New Home Construction
Choose a home with a high standard of energy efficiency. Homeowners can save money, year after year.
Ensure quality, comfort and energy savings in your new home.
How it works
Find a home builder experienced and skilled with energy-saving features that increase comfort and sustain your home’s value over time. Participating home builders use advanced construction methods to meet a higher standard of energy performance for newly built homes.
Home Energy Rating System
Each home is inspected and tested using the Home Energy Rating System® (HERS®), a nationally recognized method for calculating a home's energy performance. The inspection is performed by an independent HERS® rater trained in best practices for energy efficiency.
ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes
Be sure to ask your home builder how ENERGY STAR® certified homes further your homes energy efficiency beyond the HERS rating. ENERGY STAR homes are built to stand well above others and comply with ENERGY STAR’s stringent requirements. Learn more about the benefits of ENERGY STAR certified homes and watch the video below.
Search the DTE directory for builders.
For more information, please call us toll free, (866) 796-0512 or email us.
New Homeowner Offers and Tips
ENERGY STAR® certified appliances
DTE offers rebates for qualifying ENERGY STAR certified appliances, including:
- Air purifiers (HEPA filter), which remove airborne particles such as dust, dander, and pollen from your living space.
- Air purifiers (carbon or charcoal filter), which capture volatile organic compounds off-gassing in your home from paint, carpeting, furniture, and construction.
- Dehumidifiers, which remove water from the air, reducing humidity that can damage your home. Maintain relative humidity indoors at 40–70%. Visit dteenergy.com/appliances for details.
HVAC system air filters
Air filters are designed to catch particles, which reduce the amount of air delivered through ducts. A clean filter makes it easier for your system to move air throughout your home, using less energy.
Check your air filter upon move-in and monthly, and change it as needed (at least once every three months) to keep your HVAC system operating at peak efficiency.
Home Exterior
- Clear the area around vents to prevent blockages that make your heating and cooling system work harder. Along with saving money, removing these obstructions allows your rooms to warm up or cool down more quickly.
- Save on costs by nudging your thermostat by two to four degrees up in the summer or down in the winter. Over the season, these little changes can add up to meaningful savings.
- Use the sun to your advantage. Let the sun in on cool days and close curtains to keep it out on warm days.
Major Renovations
Renovate your home with a new standard of energy efficiency. Homeowners can save money year after year.
Ensure quality, comfort and energy savings in your new home.
How it works
DTE Energy provides financial incentives for homes that are renovated over 50%, and improve the energy efficiency of the home to meet the programs custom energy savings baselines.
Is your home eligible?
Residential renovations to single-family homes may be eligible if:
- They are located in DTE Energy service territories
- Renovations consist of 50% or more of the original home undergoing renovation
- A DTE program-approved certified HERS Rater conducts a preliminary site visit at your home prior to the start of construction or demolition
Incentives for new construction projects are only available through the Residential New Construction program. Customers who participate in the Major Renovations program are not eligible for individual equipment rebates through the Heating & Cooling and Insulation & Windows programs.
Eligible upgrades may include, but are not limited to:
- Insulation
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
- Water heating equipment
- Air and duct sealing
Search the DTE directory for builders.
For more information, please call us toll free, (866) 796-0512 or email us.
- Get Started. Find a participating HERS Rater at dteenergy.com/majorrenovations. If you have questions, please email DTEMajorRenovations@icf.com
- Schedule a preliminary site visit. Contact a program-approved certified HERS Rater to schedule a site visit prior to starting construction or demolition at your home.
- Have a site visit. A certified HERS Rater will review your plans, estimate possible energy savings, and may recommend additional energy efficiency upgrades. This visit takes 1–2 hours.
- Receive a preliminary report. Customers typically receive an estimate of the savings and incentive amount after the preliminary site visit.
- Schedule insulation inspection. If you are installing insulation, contact your certified HERS Rater to schedule your inspection or to receive instructions on completing a remote inspection. Please ensure you schedule this inspection to happen once the insulation work is complete but before wallboard has gone up.
- Schedule a final inspection. As you near completion, set up a final visit with your certified HERS Rater. They will perform final diagnostic testing as needed.
- Receive your incentive. After the final inspection is processed, you ll receive an incentive completion notification and a post-participation survey via email. Within 10–12 weeks of your final inspection, you ll receive an incentive check in the mail.
Major Renovations Offers and Tips
ENERGY STAR® certified appliances
DTE offers rebates for qualifying ENERGY STAR certified appliances, including:
- Air purifiers (HEPA filter), which remove airborne particles such as dust, dander, and pollen from your living space.
- Air purifiers (carbon or charcoal filter), which capture volatile organic compounds off-gassing in your home from paint, carpeting, furniture, and construction.
- Dehumidifiers, which remove water from the air, reducing humidity that can damage your home. Maintain relative humidity indoors at 40–70%. Visit dteenergy.com/appliances for details.
HVAC system air filters
Air filters are designed to catch particles, which reduce the amount of air delivered through ducts. A clean filter makes it easier for your system to move air throughout your home, using less energy.
Check your air filter upon move-in and monthly, and change it as needed (at least once every three months) to keep your HVAC system operating at peak efficiency.
Home Exterior
Check for tree branches each fall and spring to see if there is interference with power lines. If you see that branches are interfering with power lines, please notify us by calling (800) 477-4747. For your safety, do not attempt to cut the branches yourself.
New Home Construction
Choose a home with a high standard of energy efficiency. Homeowners can save money, year after year.
Ensure quality, comfort and energy savings in your new home.
New Home Construction
Join DTE’s New Homes Program and build to a higher standard – DTE new homes use less energy than homes built to minimum standards, which saves homeowners energy costs each year, over the lifetime of their home. Energy-saving features are designed to increase comfort, reduce energy and maintenance costs, and maintain the home’s value over time.
The DTE New Homes Program offers financial incentives, marketing, and technical assistance to builders to encourage the construction of high-efficiency homes and ENERGY STAR® certified homes.
Each home must be inspected and tested using the Home Energy Rating System® (HERS®), a nationally recognized method for calculating a home's energy performance.
Major Renovations Program
Join DTE’s Major Renovations Program and build to a higher standard – DTE-upgraded homes use less energy than homes without upgrades, which helps homeowners save on energy costs each year. Energy-saving features are designed to increase comfort, reduce energy and maintenance costs, and maintain the home’s value over time.
The DTE Major Renovations Program offers financial incentives, marketing assistance, and technical assistance to builders or homeowners to encourage the upgrades of high-efficiency homes and ENERGY STAR® certified homes.
Each home must be inspected and tested using the Home Energy Rating System® (HERS®), a nationally recognized method for calculating a home s energy performance.
Builders resources:
ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes.
ENERGY STAR certified homes are built to stand well above others and comply with ENERGY STAR’s stringent requirements. Learn more about the benefits of ENERGY STAR certified homes.
Become a Participating Builder.
If you’re interested in becoming a participating builder:
Email us and provide your contact information. We will review and verify your information, our account management team will notify you with additional enrollment information.
Attend a mandatory training session, over the phone. After the session you will be provided with a link to the online Participating Builder Agreement form to fill out.
For more information visit michiganrebates.com/program-resources/new-home-construction.