers, heaters and dryers. You can choose to cover appliances piecemeal (protecting a water heater costs $39 per year; a gas clothes dryer, $118) or in package deals (house heater and water heater for $140 annually). It functions as a form of insurance to ensure uninterrupted heating for customers. “When you wake up and your heat’s not working, now you can call PGW and someone will come out.”
While climate change makes pursuing an emissions-free energy supply an imperative, anything we can do to reduce emissions in the meantime is welcome. EnergySense offers a way for consumers not ready for electrification to do just that.
