Earn cash back from Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Dominion Energy for building energy efficient homes.
HERO Code — or High-Efficiency Residential Option — is a voluntary section of the 2018 North Carolina Conservation Energy Code.
Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Dominion Energy offer generous cash incentives to builders and developers who build energy-efficient single or multifamily residences that meet HERO Code targets.
With rebates upwards of $12,000 *per home*, it’s a win-win situation. Your homeowners get a quality assured and energy-efficient product while you get cash back for each home!
There are two options to choose from:
Unfortunately, these incentives don’t stack and you can only choose one pathway. To really maximize your incentives, we advise you choose the HERO+HERS Score Whole-Home Plus Incentive option. Learn more below!
Within the Whole-Home Incentive option, there are two pathways for compliance: Whole Home (aka HERO Only) or Whole Home Plus (aka HERO + HERS Score).
New Update! All homes submitted on or after January 1st, 2025 in North Carolina (outside of Climate Zone 3), will benefit from a new rebate structure. See below for details!
| Whole Home (HERO Only) | Whole Home Plus (HERO + HERS) |
|---|---|
| Annual energy use is less than HERO reference home | Annual energy use is less than HERO reference home |
| Blower door target: 7.00 ACH50 | Blower door target: ≤ 4.00 ACH50 or 0.24 CFM50/SFSA |
| 90% or greater efficient lighting | 90% or greater efficient lighting |
| $1,200 per home | $12,000+ per home |
| Above Code Entry (ACE) | ACE + HERS |
|---|---|
| Meet all RNC requirements with the exception of slab edge insulation in Climate Zone 3 | Meet all RNC + HERS requirements with the exception of slab edge insulation in Climate Zone 3 |
| Blower door target: 7.00 ACH50 | Blower door target: ≤ 4.00 ACH50 or 0.24 CFM50/SFSA |
| 90% or greater efficient lighting | 90% or greater efficient lighting |
| $500 per home | Up to $6,000 per home |
| Whole Home (HERO Only) | Whole Home Plus (HERO + HERS) |
|---|---|
| Annual energy use is less than HERO reference home | Annual energy use is less than HERO reference home |
| Blower door target: 4.00 ACH50 | Blower door target: ≤ 4.00 ACH50 or 0.24 CFM50/SFSA |
| 90% or greater efficient lighting | 90% or greater efficient lighting |
| $650+ per home | Up to $9,000 per home |
| Whole Home HERO |
|---|
| NCECC HERO Compliance |
| Natural Gas Furnace of 90% or higher AFUE |
| $500 per home |
| Whole Home HERO |
|---|
| NCECC HERO Compliance |
| Natural Gas Furnace of 90% or higher AFUE |
| $500 per home |
Southern Energy Management conducts free building plan analysis to see how much money you qualify for now, and how much you could qualify for moving forward.
Get started: Send us building plans for review and value engineering to maximize incentives.
Schedule inspections: a pre-drywall insulation inspection and a final inspection for duct and blower door testing.
Collect your rebates! We submit applications, so all you have to do is kick back, relax, and wait on a check from Duke, Piedmont, or Dominion.
No matter which option you choose to go with under Whole-Home Incentives, the homes you are building will require a HERS Rating to meet HERO Code.
Southern Energy Management is a RESNET Certified HERS Rater with a team of highly trained raters and quality assurance designees. We provide HERS rating services and an energy summary report with the annual kWh savings for each home.
Since all homes require a HERS Rating, by default your home will be analyzed for the Whole Home HERO+HERS Score pathway to maximize your rebate potential. If the 4ACH50 blower door target is not met but the home still qualifies for Whole Home HERO Only targets, we will enroll the home for the $500-$1200 HERO Only Rebate.
Be the HERO your customers deserve with Duke Energy’s Residential New Construction Program. We’re here to help you get started! From value engineering to optional air sealing packages, our turnkey services are designed to maximize your incentives.
Book a call with our building performance team to get started!
Mattamy Homes continues to find immense value in the Residential New Construction program. We love the program and think that it’s been a great fit for us.
Rich Sherman,
Vice President of Construction Operations, Mattamy Homes
Garman Homes has been a big advocate of the HERO program for several years while completing almost 200 homes per year with over 90% of our homes reaching the HERO level. We have been able to capture these rebates while also providing homeowners with what the market demands. By using the gas equipment in our homes and also building the home with energy efficiency in mind, we are able to provide an efficient home which gives the customer what they want and deserve.
Brandon DeLong,
Purchasing Manager, Garman Homes
Schedule a meeting with us today to review your home performance goals and challenges.
North Carolina’s solar power and building performance expert. Founded in 2001, we’ve worked for 20+ years to improve the way people make and use energy.
