HEEHRA Home Energy Rebates: Eligibility and State Availability

HEEHRA is a home energy rebate program, and its availability depends on your state or territory, project, and remaining funding. The federal program is now called High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebates, or HEEHR; some state programs still use HEEHRA or HEAR. It is separate from the expired home energy tax credits. An advertised maximum of $14,000 does not mean your household has an approved rebate or that all equipment categories are offered where you live.

Before ordering equipment, check the administering program's current funding notice, the eligibility of your existing and proposed equipment, and whether approval or a reservation must come before purchase or installation. If your quote includes a rebate, ask the contractor to show the actual approval and the amount you would owe without it.

Start with the program serving your address

Use the state and territory energy-office directory to find your energy office, then follow its designated household rebate application. Some programs are open, others have not launched, and an operating program can have a fully reserved budget. A state launch announcement does not establish that your particular project can obtain new funding.

California status as of October 10, 2026: HEEHRA single-family rebates have been fully reserved statewide since February 24, 2026, with new single-family income-verification applications closed. Multifamily rebates have been fully reserved statewide since September 1, 2026. For an existing project, ask your TECH-certified, HEEHRA-trained contractor about the approved reservation or waitlisted request. A waitlist is not approval to install and receive a rebate. The reservation status page separates existing approvals from new funding.

Check the current equipment rule before choosing a project

The 2026 rules for new state and territory reservations generally cover upgrades from existing electric equipment to more efficient electric equipment, or qualifying new construction. They no longer allow a new rebate reservation simply to replace a gas, oil, or other non-electric appliance with an electric one. An existing reservation approved under the earlier guidance may still proceed under that approval.

For heating and cooling upgrades, insulation and air sealing must come first unless the home already meets the approved state standard. Ask the administrator how it checks that requirement. A product's efficiency label alone does not confirm that your project, existing equipment, installation method, and application date qualify.

Eligible categories can include heat pumps for heating and cooling or hot water, efficient electric cooking appliances and heat pump dryers, electrical panels and wiring, and insulation, air sealing, or ventilation. Your state can limit which categories it offers. Tribal programs have separate program guidance; confirm the rules with your Tribal administrator rather than assuming every state-program change applies to it.

Income limits use local area median income

HEEHR uses area median income, or AMI, adjusted for location and household size. It is different from the federal poverty guideline used by many food or health benefits. Use your rebate program's current income determination and document requirements.

At exactly 80% of AMI, the household falls in the moderate-income tier. Program approval and eligible costs still determine the amount; meeting the income threshold does not reserve funding.

Rental households can be eligible, but an appliance replacement or building improvement may require the owner's participation or permission. Multifamily owners use a building eligibility process, including a requirement that at least half of occupied units have qualifying low- or moderate-income households. Ask which applicant and property pathway your program accepts.

Federal caps are ceilings, not promised payments

The cooking-appliance and heat-pump-dryer category shares one $840 limit; buying both does not produce two $840 rebates. Category limits also do not override the $14,000 overall cap or your income tier's cost-percentage limit. State offers can be lower or narrower.

For example, if a program offers the full federal HVAC ceiling, an approved $10,000 qualified heat-pump project could receive up to $8,000 for a household below 80% AMI. For a household in the moderate-income tier, 50% of that same cost is $5,000. California's existing single-family HVAC program instead has a $4,000 maximum for moderate-income households, illustrating why the local approved amount matters. These examples assume the project, applicant, available funding, and required approval all qualify.

Apply and confirm approval before relying on the rebate

1. Confirm the current application pathway. Check whether your address and property type are served, whether funds are open, and whether you apply yourself or through an approved contractor or retailer.
2. Verify income and project eligibility. Prepare the household-size and income evidence requested, plus the existing equipment type, proposed model, property details, and any required owner permission or assessment.
3. Complete any required reservation. Keep the approval number, approved amount, conditions, and expiration date. Ask about purchases or work already completed before assuming they qualify. A submitted application or waitlist entry is not funded approval.
4. Get the payment method in writing. A program can provide a point-of-sale or invoice discount; some approved pathways use a later rebate payment. Confirm who receives the payment, what you must pay upfront, and the final claim deadline.
5. Keep the project records. Save the approval, itemized contract, equipment model, installation date, invoice, and claim receipt. If the equipment, contractor, or scope changes, confirm whether the approval must be updated before work proceeds.

In California, existing approved HEEHRA projects must use a TECH-certified, HEEHRA-trained contractor. If your project lacks approved funding, the local incentive finder can identify other programs by ZIP code. Confirm those programs' own funding and approval rules before treating a listed incentive as available money.

Rebates and tax credits have different rules

HEEHR is not claimed on IRS Form 5695. The Section 25C and 25D home energy credits ended for new qualifying expenditures after 2025, although an eligible past project or Section 25D carryforward can still have a tax-filing purpose. Do not add a new federal home energy credit to a 2026 installation budget. The IRS Form 5695 page covers eligible past projects.

Other assistance may be combined only when each program permits it. The same qualified project cannot receive HEEHR plus another federal grant or rebate in violation of the combination rule. California TECH incentives and HEEHRA rebates also cannot both fund the same project. Ask for each proposed incentive and its conditions as separate items in the quote.

If the rebate is unavailable or your application is stuck

If funds are fully reserved, ask whether your request is waitlisted, already approved, or awaiting a missing document. For an approved project, confirm the installation and claim deadlines. For a new urgent replacement, compare currently funded local programs and a price you can afford without an unapproved rebate. A funding pause or waitlist does not guarantee a later payment.