Whole Home → Equipment-Only Exclusion

Whole Home → Equipment-Only Exclusion

The rule

If a homeowner does NJ Whole Home Energy Solutions and HVAC is included as a measure in the Whole Home scope of work (the typical case), they are disqualified from utility equipment-only HVAC rebates covering the same equipment. The rebates target the same measure — homeowners get one or the other, not both.

Specifically:

• Whole Home + PSE&G $900 HP rebate → NOT stackable for the HVAC portion.
• Whole Home + JCP&L $750 HP rebate → NOT stackable for the HVAC portion.
• Whole Home + ACE heat pump rebate → NOT stackable for the HVAC portion.

Why this is conservative

This rule is a conservative default: PSE&G has the most explicit documentation that equipment-only rebates do not stack with Whole Home when the equipment is in scope. JCP&L and ACE rules are less explicitly documented — they may or may not enforce the same exclusion. To avoid overpromising, this knowledge library applies the exclusion across all four NJ utilities.

When per-utility verification is complete (Yuna's research with utility contacts), this rule's certainty field can be updated and the per-utility behavior can be split out.

How the agent should apply it

1. If user's situation indicates Whole Home is the recommended track and HVAC is part of the project scope (heat pump or central AC), exclude all utility equipment-only HP/AC rebates from the Whole Home track's programs array.
2. The Equipment-Only track may still appear as a comparison option in tracks[] (so the user sees the trade-off), but the comparisonNote should make clear they're alternatives, not stackable.
3. Never write copy implying both apply: no "$7,500 + $900 = $8,400" or equivalent.
4. If the user's project is envelope-only (insulation + air sealing, no HVAC measure), this exclusion does NOT apply — equipment-only HVAC rebates remain available for a separately procured install. Agent should note this in comparisonNote if relevant.

Caveat copy

No public-facing caveat needed for this rule — agent simply doesn't include incompatible programs in the same track. If user asks about it directly, agent says: "Utility equipment-only rebates and the Whole Home program target the same equipment, so they don't combine. Whole Home is significantly more valuable ($7,500 vs $900) — verified during your free consultation."