Heat Pump Rebates, State by State
Heat pump rebates in October 2026 come from state programs and utilities, not Washington: Efficiency Maine, NHSaves, Efficiency Vermont and New York's utilities each pay differently, and the federal credits ended with 2025.
Written by the Fill Pipe desk from state, federal and maker documents · how the pages are made · Updated
Who’s behind the links: Fill Pipe is run by the people who own Plumbing Supply and More, SoftPro Water Systems and Quality Water Treatment, and it has a working tie to Central Plumbing & HVAC. No business pays to appear here. Figures and safety steps on this page come from state energy offices and environmental agencies, federal agencies (EIA, IRS, CPSC, CDC), the propane and heating-oil industries' own safety programs, and equipment makers' manuals, read in October 2026. Fill Pipe sells no fuel and services no equipment. Owners and outbound links
First tap of the season
- Per the IRS, 25C is not allowed for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and 25D is not allowed for expenditures made after that date.
- Efficiency Maine pays $3,000, $2,000 or $1,000 per rebate-eligible outdoor unit by income tier, with lifetime caps of $9,000, $6,000 and $3,000, plus a $500 bonus on whole-home upgrades through Dec. 31, 2026.
- NHSaves pays $250 per ton, up to 5 tons, to customers switching from oil, natural gas or propane, for installs between Jan. 1 and Dec. 30, 2026.
- Efficiency Vermont discounts ductless systems $375 to $475 and ducted systems $1,200 to $2,200 through distributors, and pays up to $600 for integrated controls.
- NYSEG and RG&E say air-source heat pump customers can earn up to $10,000 in NYS Clean Heat rebates.
- New Hampshire's HEAR program is expected to launch in fall 2026 and Vermont's has been on hold since May 2025; neither pays for work done before launch.
Stop and call if
- While equipment is being swapped you smell propane or gas: get everyone out, flip no switches and light nothing, and call 911 and then your propane supplier from a safe distance.
- A CO alarm sounds, or someone has headache, dizziness, nausea or confusion: everyone outside, call 911, and wait for responders before going back in.
- An oil burner puffs smoke or soot after work on the system: turn nothing on, leave if smoke fills the space and call 911; otherwise call your oil company's service line.
- If you're unsure, stop and call your supplier or a licensed technician.
Which heat pump rebates exist in October 2026?
State efficiency programs and utilities are the main source now, and every amount below is subject to change. Each program sets its own rules on income, equipment, contractors and whether you may keep oil or propane heat, so the program page decides, not this summary.
| State | Program | Heat pump amount | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | Efficiency Maine whole-home | $1,000 to $3,000 per outdoor unit, plus $500 bonus | Registered vendor; old system emergency backup only |
| New Hampshire | NHSaves | $250 per ton, up to 5 tons | Installed Jan. 1 to Dec. 30, 2026 |
| Vermont | Efficiency Vermont | $375 to $475 ductless; $1,200 to $2,200 ducted | Discount through participating distributors |
| New York | NYSEG and RG&E (NYS Clean Heat) | Up to $10,000 air-source | Replace existing furnace, boiler or water heater |
What happened to the federal tax credits?
They ended for 2026 work. The IRS FAQ on the July 4, 2025 law (Public Law 119-21) says the 25C home improvement credit isn't allowed for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and the 25D clean energy credit isn't allowed for expenditures made after that date.
Paying early doesn't rescue a claim. The IRS explains that a 25D expenditure counts as made when installation is completed, so a deposit paid in 2025 on a system finished in 2026 doesn't qualify. Some federal and state pages still describe the credits as available; the IRS FAQ is the controlling word. New York separately offers a state tax credit of 25% of cost, up to $5,000, for ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps only.
What does Efficiency Maine offer?
Rebates tiered by income and paid per outdoor unit, tied to rules about the old system. Efficiency Maine's whole-home rebates pay $3,000 per eligible outdoor unit for low-income households (MaineCare, HEAP, SNAP or TANF), $2,000 for moderate income (adjusted gross income up to $70,000 single or $100,000 joint) and $1,000 for any income.
A $500 limited-time bonus applies per housing unit for whole-home upgrades completed, and claims emailed or postmarked, from March 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. In return, the furnace or boiler may stay only for emergency backup, dual-fuel systems are not rebate-eligible, and the housing unit must not have had a natural gas account before the upgrade.
Efficiency Maine's Mobile Home Initiative is separate: homes heated by propane, oil or kerosene may qualify for a $13,900 rebate on a ducted heat pump, with a limited-time offer of a system for $1,000 on claims sent by Dec. 31, 2026, if the old heating system is removed. Maine's HEAR money covers only new affordable multifamily housing and single-family mobile homes.
What do New Hampshire and Vermont offer?
New Hampshire pays per ton; Vermont discounts at the distributor. NHSaves rebates are $250 per ton for customers of Eversource, Liberty and Unitil who switch from oil, natural gas or propane, with tonnage figured as AHRI cooling capacity divided by 12,000, capped at 5 tons per account. Forms must be postmarked by Jan. 30, 2027. The higher per-ton rate on that page applies only to homes heated mainly by electric resistance.
New Hampshire's HEAR program is not yet open; the Department of Energy says it is expected to launch in fall 2026 and will pay only for projects started after it opens.
Efficiency Vermont takes $375 off ductless systems of 2 tons or less and $475 off larger ones, and $1,200 to $2,200 off ducted systems by size. Income-eligible households can add a $200 to $2,200 bonus depending on their utility. Vermont's HEAR rebates remain on hold, and the Public Service Department advises not planning on them.
What about upstate New York?
Utility rebates under NYS Clean Heat do most of the work. NYSEG and RG&E say air-source customers can earn up to $10,000 and ground-source customers up to $18,000; from Jan. 1, 2026, residential rebates cover homes of one to four units, for electric or combination customers replacing a furnace, boiler or water heater.
A participating contractor installs the equipment and files the rebate on your behalf. Fill Pipe did not capture National Grid, Central Hudson or National Fuel amounts, so check your own utility and the NYS Clean Heat rebate finder. For income-eligible households, HEAR money runs through NYSERDA's EmPower+; its page lists no HEAR heat pump amount.
How do you choose a contractor?
Start with the program's list, because most rebates require one. Efficiency Maine pays only for installs by its Residential Registered Vendors, NYS Clean Heat runs through participating contractors, and Efficiency Vermont's discounts come through participating distributors. Get the cold-climate ratings and load calculation in writing, as the cold-climate heat pump page explains.
Licensing differs too. In Maine, oil and propane installation and service work needs a license from the state Fuel Board (owner-occupied single-family homes have a narrow exception, still bound by the Board's rules), and Vermont requires state certification for propane work; for New York, use a qualified, insured service company, since some cities and counties license this work.
For an idea of what to look for, Central Plumbing & HVAC's heating page (Central Plumbing & HVAC, a company with a working tie to Fill Pipe) is one example of how a heating company's service page lays out what it does; it serves Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, outside this region. Look for the same plain description on any northern company you call.
Rebate figures, October 28, 2026
- $3,000Efficiency Maine low-income rebate per eligible outdoor unitEfficiency Maine
- $500Efficiency Maine bonus per housing unit on whole-home upgrades through Dec. 31, 2026Efficiency Maine
- $250NHSaves rebate per ton for oil, natural gas or propane switchersNHSaves
- $600Most Efficiency Vermont pays for integrated controlsEfficiency Vermont
- $10,000Most NYSEG and RG&E air-source customers can earnNYSEG
Scaler's notes: how this page was put together
Amounts come from the program pages themselves, read on October 28, 2026: Efficiency Maine's residential, ducted, whole-home bonus and mobile home pages; NHSaves' 2026 electric heating and cooling page; Efficiency Vermont's ductless, ducted and integrated controls pages; NYSEG's NYS Clean Heat page; NYSERDA's EmPower+ page; the NH Department of Energy and Vermont Public Service Department HEAR pages; the Maine DOER home energy rebates page; and the IRS FAQ FS-2025-05. Left out: stale pages that still advertise federal credits, any HEAR heat pump figure presented as available, and payback promises.
Questions from the woodshed
Is there still a federal tax credit for a heat pump installed in 2026?
No. The IRS says 25C is not allowed for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and 25D counts an expenditure as made when installation is completed. A 2025 install can still go on a 2025 return.
Can I combine Efficiency Maine rebates with the $500 bonus?
Efficiency Maine describes the bonus as additional, per housing unit, for eligible whole-home upgrades completed and claimed from March 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. Check the page before you sign, since the program says incentives may change or end.
How is the NHSaves rebate calculated?
By tons of cooling capacity: AHRI cooling capacity divided by 12,000. NHSaves' own example is 40,000 Btu, or 3.33 tons, times the per-ton rate; at $250 per ton that is about $833, and the cap is 5 tons per account.
Are HEAR rebates available in Vermont?
Not now. The Public Service Department says Vermont's HEAR funding remains in question, advises not planning on it, and says rebates are not available before launch or retroactively.
Do New York heat pump rebates require removing my oil boiler?
NYSEG and RG&E describe incentives for customers who replace an existing furnace, boiler or water heater with eligible heat pump equipment. Ask the participating contractor how your project fits, since the contractor files the application.
Is there a rebate for a mobile home heated with propane in Maine?
Yes, Efficiency Maine's Mobile Home Initiative lists a $13,900 rebate for a ducted heat pump system for homes heated with propane, oil or kerosene, with the existing heating system removed. Its limited-time $1,000 system offer covers claims sent by Dec. 31, 2026.
What does Efficiency Vermont pay toward controls that keep my boiler?
Up to $600 for integrated controls installed with a new ductless heat pump in a single-family home whose central system burns oil, propane or natural gas, with a $150 customer contribution. See the backup heat page for how those controls work.
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