Rebate Eligibility Checker
Most coverage of home energy incentives is a year out of date, and the question worth answering is no longer “does my state have money” but “does my project qualify”. Three questions is usually enough to find out — and the third, what the new equipment replaces, is the one that decides most heat pump cases in 2026.
Answer the questions above and we'll show what applies to your project — including the fuel-switching rule that decides most heat pump cases in 2026.
How This Estimate Works
- Federal tax credits. Sections 25C and 25D both closed for work completed or placed in service after 31 December 2025. The date that counts is when installation finished, not when you paid — so a system paid for in 2025 and installed this year does not qualify. That answer does not vary by state or project, only by which of the two credits applied.
- Home Energy Rebates. These are federally funded but run state by state, so the first test is whether your state is taking applications at all. We read that status off each administrator's own page and date it. Where we could not confirm a state's position, this tool says so rather than guessing.
- The fuel-switching rule. DOE Program Notice 26-2, issued 29 May 2026, requires states to stop funding gas-to-electric conversions under the electrification rebates. What remains eligible is upgrading from existing electric equipment to better electric equipment. So replacing electric resistance heat with a heat pump is still in; replacing a gas furnace is not — with narrow exceptions for new construction and for heat pumps that keep a fossil system as backup. This is the part most reporting got wrong, usually by summarising it as “heat pump rebates are gone”.
- State and utility programs run independently of all of the above and are unaffected by the federal changes. For many households they are now the largest incentive left.
This tool deliberately never states an amount. Programme values change without notice, vary by income and by measure, and a figure quoted here would be wrong somewhere within weeks. What it gives you instead is the mechanic — whether there is anything to apply for, and what decides it.
It is also not a decision from your state. Every programme has its own income limits, its own approval-before-installation rules, and finite funds that are often first-come, first-served. Confirm with the administrator before you commit to anything, and treat a quote that assumes a rebate as a quote with an invented number in it.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Guides that explain these numbers
- The Gas-to-Heat-Pump Rebate Is Gone. The Electric-to-Heat-Pump One Isn't.DOE Program Notice 26-2 removed fuel switching from the HEAR rebates. Here's exactly what changed, who is still eligible, and what to do if your project is already underway.HVAC · 6 min read
- Two States Now Warn That Rebate Offers Are Probably Scams. Here's Why.Minnesota and North Dakota both tell residents that unsolicited contact about home energy rebates is likely fraudulent. The reason is simple: the programs aren't open. Here's how to tell a real offer from a fake one.HVAC · 6 min read
- What Rebates Are Actually Available for Heat Pumps in 2026?Heat pump incentives come in three layers — federal, state, and utility. Here's how they work and how to find what you qualify for.HVAC · 5 min read
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