What Is the Con Edison Energy Exchange Program?

The con edison energy exchange program gives select Con Edison gas customers the opportunity to replace their gas appliances with electric versions for little to no out-of-pocket cost, in exchange for fully disconnecting gas service. Incentives go as high as $20,000 and can cover electric stoves, dryers, heat pump water heaters, electrical panel upgrades, new wiring and outlets, and removal of old gas equipment and piping. The program is administered by Con Edison’s Non-Pipes Solutions (NPS) team as part of its broader Non-Pipes Alternatives strategy: rather than spend capital replacing an aging gas service line, Con Edison pays to eliminate the customer’s gas load entirely.

This is not a general rebate anyone can apply for. Eligibility is tied to your specific address and whether Con Edison has flagged your gas service line for replacement. If your line is on that roster, you are a candidate. If it is not, you are not, regardless of how much you want to electrify.

Who Is Eligible, and Which NYC Boroughs Are Excluded?

You are eligible if your address is on Con Edison’s internal eligibility list, meaning your gas service line is scheduled for replacement in the coming years. The program specifically targets aging services, generally pre-1972 infrastructure, where abandonment poses no safety or operational issue. Con Edison updates the eligibility roster as infrastructure replacement plans are finalized.

The borough exclusion is the most important thing to check before going any further:

• Manhattan, The Bronx, and most of Queens: potentially eligible, subject to address-level confirmation
• Brooklyn and Staten Island: currently NOT eligible, gas service in those boroughs is provided by National Grid, not Con Edison, so Con Edison’s Energy Exchange program does not apply there at all

If you are a Brooklyn or Staten Island homeowner looking to electrify, your path is through National Grid programs, NYS Clean Heat, and NYSERDA EmPower+, not through Con Edison’s Energy Exchange. Our guide on EmPower+ vs Con Edison Clean Heat walks through those alternatives in detail.

Customers located at state-designated Disadvantaged Community (DAC) addresses qualify for enhanced incentives above the standard cap. If your Bronx or Queens block is in a DAC zone, confirm this when you submit your interest form.

Energy Exchange vs. Clean Heat vs. EmPower+: What’s the Difference?

These three programs are frequently confused. They are entirely separate, cover different equipment, and are administered by different entities. Conflating them is the single biggest mistake homeowners make when researching NYC electrification incentives.

The critical point: Energy Exchange does not cover heat pumps or space heating equipment. If you want to replace a gas boiler or gas furnace with a heat pump, you must use the separate NYS Clean Heat Program, which offers up to $10,000 for air-source heat pumps. The two programs are designed to stack, not duplicate each other.

Step-by-Step: How the Energy Exchange Process Works in NYC

The sequence matters. Getting steps out of order can delay your project or disqualify your incentive. Here is the full process from interest to meter removal:

1. Submit an interest form on Con Edison’s Energy Exchange page. This triggers an eligibility check against Con Edison’s internal roster.
2. Eligibility confirmed. If your address qualifies, Con Edison emails you a list of approved Participating Contractors and assigns you a dedicated Account Manager.
3. Select a Participating Contractor. You must use a Con Edison-approved contractor to receive the incentives. If your preferred contractor is not yet on the list, they can apply and be onboarded quickly.
4. Contractor files an electric service adequacy case. Before any installation begins, the contractor must confirm that your property’s existing electric service can handle the added load from all-electric appliances. If your panel is 100A and you are adding a heat pump water heater plus an induction range, an upgrade may be necessary, and the cost of that upgrade is covered by Energy Exchange incentives. Our post on electrical panel upgrades for NYC electrification projects explains what to expect from this step.
5. Free home assessment. The contractor assesses your appliances, wiring, and piping and gives you an upgrade recommendation with zero cost and zero commitment.
6. Installation. All replacement appliances must be ENERGY STAR rated. You can choose your own appliances or use the contractor’s recommendations. An electric stove does not have to be induction, but induction is the safer and more efficient choice.
7. Contractor submits proof of installation to Con Edison; incentives are applied as a credit to your project invoice.
8. Customer closes all related gas accounts. This is mandatory. Partial gas service is not permitted, you must close every gas account associated with the property.
9. Contractor files a gas demolition request. Con Edison decommissions the gas service line and removes the meter.

What Appliances Are Covered, and What Is Not?

How to Stack All Available Incentives in One Project

No installer guide currently lays out the full stack in one place. Here is how a typical Manhattan or Bronx brownstone owner doing a complete gas-to-electric conversion can combine every available incentive:

• Energy Exchange (Con Edison): up to $20,000 toward stove, dryer, heat pump water heater, panel upgrade, and piping removal
• Con Edison Midstream HPWH Rebate: additional $1,000 rebate on the heat pump water heater (tank up to 120 gallons, rated at or below 24 amps and 250 volts), this is deducted from your project cost and stacks with Energy Exchange
• NYS Clean Heat (Con Edison): up to $10,000 toward an air-source heat pump system for space heating and cooling, such as a ductless mini-split
• Federal 25C Tax Credit: 30% of qualified appliance and heat pump costs, up to $2,000 for heat pumps and $600 for ENERGY STAR appliances per tax year under the Inflation Reduction Act

A household converting cooking, laundry, water heating, and space heating in a single project can access well over $30,000 in combined incentives before the 25C credit is applied. The cleanest approach is to run Energy Exchange for appliances and the panel upgrade while simultaneously applying for Clean Heat for the heat pump. If your project involves capping existing gas lines in the structure, our guide on capping a gas line for a heat pump conversion in a NYC brownstone covers the DOB permit and Con Edison coordination steps in detail.

The 15-Year Recourse Period: What You Must Know Before Signing

No competing installer guide addresses this plainly, so here it is: there is a 15-year recourse period in which you may be financially liable for the investment Con Edison made to your property as a result of participating in the program. In plain terms, if you sell, transfer, or significantly modify the property within 15 years in a way that triggers Con Edison’s cost recovery, you could owe money back. This is a lien-like condition attached to the program agreement.

Before you sign up, confirm the following with your contractor and, if necessary, your real estate attorney:

• Whether the recourse obligation transfers to a new buyer if you sell the property
• How Con Edison calculates the outstanding amount at any point in the 15-year window
• Whether refinancing or a co-op board transaction triggers any review

For most homeowners who plan to stay in their home and simply want to lower ongoing utility costs, the recourse period is not a practical obstacle. But it is a real contractual commitment and should not be treated as a footnote.

What Happens to Your Energy Bill After Gas Disconnection?

Your electric bill will go up. That is unavoidable when you move cooking, laundry, and water heating onto the electric meter. However, closing your gas account eliminates the gas bill entirely, including the fixed monthly gas minimum charge that appears on every bill regardless of how little gas you use. Con Edison’s own analysis notes that for a typical single-family customer using gas only for cooking, water heating, and laundry drying, utility bill savings come mainly from avoiding that gas minimum charge.

Here is an honest breakdown of who benefits most:

• Best case for savings: Households where gas is used only for cooking, drying, and water heating (not space heating). Eliminating the fixed gas charge while running efficient ENERGY STAR electric appliances often produces a net monthly savings.
• Neutral or slight increase: Households with high hot water demand or electric rates significantly above the Con Edison average. A heat pump water heater mitigates this, it uses roughly a third of the energy of a standard electric resistance unit.
• Important caveat: If your home uses gas for both cooking/laundry AND space heating, you cannot participate in Energy Exchange until you have either already converted space heating to electric or begun that conversion process. Con Edison explicitly states this on its program page.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Brooklyn or Staten Island addresses qualify. They do not. Con Edison does not supply gas there; National Grid does.
• Trying to keep partial gas service. Full disconnection is required. You cannot keep one gas appliance and electrify the rest while claiming Energy Exchange incentives.
• Skipping the electric service adequacy case. The contractor must file this before installation begins, not after. Installing appliances without it can stall your incentive payment.
• Using a non-participating contractor. Only Con Edison-approved Participating Contractors can process the incentives. Hiring outside this list means you pay full price.
• Confusing Energy Exchange with Clean Heat for the boiler. If you want to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump, that is a Clean Heat project. Energy Exchange will not cover it.
• Ignoring the 15-year recourse period. Read the program agreement before signing, especially if you anticipate selling the property in the near term.
• Waiting too long after notification. Con Edison’s eligibility list is tied to infrastructure replacement schedules. If your service line gets replaced on a non-Energy Exchange basis before you act, your window may close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Energy Exchange cover a heat pump or mini-split for home heating?

No. The program explicitly covers non-space-heating appliances: stoves, dryers, water heaters, and associated electrical work. If you want to add a heat pump or mini-split for space heating and cooling, apply separately through the NYS Clean Heat program, which offers up to $10,000 for air-source heat pumps in the Con Edison service territory. The two programs are designed to work together on the same project.

What if I live in Brooklyn or Staten Island?

You are not eligible for the Con Edison Energy Exchange Program. Gas service in Brooklyn and Staten Island is provided by National Grid, not Con Edison, so Con Edison’s program does not apply to those addresses. Your electrification incentive options include NYS Clean Heat (administered through National Grid), NYSERDA EmPower+ for income-qualified households, and the federal 25C tax credit. Review our comparison of EmPower+ and Con Edison Clean Heat to understand the alternative paths.

Can I choose my own appliances, or does Con Edison decide?

You can choose your own electric appliances, provided they are ENERGY STAR rated. You can also rely on your Participating Contractor’s recommendations. All appliances must meet the ENERGY STAR standard; beyond that, the choice of brand and model is yours.

What is the 15-year recourse period, and does it affect selling my home?

Con Edison’s program terms include a 15-year recourse period during which you may be financially liable for the investment the utility made to your property through the program. This means if you sell or transfer the property within that window under certain conditions, a cost recovery obligation could be triggered. Review your program agreement carefully and consult a real estate attorney if you anticipate selling within 15 years.

Do I need a panel upgrade, and is it covered?

Possibly. The contractor must file an electric service adequacy case before installation to determine whether your existing panel can handle the new electric load. If an upgrade is needed, the cost of the panel upgrade, new wiring, and outlets is covered by Energy Exchange incentives, it is not an additional out-of-pocket expense for qualifying customers.