Duke Energy Smart $aver Rebates for Attic Insulation, Air Sealing & Duct Sealing
Peak Energy is an approved Smart $aver participating contractor. Duke Energy pays $700 for qualifying attic insulation with air sealing and $350 for stand-alone duct sealing. Both rebates require a measured reduction in leakage, and we own the test equipment that proves it.
Quick Answer
Duke Energy Smart $aver is Duke Energy's residential efficiency rebate program. In North Carolina it pays $700 for attic insulation combined with air sealing, and $350 for stand-alone duct sealing. There are no income limits. The work has to be done by a participating contractor, and each rebate carries a measured performance requirement: the air sealing must reduce whole-home air leakage by at least 5%, and the duct sealing must reduce duct leakage by at least 12%. Peak Energy, Inc. is an approved Smart $aver participating contractor based in Holly Springs, serving Wake County and the Triangle. Smart $aver also stacks with Energy Saver North Carolina, so an income-qualified household can claim both on the same project. Call or text (919) 567-5329 to find out whether your home qualifies.
The Two Smart $aver Rebates Peak Energy Handles
Duke Energy's North Carolina rate sheet covers a long list of measures, most of them HVAC equipment. Peak Energy does not sell or install HVAC systems, water heaters or pool pumps. What we do is the building envelope work, and these are the two rebates that apply to it.
Attic Insulation and Air Sealing
Duke Energy requirements
- Existing attic insulation at R-19 or below, improved to R-30 or greater
- Air sealing must decrease whole-home air leakage by 5% or more
- Must insulate a minimum of 1,000 square feet of conditioned living space
Stand-Alone Duct Sealing
Duke Energy requirements
- Duct sealing must decrease duct leakage by 12% or more
- Available when no HVAC system is replaced but duct sealing is completed
- Also available when the HVAC system installed does not meet rebate eligibility requirements but duct sealing is completed
- Also available when duct sealing is completed alongside certain heat pump conversion rebates that do not already require duct sealing
Amounts and requirements above are transcribed from the Duke Energy Smart $aver Additional Product Rebates rate sheet for North Carolina, revision dated August 1, 2025. Duke Energy updates this sheet periodically and reviews every submission, so we confirm current figures against the active rate sheet before scoping your project.
Why These Rebates Are Different: You Have to Prove the Result
Read the Duke Energy requirements again and notice what they are not. They do not say "add insulation." They do not say "seal the ducts." They say reduce whole-home air leakage by 5% or more, and reduce duct leakage by 12% or more. Those are measurements, and a measurement needs an instrument.
That distinction matters more than it looks. An insulation crew can blow R-38 into an attic and technically complete the insulation portion, but if nobody put a blower door on the house before and after, there is no number to submit and no way to show Duke Energy that air leakage dropped 5%. The same goes for ducts. Sealing a few obvious connections feels productive, but the rebate is paid on a 12% measured reduction in CFM25, not on effort.
Peak Energy already owns and runs both instruments. We perform blower door testing and duct leakage testing as third-party code compliance work for builders across the Triangle, to the North Carolina Energy Conservation Code thresholds of 5 ACH50 for the envelope and 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet for duct leakage to outside. That is our day job, not a subcontracted add-on. When we do rebate work, the before-and-after numbers come from the same company holding the insulation hose.
Test first
Blower door and, where ducts are in scope, a duct leakage test. This establishes the baseline number the rebate is measured against, and it tells us where the leaks actually are instead of where they usually are.
Seal, then insulate
Air sealing comes before insulation. Blowing insulation over unsealed top plates, can lights and chases buries the leaks instead of fixing them, and it will not move the blower door number.
Test again and document
A second test produces the after number. We handle the Smart $aver paperwork on the contractor side and submit the documentation Duke Energy needs to approve the rebate.
Homes That Will Not Qualify (And Why We Tell You Up Front)
The $700 attic rebate has a gate most homeowners do not expect: your existing insulation has to be R-19 or below. If your attic already sits at R-30, adding more insulation may still be a sensible improvement, but Duke Energy will not pay the rebate for it. There is also a floor on scope, since at least 1,000 square feet of conditioned living space has to be insulated.
This trips up newer homes in particular. A house built in Holly Springs or Apex in the last 15 years was likely insulated to a code minimum that already clears R-19, which rules out the rebate even when the attic has other problems worth fixing, like unsealed duct boots or a hatch with no weatherstripping.
So we measure existing depth and R-value during the assessment and give you the real answer before anything gets scheduled. If you do not qualify, we say so. If the work still makes sense on its own merits, we will tell you that too, with the numbers behind it. And if your attic is ruled out on R-value, Energy Saver North Carolina may still cover it, along with a broader set of measures including crawl space insulation, which Smart $aver does not touch.
These two are not an either/or. They stack, and the section below lays out which one covers what.
- No income limits
- Fixed rebate amounts: $700 attic, $350 ducts
- Funded by Duke Energy for its residential electric customers
- Attic insulation and air sealing; duct sealing
- Requires measured leakage reductions
- Income-qualified, up to 150% of Area Median Income
- Percentage of project cost, up to $16,000
- Federally funded, administered by NC DEQ
- Broader scope, including crawl space insulation
- Requires a program energy assessment and model
The two programs stack. If you qualify for Energy Saver NC on income and you are a Duke Energy customer, you can claim both on the same project. Peak Energy is approved under both, so that is one contractor, one scope of work, and both sets of paperwork handled on our end. Each program still makes its own determination and sets its own final amount.
The Work Behind the Rebate
Attic air sealing
Most of a house's air leakage is not around the windows. It is at the top and bottom of the building, where framing cavities, plumbing and wiring penetrations, dropped soffits, attic hatches and recessed light housings connect conditioned space directly to the attic. We seal those with foam and mastic while the attic is still accessible, guided by what the blower door and infrared show rather than by a checklist.
Attic insulation to R-30 or greater
After sealing, we bring the attic up to depth with blown-in insulation. The rebate requires R-30 or greater, though current North Carolina code for a vented attic is R-38, and in most cases R-38 is the right target anyway. See our attic insulation page for the material options and what the work involves.
Duct sealing
Leaky ducts in a vented crawl space or a hot attic waste conditioned air into places nobody lives. We pressurize the system, find the leaks at boots, plenums and connections, seal with mastic, and re-test to document the reduction. A 12% improvement is the rebate threshold; neglected systems frequently do far better than that.
Wondering where your home actually stands before committing to a scope? A home energy audit puts numbers on all of it, and the blower door result doubles as the baseline for the rebate.
Verify Any of This Yourself
We would rather you check than take our word for it. Rebate programs attract bad actors, and a little verification is reasonable.
- Read Duke Energy's own Smart $aver residential program pages at duke-energy.com, or call Duke Energy directly.
- Confirm Peak Energy, Inc. is a registered North Carolina business at the NC Secretary of State business search.
- Confirm Peak Energy, Inc. holds an active North Carolina general contractor license at the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (license 69117).
- Ask us for the Duke Energy rate sheet. We will send the same PDF the amounts on this page came from.
Where We Do Smart $aver Work
Peak Energy is based in Holly Springs and covers Wake County and the surrounding Triangle counties. Duke Energy service territory covers most, though not all, of this area, and we confirm your utility before scoping rebate work.
See all Peak Energy service areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Duke Energy Smart $aver program?
Smart $aver is Duke Energy's residential energy efficiency rebate program. Duke Energy pays a set rebate for specific qualifying improvements installed by a participating contractor. In North Carolina the rate sheet includes HVAC replacement and conversion rebates, a heat pump water heater rebate and a variable-speed pool pump rebate, plus two measures Peak Energy performs: attic insulation with air sealing at $700 and stand-alone duct sealing at $350.
Is Peak Energy an approved Smart $aver contractor?
Yes. Peak Energy, Inc. is an approved participating contractor in the Duke Energy Smart $aver program for residential attic insulation, air sealing and duct sealing in North Carolina. Peak Energy is also a licensed North Carolina general contractor, license 69117, Building classification.
How much is the Duke Energy attic insulation rebate?
The Smart $aver attic insulation and air sealing rebate is $700. To qualify, existing attic insulation must be R-19 or below and be improved to R-30 or greater, the air sealing work must reduce whole-home air leakage by 5% or more, and at least 1,000 square feet of conditioned living space must be insulated.
How much is the Duke Energy duct sealing rebate?
The Smart $aver stand-alone duct sealing rebate is $350. The duct sealing work must reduce measured duct leakage by 12% or more. Stand-alone means the rebate applies when no qualifying HVAC system replacement is involved, so it fits homeowners who want to fix leaky ducts in an existing system.
How does Duke Energy verify a 5% air leakage reduction?
Through blower door testing. A blower door depressurizes the house and measures air leakage in CFM50, so the only way to document a 5% reduction is to test the home before air sealing and again after. Peak Energy owns and operates its own blower door equipment and performs this testing as code compliance work for Triangle builders, so the before-and-after numbers come from the same crew doing the sealing.
How does Duke Energy verify a 12% duct leakage reduction?
Through duct leakage testing. A duct blaster pressurizes the duct system and measures leakage in CFM25, so documenting a 12% reduction requires a test before sealing and a test after. Peak Energy performs duct leakage testing to North Carolina Energy Conservation Code standards for new construction and uses the same equipment and method on rebate work.
Are there income limits for Smart $aver rebates?
No. Smart $aver is a utility efficiency program, not an income-qualified assistance program. Any Duke Energy residential electric customer in North Carolina can pursue the rebate if the home and the completed work meet the stated requirements. That is the main difference between Smart $aver and Energy Saver North Carolina, which does have income limits.
Does my attic automatically qualify for the $700 rebate?
No, and this is worth checking before you plan around the money. The rebate requires existing insulation at R-19 or below. Plenty of Triangle homes, especially those built in the last 15 years, already sit above R-19, which makes them ineligible even though adding insulation would still help. Peak Energy measures existing depth and R-value during the assessment and tells you where you actually stand before any work is scheduled.
Can I combine Smart $aver with Energy Saver NC rebates?
Yes. The two programs stack. Smart $aver is funded by Duke Energy and Energy Saver North Carolina is a federally funded state program, so a household that qualifies for both can claim both on the same project. Peak Energy is approved under both, which means one contractor, one scope of work and both sets of paperwork handled on our side. Each program still makes its own eligibility determination and sets its own final amount.
Do I pay up front and wait for reimbursement?
Rebate handling depends on the measure and how the project is structured. Peak Energy walks you through exactly how the Smart $aver paperwork and payment work for your project before you sign anything, including what you owe and when. Duke Energy reviews the completed documentation and approves the final rebate.
Do I have to be a Duke Energy customer?
Yes. Smart $aver rebates are funded by Duke Energy for its own residential electric customers. Homes on a different electric utility, including some municipal and cooperative territories inside the Triangle, are not eligible for Smart $aver, though other programs may apply.
Is the program spelled Smart $aver or Smart Saver?
Duke Energy styles the program name Smart $aver with a dollar sign. It is commonly written and searched as Smart Saver or SmartSaver. All three refer to the same Duke Energy residential rebate program.
What areas does Peak Energy cover for Smart $aver work?
Peak Energy is based in Holly Springs and covers Wake County and the surrounding Triangle, including Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, Garner and Chapel Hill, plus Johnston, Harnett, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Lee counties.
Can the rebate amounts change?
Yes. Duke Energy revises the Smart $aver rate sheet periodically and rebate amounts, efficiency thresholds and eligibility rules can all change. The figures on this page reflect the North Carolina residential rate sheet revision dated August 1, 2025. Peak Energy confirms current amounts against the active Duke Energy rate sheet before scoping your project.
Start a Smart $aver Project With Peak Energy
Call or text and we will tell you what your attic and ducts actually measure, whether the $700 and $350 rebates are in reach, and what the work would cost either way.