On November 13, 2024, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) launched the EV Home Charge grant program to save Colorado residents money on installing at-home electric vehicle (EV) chargers, primarily in rural communities. This program will help Coloradans cover the costs of electric panel and wiring upgrades — often the most expensive part of EV charger installation. A total of $500,000 in EV Home Charge funding is available for the 2024-2025 fiscal year through the state’s Community Access Enterprise (CAE).
CEO has released a request for applications (RFA) for municipal utilities and electric cooperatives interested in offering rebate programs for residential electric panel and wiring upgrades to accommodate Level 2 EV chargers at single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes. Funding will be prioritized for electric co-ops and municipal utilities that do not already offer panel and wiring incentives to customers. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Creating new home wiring and panel upgrade rebate programs,
- Expanding an existing rebate program,
- Adding dedicated income-qualified incentives for EV home wiring and panel upgrades, and
- Implementing innovative technologies, such as meter collars or networked chargers, that support EV charging at home while limiting the need for full panel upgrades through efficient use of the existing capacity.
By limiting eligibility to municipal utilities and cooperatives, this program expands resources beyond the investor-owned utilities and enables support for robust incentive programs, largely in rural communities. By piloting new and expanded incentives across the state, CEO hopes to gain a deeper understanding of barriers to home charging; the efficacy of incentives to encourage EV adoption and home charging; and innovative home charging technologies that reduce major impacts on the electric grid. Following this pilot program, CEO may expand funding and availability of the EV Home Charge program pending the results of this initial effort.
Applications are due December 13, 2024. For more information, please visit: https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/ev-home-charge