Home energy incentives in 2026, state by state

Federal tax credits: what ended and when

Public Law 119-21 of July 4, 2025 changed the end dates of several federal energy credits. The IRS describes them this way:

• 25C, Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (insulation and air sealing, exterior doors and windows, heat pumps, water heaters, home energy audits): no credit for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
• 25D, Residential Clean Energy Credit (solar, wind, geothermal, fuel cells, battery storage): no credit for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The IRS treats an expenditure as made when the original installation is completed, so paying in 2025 for a system installed in 2026 does not qualify. A separate rule applies to construction and reconstruction.
• 30C, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (including EV charging equipment at home, in an eligible census tract): no credit for property placed in service after June 30, 2026.
• 30D and 25E, new and used clean vehicle credits: no credit for a vehicle acquired after September 30, 2025. The IRS counts a vehicle as acquired when a written binding contract is signed and a payment is made; the credit is claimed once the vehicle is placed in service.
• 45L, new energy-efficient homes: no credit for homes acquired after June 30, 2026. Eligible contractors who build or substantially reconstruct the home claim it, not the buyer.

As of November 2026, none of these credits is available for new purchases or new installations.

If your project was finished in 2025

Qualifying work completed in 2025 belongs on the 2025 federal return, filed in 2026. Form 5695 covers 25C and 25D, and its 2025 instructions explain how to carry an unused part of the 25D credit to 2026. For 25C, the IRS says each item placed in service in 2025 needs a Qualified Manufacturer Identification Number (QMID) reported on the return.

Charging equipment is figured on Form 8911 for the tax year it was placed in service, and vehicle credits on Form 8936. Each credit has its own limits and conditions. Confirm your situation with the IRS or a tax professional.

The two federal rebate programs

Home Energy Rebates are federal funds distributed through state and territory energy offices, which design and run their own programs. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says the rebates "are now available in select states" but does not list them; it tells households to contact their state or territory energy office. The table below links to each one.

• HOMES (Home Owner Managing Energy Savings) pays for whole-home upgrades based on modeled energy savings of at least 20%, for households at all income levels.
• HEEHR (High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebates) pays at the point of sale, through a retailer or a contractor, for efficient electric appliances and for insulation, air sealing, ventilation, wiring and electrical panel upgrades. It was called HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates) until May 2026, and many state pages still use that name. State pages describe it as income-qualified; Indiana's, for example, serves low- and moderate-income households earning less than 150% of area median income.

States also use their own names, such as HER for HOMES, HEEHRA in California or Energy Saver in Indiana and North Carolina.

What changed in May 2026

DOE Program Notices 26-1 (HOMES) and 26-2 (HEEHR), effective May 29, 2026, apply to state programs whether they had launched or not. The changes that matter most to households:

• HEEHR no longer pays to replace gas, oil or propane equipment with electric equipment. It pays to upgrade existing electric equipment to more efficient electric equipment, and for electric equipment in new construction. A home may keep its fossil-fuel heating system when a heat pump is added.
• Homes must use rebates for insulation and air sealing before heating and cooling upgrades, unless they already meet a level set by the state and approved by DOE.
• Programs that had launched had three months to adapt. North Carolina and Rhode Island, for example, applied the HEEHR changes from September 1, 2026.

If your heating, water heating or cooking runs on gas, oil or propane, do not count on a HEEHR rebate for switching to electric. State pages written before May 2026 may not reflect these changes.

Status by state and territory, checked November 9, 2026

Each row links to its official source, and each label reflects what that page said on November 9, 2026:

• Open: the page says eligible households can apply now.
• Limited: applications are open only for certain housing types, measures, areas or income-qualified programs.
• Not yet open: the page says the program has not launched, is not available or is waiting for DOE approval.
• On hold, paused or closed: new applications are on hold, paused, fully reserved or closed.
• No status posted: we found no official page stating a current status or a way to apply. This does not mean the state or territory has no program.

Across the 56 jurisdictions, HOMES was open in 5, limited in 4, not yet open in 36 and on hold in 1, with no status posted in 10. HEEHR was open in 6, limited in 5, not yet open in 33 and on hold, paused or closed in 4, with no status posted in 8. Open never guarantees funding: income limits, contractor rules and remaining funds still apply.

Notes on specific states and territories

• Arizona: Efficiency Arizona takes applications from homeowners who live in the home; renters and multifamily owners may be added in later phases. We found no HOMES application route.
• California: HOMES is available only through the Equitable Building Decarbonization Direct Install Program, which offers no-cost retrofits to qualified low-income households in under-resourced communities. HEEHR Phase I has been fully reserved since August 31, 2026, and Phase II is not yet available. One line on the same state page still says multifamily HEEHR rebates are available statewide, which conflicts with the dated notice. Ask the administrator before relying on it.
• Colorado: single-family HEEHR closed after August 1, 2026. HEEHR for small multifamily buildings and HOMES for mobile homes and large multifamily buildings are listed as coming soon.
• District of Columbia: federal rebate funds are used inside two income-qualified programs, the Affordable Home Electrification Program and the Affordable Housing Retrofit Accelerator; you apply with the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU). The page does not say which federal program funds which.
• Florida: the state's Energy Saver portal says applications "are expected to open in the future." Our Florida rebates update covers the state's program in more detail.
• Georgia: single-family HEEHR reopened with limited measures; wiring or panel upgrades must accompany an eligible HOMES project. Multifamily and do-it-yourself projects did not reopen.
• Maine: HEEHR offers heat pump rebates for new affordable multifamily housing and single-family manufactured homes occupied by income-eligible households. HOMES has not launched.
• Massachusetts: in a question-and-answer document from May 2026, the state energy office said it was waiting for DOE's final approval. Once approved, HEEHR funds are to run through the Mass Save programs for low- and moderate-income households.
• Michigan: new income-qualified applications are temporarily unavailable in the Detroit, Warren, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo districts.
• New Hampshire: the HEEHR page, updated July 29, 2026, expected a fall 2026 launch; on November 9 it still said funding was not yet available to consumers.
• New Mexico: the HEEHR portal is "temporarily pausing new rebates" during a system change and offers a waitlist. Rebates already in progress are still processed. HOMES has no launch date.
• New York: HEEHR incentives reach income-eligible households through EmPower+. We found no current HOMES page.
• Rhode Island: HOMES serves income-eligible multifamily buildings with five or more units. HEEHR applications need approval before you buy.
• Utah: the program is on hold until further notice.
• Vermont: the state advises not to plan on HEEHR funds for now. Its page announces no HOMES launch; HOMES is to be delivered through weatherization.
• No status posted: American Samoa, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Wyoming. Puerto Rico's Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) energy pages do not mention HOMES or HEEHR. Louisiana's only rebate page is an archive from before its energy agency was renamed on October 1, 2025. Mississippi describes a program run with local utilities but posts no way to apply. Wyoming's page still shows an expected 2025 launch. Contact the energy office for current information.

Several "Not yet open" pages, including those of Iowa, Ohio and Oklahoma, still show launch estimates that have passed. We report them as the agencies display them.

How to find utility and local rebates

Utility and local rebates are separate from HOMES and HEEHR, with their own rules and funding.

• Enter your ZIP code and the product you are considering in ENERGY STAR Home Improvement Savings.
• Search DSIRE, a public source of information on renewable energy and efficiency incentives maintained by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University.
• Check the websites of your electric and gas utilities.

In some states the federal rebates will also run through utilities: Massachusetts plans to deliver HEEHR funds through Mass Save, and Mississippi describes working with local utilities. Before you count on any offer, confirm eligibility, approved contractors, deadlines, remaining funds and whether it can be combined with other rebates.

Help for lower-income households

The Weatherization Assistance Program improves the energy efficiency of homes of low-income households. It is run at the state and local level; contact your state weatherization administrator to apply.

LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) helps with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and minor energy-related repairs. The federal LIHEAP page points applicants to Energyhelp.us, available in English and Spanish, and to the National Energy Assistance Referral line at 1-866-674-6327.

Some states connect these programs to the federal rebates. Vermont plans to deliver HOMES through weatherization, Rhode Island's income-eligible HEEHR pathway serves households enrolled in LIHEAP, and North Carolina accepts applicants on the weatherization waitlist.

An FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage can let a buyer or owner finance cost-effective efficiency improvements as part of an FHA-insured purchase or refinance. It requires a home energy assessment. It is a loan, not a rebate.

Before you buy equipment

1. Read the current status on the official page and note the date you checked.
2. Get approval first. Programs such as California's, Rhode Island's and West Virginia's require approval before you buy equipment or start work.
3. Check what you are replacing. If the existing equipment uses gas, oil or propane, ask whether any rebate applies to your project under the May 2026 rules.
4. Ask whether insulation and air sealing must come before a heat pump or other heating and cooling upgrade.
5. Use the program's approved contractors or retailers, and ask for the rebate amount, deadlines and conditions in writing.
6. Keep contracts, invoices, product details and completion records.
7. Do not plan on the 25C or 25D tax credits for work done in 2026. For 2025 work, check with the IRS or a tax professional.

BetterPowered is a private company, not a government agency or a rebate administrator. If it helps to see your upgrade options in one place, you can start with our free upgrade plan. It does not determine eligibility for any rebate or tax credit.