Residential programs include energy efficient mortgages, energy efficiency in manufactured housing and low-income housing and energy efficiency in sustainable communities.

Design Review Services
Design reviews are available for individuals and businesses through the North Carolina Solar Center, to evaluate and suggest cost effective improvements to increase the energy efficiency and show how solar technologies can be incorporated into new buildings in the design stage.

Energy Efficient Mortgages
The State Energy Office has joined with Residential Services Network (RESNET) and Fannie Mae to promote Fannie Mae's new energy efficient mortgages program. Through this program, prospective homeowners can finance energy efficient systems through the home mortgage. Several key lenders, including Wachovia and Countrywide, have actively joined the program.

NC HealthyBuilt Homes
A green builder program has been launched in North Carolina for small to medium size homebuilders that may not have the resources to compete in the rapidly emerging field of green building. Builders can currently receive technical assistance, design reviews, workshops, and consultation from the North Carolina Solar Center to increase their knowledge of green building principles. The new program is expected to provide marketing assistance and third party monitoring through field review services. The first community partner is the Western North Carolina Green Building Council. A comprehensive checklist of green building techniques has been developed by a statewide advisory board.

Public Housing Authorities-Advanced Energy
The State Energy Office contracted with Advanced Energy Corporation to incorporate the SystemVision standards into Public Housing Authorities in Gastonia, Sanford and Beaufort, North Carolina. Low- to moderate-income families are the least able to afford homes that meet these minimum standards for housing. Statistics show that low-income families pay approximately 20 percent of their income for home energy costs compared to 5 percent for medium income families.

Upgrade & Save
This program provides financial incentives to manufactured home retailers who sell HUD-Code manufactured homes that are Energy Star-labeled or who sell other new manufactured homes that are upgraded to efficient heat pumps.

Because of lower costs, simpler installation and other factors most manufacturers install forced air electric furnaces in the homes they build at the plant. But typically, electric-resistance furnaces are two-and-a-half to three times more expensive to operate than a heat pump and that means heating bills can be much higher for owners of these homes.

“Upgrade & Save” originally launched as a pilot in Pitt County in 2003. A year later, a partnership with East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, focusing on upgrading homes to heat pumps, demonstrated that on average, customers who "upgraded" could save up to about $600 each heating season.

Now, through partnerships with ECU, Appalachian State University and North Carolina A&T State University, the State Energy Office has transitioned “Upgrade and Save” into a statewide program. The following incentive grants are provided for manufactured home retailers who sell new Energy Star-labeled manufactured homes or upgrade new homes to heat pumps.

• - $500 will be paid to retailers who sell and site new Energy Star-labeled manufactured homes with a heat pump. These homes, that must meet additional efficiency standards including in-plant ENERGY STAR certification for higher insulation levels, more efficient windows and sealed ductwork, offer energy savings of around 30 percent over standard manufactured homes.
• - Up to $700 (based on actual installation cost) will be paid to retailers who upgrade new manufactured homes to a heat pump

In addition, a limited number of incentives are available to owners of existing homes (built in 2003 or later). They can be reimbursed, up to a $1,500 match, to upgrade their electric furnaces to heat pumps.

New HUD-Code manufactured homes that are sold and installed in any of the 100 counties in North Carolina are eligible for this program.