Federal rebates for gas-to-electric heating conversions have ended — but electric-to-heat-pump upgrades still qualify. What changed
One of the best-executed rebate programs in the country — and the electrification half just paused. Read the dates carefully.
Prices pulled August 16, 2026
14.73¢
per kWh, residential electricity
15% below the national average of 17.3¢. 32nd most expensive of 51.
Up 18% since 2021 (4.2% a year), against 27% nationally.
$1.97
per therm, residential natural gas
$20.42 per thousand cubic feet, 2025 annual. National average $1.48/therm.
Up 28% since 2021 (6.4% a year).
Heat pump vs. gas furnace — Heat pump favored
Georgia's electricity-to-gas price ratio works out at 2.2-to-1. At these prices a heat pump should cost less to run than a gas furnace across the heating season, before counting the air conditioning it also replaces.
Below roughly 3.5-to-1 a heat pump usually wins on running cost; above roughly 5-to-1 a furnace may be cheaper through winter. How that comparison works · run it with these rates
State averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (electricity, gas), pulled 2026-08-16. Real bills vary substantially by utility within a state, and by rate plan within a utility — check a recent bill for your own numbers before relying on any of this. The heat pump verdict above follows from these averages, so it moves if your rates differ.
Georgia is not a state most people expect to lead on this, and it does. Its Home Energy Rebates fully launched in spring 2025 and GEFA reported in August 2026 that the program had passed fifty million dollars issued, across more than 3,500 households. Whatever you assumed about which states actually get this money out of the door, Georgia belongs near the top of the list.
But the electrification track is paused, and very recently. As of 1pm on 14 August 2026, Georgia stopped accepting single-family and multifamily applications for the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program. Applications already submitted will still be reviewed and may be paid subject to funding. If you were mid-project, this is the notice to read today, not next month.
Separately and slightly earlier, fuel switching projects stopped being accepted on 10 August 2026 — that is, using the electrification rebate to move from gas to electric. Georgia attributes this to updated federal guidance, DOE Program Notice 26-2, which states have to implement by the end of August. It is a national change working its way through state programs at different speeds.
The whole-home efficiency track is still open. If your project is insulation, air sealing, duct work and envelope improvements assessed for whole-home savings, that path continues to accept applications while the appliance track does not. For a lot of Georgia homes that is the better project anyway.
One mechanic worth knowing while it lasts: Georgia ran a do-it-yourself pathway on the appliance side, letting a household buy one qualifying ENERGY STAR appliance itself — a heat pump dryer, a combination washer dryer, or an electric stove, cooktop, range or oven — rather than going through an approved contractor. Almost no other state offered that. It is subject to the same pause.
Check with the administrator before you sign anything. Program budgets run out, terms change without notice, and most require approval before work starts — a rebate you apply for afterwards is usually a rebate you don't get. Treat this page as a starting point for your own call, not as confirmation that you qualify. We last checked these programs on August 16, 2026.
Whole-home efficiency retrofits assessed by a program-approved contractor. Still accepting applications. Eligibility and progress are tracked through the program's online portal.
Program detailsPaused to new single-family and multifamily applications from 1pm on 14 August 2026. Fuel-switching projects stopped being accepted on 10 August. Already-submitted applications are still under review.
Program detailsEnded. No credit for expenditures made after 31 December 2025.
Ended. No credit for property placed in service after 31 December 2025.
Full detail, sources and changelog on the national incentive tracker.
Your own utility is worth checking separately — utility rebates are often the largest remaining incentive and rarely appear in any central listing.
Everything here is general information gathered from public sources. It is not tax, financial or engineering advice, and it cannot account for your utility, your income, your equipment or your return. Energy prices are state averages that move; program terms and budgets change without notice. Confirm anything you plan to budget around directly with the program administrator, your utility and a licensed professional before you commit money.
If you find something on this page that is out of date, tell us at minchangyi@me.com and we will correct it.
These open with Georgia's average rates already filled in. Correct them from a recent bill before you rely on the result — state averages hide a lot of variation between utilities.
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