Two hundred homes.
Join the pilot program.
HousingNOLA, along with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana and ReCLAIM Energy, invite you to be part of the pilot program for the HOMEstrong: Lower Bills, Stronger Homes Initiative — a new program designed to help Louisiana families lower their household energy burden through residential HVAC-efficiency improvements.
During Phase One, 200 eligible homeowners will receive ReCLAIM Energy’s Solar Saver technology, professional installation and commissioning, and a standard HVAC tune-up at no cost to eligible homeowners.
Solar Saver works with compatible central HVAC systems and is designed to improve operating efficiency, reduce avoidable energy use, and make better use of the conditioned air the system already produces. This is the first step toward climate-ready homes across our region.
Start here · takes two minutes
Free for eligible homeowners
Signing up commits you to nothing. If you are selected we will call you, walk you through all of it, and you can still say no.
- 200
- eligible homes in Phase One
- $0
- cost to participate for eligible homeowners
- 3–6
- months of measurement on real bills
- Free
- standard HVAC tune-up included
Why this program exists
Cooling a Louisiana house costs too much.
High household energy costs place a growing financial burden on Louisiana families, especially during times of extreme heat and heavy air conditioning use. HOMEstrong starts where that burden is heaviest — the equipment already running in the house — and measures what actually changes on the bill.
Source — United Way ALICE Report
How it works
Five steps. A few months.
No contract, no salesperson at your door, and nothing to buy.
You sign up
Two minutes. Your ZIP, confirmation that you own and live in the home, and permission for us to look at your electricity usage.
We select by neighborhood
More people will sign up than we have units in Phase One, so selection is random — but organized by neighborhood, in clusters, so we can see how the technology performs across different areas and housing types rather than scattering it thin.
Your HVAC gets a tune-up — free
Before anything is installed, a professional technician cleans and tunes your heating and cooling system at no charge. That is worth having on its own, and it means we are measuring the technology rather than a dirty filter.
New Orleans housing stock is old. If your system needs a repair before it can be tuned up and enrolled, we will tell you exactly what it needs and what it would cost — that repair is the one thing the program cannot cover.
Professional installation and commissioning
A qualified installer fits the Solar Saver technology to your central HVAC system and commissions it. Short appointment, nothing torn out or replaced. You get the manufacturer’s safety documentation and warranty confirmation in writing beforehand.
We measure, then we publish
Over the next three to six months we compare your usage against your own prior years, adjusted for how hot the season actually was. You get a plain-English report on your own home, and the program publishes what it learns.
Who can join
Anyone can sign up.
Phase One places the first units in specific neighborhoods, but the list is open to homeowners across Southeast Louisiana. If we do not reach you in this round, you are first in line for the next one.
Eligible homes: you own and live in the home, it has a compatible central heating and cooling system, and you are willing to share your electricity usage for the measurement period and the prior years we compare against.
Check your area
This tells you whether your ZIP is in the round we are placing first. It does not decide whether you can sign up — everyone can.
First round — Metairie, Kenner, New Orleans, Covington, Slidell and Mandeville.
Straight answers
Questions people are asking.
Is this solar panels?
No. Nothing goes on your roof and there are no panels of any kind. Solar Saver works with the central heating and cooling system already in your house. The product name has confused a lot of people on this point.
What does it cost me?
For eligible homeowners: nothing. Not the technology, not the standard HVAC tune-up, not the installation, not the monitoring. No contract, no lease, no financing.
The one exception is a system that needs a repair before it can be tuned up and enrolled. That repair is not covered by the program. If that is your house, we tell you exactly what it needs and what it would cost before anything else happens, and the decision is yours.
If anyone contacts you asking for a payment or a deposit in connection with this program, it is not us — please tell us immediately.
How much will I save?
That is what Phase One is measuring. Solar Saver is designed to improve how efficiently your system runs and to make better use of the conditioned air it already produces. What that is worth on a real Louisiana power bill, in old housing stock, in this heat, is the number we are putting a measurement to over three to six months.
We would rather publish a real answer than repeat one we have not measured ourselves.
Wait — you’re servicing my AC for free?
Yes. A professional HVAC technician cleans and tunes your system before installation. Partly that is so we are measuring the technology and not a clogged filter, but it is a real benefit either way, and plenty of participants will feel that before they feel anything else.
Where exactly does the technology go?
A qualified installer fits it to your existing central HVAC system and commissions it on site. Nothing is torn out or replaced, and nothing goes on your roof.
You get the manufacturer’s safety documentation and warranty confirmation in writing before any installation is scheduled. No documents, no installs.
What data are you collecting, and who sees it?
Your electricity usage during the program and for the prior years we compare against, plus basic details about your home — square footage, age, construction type, and what kind of system you have. Results are reported in aggregate, and your name and address are never published without your written permission.
Your information is not sold. It is not shared with the manufacturer at the individual level. The manufacturer does not get to see who you are.
Can I quit?
Any time, for any reason, without explaining yourself. You keep the technology and the tune-up. We stop looking at your usage the day you tell us to.
What if my area isn’t in the first round?
Sign up anyway. Phase One places the first units in neighborhood clusters so we can compare across areas and housing types, but the list is open to homeowners across Southeast Louisiana. When we expand — and we intend to — the people already on the list come first.
Who is behind this?
HOMEstrong is a program of HousingNOLA, part of its Housing for All work on housing and energy cost burden, in partnership with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana. The Solar Saver technology is made by ReCLAIM Energy, which is providing the units for Phase One.
Why should I trust a text message?
You shouldn’t, by default — that is a reasonable instinct. Every legitimate message about this program points to this website and nowhere else. We will never ask for your Social Security number, your bank details, or a payment. If anything feels off, call HousingNOLA directly at (504) 224-8300 and ask.
Sign up
Two minutes. Two hundred spots.
Signing up commits you to nothing. If you are selected we will call you, walk you through all of it, and you can still say no.
Sign me upWho’s involved
HousingNOLA
Program lead. HOMEstrong is a program of HousingNOLA, under its Housing for All strategy.
United Way of Southeast Louisiana
Community partner.
ReCLAIM Energy
Provider of the Solar Saver technology and the units placed in Phase One.