While the future of many U.S. energy efficiency programs is currently unknown, all state level home efficiency and electrification programs connected to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) remain in place with secured federal funds — and opportunities remain strong for independent retailers.
As of August 2025, 13 programs are active, including 12 states and Washington DC. Of the states that have launched, only three of the 12 states have an active retail program, including New Mexico, New York, and Wisconsin.
LEARN MORE about the IRA’s two residential programs.
Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) is committed to helping members in these three states receive a larger share of the IRA dollars. To date, Lowe’s is the only big box store currently active in the state retail programs. This allows independents to differentiate with a savings offer not widely available.
Because each program is different, NMG’s approach is tailored to the state. For example, in New York, NMG facilitated retailer input during program design by introducing members to NYSERDA — the entity running the IRA program in New York.
In Wisconsin, after a successful launch to the contractor channel in 2024, Focus on Energy expanded its IRA programming to the retail channel in 2025 in two segments:
- Product discount at the point of sale — with retailers reimbursed by the state
- Post-purchase consumer rebate — designed to meet retailers’ systems capabilities
NMG has since introduced the team at Focus on Energy to numerous NMG appliance dealers in Wisconsin to complete onboarding in preparation for an August 2025 launch.
Although the IRA’s retail rollouts have slowed due to administrative changes, more retail launches are expected. Given NMG’s connections at ENERGY STAR, the US Department of Energy (US DOE), and National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), independent appliance dealers in participating states will be well equipped to take advantage of these IRA opportunities with minimal effort required.
