During consideration of the H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act on August 7, 2022, Fischer voted for an amendment by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) that would have eliminated $460 million from the Home Owner Managing Energy Savings (HOMES) rebate program administered by state governments and instead direct the funding to local governments as general supplemental payments. The HOMES program helps residents make their homes more energy efficient and less costly to run and maintain comfortable indoor temperatures by providing increasing amounts of rebates for increasing percentages of energy saved: for a 35% reduction in energy use, a homeowner could get up to $4,000 in rebates, or up to $8,000 for low- and moderate-income homeowners. Redirecting funding from emissions reductions to general purpose would significantly reduce the benefits the bill would have for U.S. households and their energy bills, and our environment. Thankfully, the Senate rejected the Lee amendment by a vote of 49–51 (Senate roll call vote 305).
As of August 8, 2024 the Home Energy Rebate programs have hit a major milestone as the U.S. Department of Energy has now awarded more than $1 billion to states to expand the availability of rebates for eligible homeowners and renters seeking to make energy-efficient upgrades. According to DOE, Nebraska is preparing applications to receive a state allocation for consumer rebates and program administration of $91,268,349 and the funding amount already awarded is $2,284,020*
*States and territories can apply for early administrative funding of up to 2.5% of their allocations, capped at $5 million, to begin developing their programs.