Home Energy Efficiency Improvements Tax Rebates

Apr 02, 2024

Energy improvements

Home energy efficiency improvements and tax rebates are a paperwork topic that keeps changing. Chicagoland homeowners search this page because they want to know if new windows still come with a federal credit, a utility rebate, or both. McCann Window & Exteriors, Inc. will point you at current rules. We will not invent a rebate, a deadline, or a limited-time window on a credit Congress already wrote.

We supply invoices, product labels, and a quote that names the series. Your tax person files the return. Utility programs have their own forms. That split of labor is how you stay out of trouble.

Federal credits are not a sales close

Section 25C and related rules have existed in some years, with efficiency thresholds that move. Products placed in service after a given date may or may not qualify. We will not tattoo a year-old threshold on this page and hope. If a unit in the quote is even in the conversation, we will say so and hand you the NFRC information. If it is not, we will not pretend.

Do not buy a window because of a speech about a credit. Buy it because the opening is due. If a credit applies, it is a bonus on a product you already needed.

Utility programs come and go

ComEd, Nicor, and other programs change. Some years there is a path for qualifying weatherization. Some years the window line item is gone. We will not print a rebate amount here as if it were permanent. Ask at the measure. We will tell you what we know that week, and we will not pad a bid with a rebate we cannot document.

What belongs on your paperwork

Manufacturer, series, and glass package
NFRC U-factor and SHGC for the configuration you bought
Invoice dated when the product was installed, not when you first called
Your contractor’s legal name: McCann Window & Exteriors, Inc.

If a salesperson says “we handle the tax credit for you” and then asks you to sign tonight, that is a red flag. See our financing notes if the pitch is a payment instead of a product.

Efficiency still has to be real

A credit on a poorly installed unit is a credit on a leak. Flashing, a square frame, and a sash that locks are the job. As a Pella Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, an Andersen Premier Certified Contractor with Marvin also available, we can show you real examples of each on the consultation, side by side, so the comparison is honest instead of one-sided.

35 years in this climate. About 50% repeat and referral. Crews 10 to 15 years. We don’t play pricing games. Straightforward pricing. We show up. We clean up. We deliver what we promise.

Keep the folder boring

One folder: quote, invoice, NFRC stickers or spec sheets, and the contractor name as it appears on the check. Boring folders survive an IRS question. Glamorous “we will take care of it” folders do not. We will help you assemble the boring folder. We will not file it for you.

Ready to improve your home’s comfort and efficiency? Call McCann Window & Exteriors at (847) 562-1212 or visit McCannWindow.com to schedule your free consultation today.

A 2026 sequence that does not wait on a portal

Photograph failures. Measure with a contractor who will flash. Order glass that belongs in this climate. Install. Then, if a utility form still exists and you qualify, file it with real invoices. That sequence keeps you from living another winter behind plastic while a website says “coming soon.” Incentives are optional. Dry openings are not.

If you already signed something that advertised a 2026 federal window credit, take that contract to someone who can read it. We will not shout about another company’s paper. We will spec your openings without that credit in the math. Call 847-562-1212 when you want the math to match the year you are actually in.

Sequence for 2026

Photograph failures. Measure with someone who will flash. Install glass that belongs here. Then, if a utility form still exists and you qualify, file real invoices. Do not live behind plastic waiting on a portal. We are not your CPA. We can put model numbers on paper. Nicor has advertised 2026 high-performance window rebates with rules the utility controls. ComEd is often other measures. Confirm on the utility sites. No 25C on 2026 installs. McCann: 847-562-1212.

Keep NFRC stickers until you know you do not need them. If a program requires a listed contractor, look at the list. HEAR and HOMES-style programs have been discussed for Illinois with income rules and launch dates that are not ours to announce. Until a program is open, it is not a line item on your window contract. Repair failed glass now. 847-562-1212.

If you were quoted in 2024 assuming credits through 2032, tear that assumption out before you sign in 2026. Law changed. Physics did not. Buy the opening. Treat the portal as optional. 847-562-1212.

Comfort does not wait on a portal. Failed IGUs are building repairs. Repair them, then file whatever paper still exists. 847-562-1212.

SEE WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE TO SAY

I am very happy with the new windows McCann installed for us. They were able to install them quickly and did a very thorough job. Mark and Angel did a great job! I would highly recommend McCann to anyone looking to replace their windows. Thank you McCann!

Miki

I can only say good things about the people I dealt with with McCann, from Kevin, and Jim, and all the installers. They did a great job, their customer service was excellent, they were very clean, and I am as happy as can be. They were professional, and a pleasure to do business with.

Ande F

Just nice people all around. They know their stuff, have several quality options to choose from (less to more expensive), & didn’t pressure sell. Easy install, quality workmanship. Super satisfied with our experience.

Patricia S