Corrections: what we got wrong, and what is still wrong elsewhere
By Ionel Glogoveanu, editor.
Every figure on this page was checked against the official source on the date shown.
We have logged 35 corrections since this site launched on September 20,
2026. Three were errors in our own state registry and five on our own pages — each
fixed the day we found it. Two are official pages that still contradict the law — an IRS FAQ
page and Delaware’s energy office. The other
24 are errors in guides published or updated in 2026 that could cost a homeowner money:
federal heat pump and insulation credits presented as still available, HEAR’s $8,000 promised for a
gas furnace swap that no longer qualifies, programs called open after they closed, and deadlines
that moved. Every entry shows what was wrong, what is true, and the official source.
Every “what is true” statement below was checked against its official source on the
date shown; the registry corrections were rechecked on September 27, 2026.
Corrections are never deleted. If one of ours turns out to be wrong, we add a new entry that
corrects it.
Sixteen of the 35 corrections trace back to two federal changes. The One Big Beautiful Bill
Act, signed July 4, 2025, ended the 25C and 25D credits for anything placed in service or paid
for after December 31, 2025. DOE Program Notice 26-2, effective May 29, 2026, renamed HEAR as
HEEHR and stopped its heating, cooling and appliance rebates from paying for a switch away from
gas, oil or propane. Guides written before either date, and never revisited, now give confident
wrong answers. Thirteen more concern a program’s status, a date, or how thoroughly something
was checked — Colorado’s HEAR closing, Maryland’s never opening. The last
four are wrong amounts. The pattern is
the lesson: in 2026, a rebate guide without a recent verification date is a guess. Six of our
own errors came from the same trap — trusting a secondary source, or our own first draft
of the registry, before checking the state — which is why every row now says whether it
has been verified.
Corrections to our state registry
Colorado’s single-family HEAR was listed as live. It is closed statewide.
· Colorado · Our registry
What was wrong. Our first registry listed Colorado’s federal HEAR rebates as accepting applications.
What is true.The Colorado Energy Office closed the single-family HEAR program in both regions: the Front Range after April 27, 2026 and every other county after August 1, 2026; later applications are denied. We added a new registry status, “Closed to new applications”, because none of our existing labels described a program that launched and ran out. The Colorado page now leads with what still pays: the state heat pump tax credit, Xcel Energy and Power Ahead Colorado.
Maryland’s federal rebates were listed as live. They have not launched.
· Maryland · Our registry
What was wrong. The first version of our registry (September 20, 2026) listed Maryland’s federal home energy rebates, HEAR and HOMES, as accepting applications. That status came from a secondary source we had not yet checked against the state.
What is true.The Maryland Energy Administration says both programs (HOMES is called HERO in Maryland) have conditional approval from the Department of Energy, but further approvals are required before they can launch; its latest update, dated June 9, 2026, says the agency is still reviewing the new federal guidance. We moved Maryland to “Launching soon” and rebuilt the page around what pays today: EmPOWER Maryland, up to $15,000 (75% of cost) for electrification.
Washington was listed as live. Only the state program named HEAR is open.
· Washington · Our registry
What was wrong. Our first registry listed Washington’s federal home energy rebates as accepting applications — almost certainly because Washington runs two different programs with the same name.
What is true.The Department of Commerce runs a state-funded HEAR program, paid for by the Climate Commitment Act, that is open now through 40 local administrators ($39.3 million). The federal program (called HARP and HOMES in Washington) has not launched: Commerce places it at step 5 of 7 and warns that work done before launch will not qualify. We moved Washington to “Launching soon” and explain both programs on the Washington page.
Our Maryland page listed Montgomery County’s Electrify MC as a flat $2,500. The amount depends on the equipment.
· Maryland · Our own page
What was wrong. From September 22 to September 26, 2026, our Maryland page described Electrify MC as a “$2,500 county adder for electrification,” as if every heat pump project received it. The figure came from a secondary source we had not checked against the county.
What is true.Montgomery County’s official Electrify MC page lists $1,000 for a ducted or air-to-water heat pump, $2,000 for a mini-split or geothermal heat pump and $2,500 for a cold-climate heat pump, plus $500 for a heat pump water heater. The incentive is taken off the price at the point of sale, only on work done through the county’s chosen contractor, Elysian Energy, and for ducted, cold-climate and geothermal systems the fossil-fuel heating cannot be kept. See our corrected Maryland section.
Our homepage counted six states as “confirmed live”. Four were not confirmed.
· Site-wide · Our own page
What was wrong. The homepage said six states were “confirmed live”. It counted every state our registry listed as accepting applications, including Rhode Island, North Carolina, New Mexico and Michigan, whose status came from our unverified first registry. It also described cost, comparison and do-it-yourself sections that we have not published yet.
What is true.The homepage now counts only states verified against official sources, names each of them, and lists the unpublished sections as coming next.
Our registry said every row was verified against official sources. Only five were.
· Site-wide · Our own page
What was wrong. The note above our state-by-state registry said every row had been verified against the state’s official program page, and each of our 46 template state pages showed a “verified” date in its search description. In fact only the five states with a dedicated page — New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington — had been checked against official sources. The other 46 entries came from our first compilation of secondary sources on September 20, 2026, the same kind of source behind our three registry errors.
What is true.Every row now says whether it has been verified. Unverified rows are labeled “reported” or “not yet verified”, their pages say so at the top and explain how to confirm the status with the state energy office, and we are re-checking them against each state’s official sources in batches. The Department of Energy’s program page does not publish a state-by-state status list; it tells homeowners to contact their state or territory energy office.
Our New York and Maryland pages mislabeled three states as “accepting applications”.
· New York, Maryland · Our own page
What was wrong. The closing links on our New York and Maryland pages sat under the heading “states currently accepting applications” and listed Maryland, Colorado and Washington — none of which was accepting applications for the federal rebates.
What is true.The links now read “other states we cover in depth”, and each state’s status is stated on its own page, checked against the official source.
Our template state pages described HEAR’s $8,000 heat pump rebate without the May 2026 rule change.
· 46 state pages · Our own page
What was wrong. The federal section on our 46 not-yet-verified state pages described HEAR’s heat pump rebate of up to $8,000 without saying that it no longer pays for replacing a gas, oil or propane system.
What is true.Under DOE Program Notice 26-2, effective May 29, 2026, HEAR is now called HEEHR (High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebates) and its heating, cooling and appliance rebates cover only upgrades from existing electric equipment. Every state page now says so and links to the full federal explainer.
Douglas County PUD’s conservation page still points customers to the expired IRA tax credits.
· Washington · Official source
What was wrong. The Douglas County PUD Energy Conservation page (updated April 16, 2026) says there are tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act available through the IRS and links to a Department of Energy page about them.
What is true.The 25C and 25D credits ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (Public Law 119-21). A Douglas PUD customer installing a heat pump in 2026 gets no federal credit and no PUD rebate; the PUD’s 2026 attic insulation rebate ($1,000–$2,500) is the only local money. Our Washington page says so.
Delaware’s energy office page still presents the 25C and 25D tax credits as current.
· Delaware · Official source
What was wrong. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Inflation Reduction Act page, updated July 18, 2026, still describes the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit and the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit in the present tense, and says the state’s home energy rebates were expected to launch in the second quarter of 2025.
What is true.The IRS allows the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit only for property placed in service through December 31, 2025, and the 25D credit ended for expenditures after that date. Delaware’s own rebate pages show no launched program; confirm the status directly with DNREC before planning around a Delaware rebate.
An IRS FAQ page still describes 25C through 2032 and 25D through 2034.
· Federal · Official source
What was wrong. The IRS overview page for its 25C and 25D FAQs (last reviewed January 18, 2026) still says the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit applies to property placed in service before January 1, 2033, and that the Residential Clean Energy Credit runs through 2034. We rechecked it on September 26, 2026: unchanged.
What is true.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, July 4, 2025) ended both credits for property placed in service or expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The IRS’s own “Home energy tax credits” page, updated July 8, 2026, shows the 2023–2025 schedule and links to the IRS FAQs on the new law. When two IRS pages disagree, the statute and the newer guidance govern.
An East Wenatchee HVAC contractor says Douglas County PUD “offers its own heat pump incentives”. It offers none.
· Washington · Published guide
What was wrong. A contractor service-area page updated August 12, 2026 tells East Wenatchee homeowners that Douglas County PUD offers its own heat pump and efficiency incentives for customers switching from electric heat, with programs and amounts that differ from Chelan PUD’s.
What is true.Douglas County PUD’s official conservation page states it does not offer residential rebates or incentives on appliances or energy-saving measures. Its only 2026 residential rebate is attic insulation. East Wenatchee homes are outside Chelan PUD’s territory and get no heat pump rebate from either utility.
A heat pump incentive directory says the federal HEAR and HOMES programs ended on May 29, 2026.
· Montana · Published guide
What was wrong. A heat pump incentive directory’s Montana page, verified by its publisher in July 2026, leaves out the federal rebates on the grounds that the DOE HEAR and HOMES programs ended on May 29, 2026.
What is true.Neither program ended. DOE Program Notice 26-2, effective May 29, 2026, renamed HEAR as HEEHR and changed its rules. In Montana, DEQ says the programs are not yet available: planning was paused in February 2025, DOE issued initial revised guidance on June 1, 2026, and the state will revise and resubmit its application and launch after final DOE approval.
A Montana HVAC rebate page on Google’s first page still presents the 25C and 25D credits as current.
· Montana · Published guide
What was wrong. An undated Montana HVAC rebates reference page (copyright 2026), on the first page of Google results for “hvac rebates montana” on September 27, 2026, says a heat pump replacing a gas furnace may qualify for the 25C credit of up to $2,000, and that the 25D credit for geothermal heat pumps has no annual cap through 2032.
What is true.The IRS allows the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit only for property placed in service through December 31, 2025, and the 25D credit ended for expenditures after that date. Montana’s own Energy Conservation Installation Credit cannot be claimed after tax year 2021. See what Montana pays instead.
Google’s AI Overview for Wenatchee ductless rebates gives the wrong efficiency minimums.
· Washington · Published guide
What was wrong. The AI Overview shown for “ductless heat pump rebates wenatchee” on September 27, 2026 states Chelan PUD equipment must meet “typically at least 7.6 HSPF2 and 13.2 SEER2”, citing a local contractor’s guide.
What is true.Chelan County PUD’s official heat pump rebate page requires a minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 and 14.3 SEER2 for the 2026–27 program year. The SEER2 floor is higher than the AI Overview states, so a unit chosen on the Overview’s figures could fail the rebate. The dollar amounts in the Overview ($1,600 / $2,000 / $1,000 / $3,300 / $600) match the official page.
An insulation company’s guide still promises a 30% tax credit for insulation installed in 2026.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. A guide to attic insulation tax credits, updated August 3, 2026, tells readers that insulation bought in 2026 earns a credit of 30% up to $1,200 when they file in spring 2027, and that the credit runs through 2032.
What is true.The IRS allows the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit only for property placed in service through December 31, 2025. Insulation installed in 2026 earns no federal tax credit; the federal money left is the HEEHR rebate (up to $1,600, only in launched states, households at or below 150% of Area Median Income) and HOMES.
A Georgia HVAC guide still sells the 25C credit for 2026 and HEAR for gas-furnace swaps.
· Georgia · Published guide
What was wrong. An Atlanta-area HVAC company’s guide, published April 7, 2026, calls the federal 25C credit “the heavy hitter for 2026,” worth up to $2,000 a year through 2032, presents HEAR as the rebate for switching from a gas furnace to a heat pump, and quotes Georgia Power’s heat pump conversion rebate at $1,000.
What is true.The 25C credit ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025. Georgia’s HEAR submissions are paused until further notice (GEFA), and since May 29, 2026 federal HEAR no longer pays for replacing gas equipment. Georgia Power’s 2026 rules, effective August 1, pay 50% of cost up to $1,500 — only for replacing an electric furnace.
A rebate calculator tells Kentucky homeowners they can access HEAR and HOMES in 2026.
· Kentucky · Published guide
What was wrong. A rebate calculator’s Kentucky page, checked by its publisher on July 31, 2026, says Kentucky homeowners in 2026 can access federal HEAR rebates for heat pumps, insulation and panels, and HOMES whole-home rebates.
What is true.Kentucky’s Office of Energy Policy says the Home Energy Rebates are not yet available, that the program awaits unconditional DOE approval, and that anyone offering these rebates now is misinformed. Rebates will not be retroactive.
A Maryland contractor’s 2026 rebate guide says a federal tax credit may still apply to geothermal heat pumps.
· Maryland · Published guide
What was wrong. A Maryland HVAC contractor’s guide to 2026 heat pump rebates, published September 25, 2026, correctly says the 25C credit ended, then tells readers that a separate federal credit may still apply to qualifying geothermal systems.
What is true.The Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D), which covered geothermal heat pumps, ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025 under Public Law 119-21. No federal tax credit applies to a geothermal system installed in 2026. In Maryland, EmPOWER’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program pays toward geothermal heat pumps instead; Pepco’s rebate table starts at $1,500.
A national rebate directory says Maryland has launched HEAR and HOMES — and that 25C still applies.
· Maryland · Published guide
What was wrong. A state-by-state rebate directory currently tells Maryland readers that the state “has launched” HOMES and HEAR, that the 25C credit pays up to $3,200 a year, and that the 25D credit runs through 2032.
What is true.None of the three is true. Maryland’s federal rebates still await final DOE approval (Maryland Energy Administration, update of June 9, 2026), and both 25C and 25D ended for 2026 installations. What Maryland homeowners can claim now is EmPOWER Maryland.
A national rebate guide lists Oklahoma’s and Ohio’s HEAR programs as active.
· Oklahoma · Published guide
What was wrong. A 2026 national guide to home energy rebates, updated in August 2026, labels Oklahoma “HEAR active through state” and Ohio “HEAR active.”
What is true.Neither has launched. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce describes its federal rebates as forthcoming with no estimated timeline, and Ohio’s Department of Development is still awaiting DOE approval of the application it submitted on November 12, 2024.
A Texas heat pump rebate guide gives CPS Energy customers 60 days to apply. The terms say 30.
· Texas · Published guide
What was wrong. A utility-by-utility Texas heat pump rebate guide, last verified by its publisher on March 3, 2026, says CPS Energy rebate applications are due within 60 days of installation.
What is true.CPS Energy’s current heat pump rebate terms require the application and supporting documents to be filed within 30 days of completing the work, and the project to be completed between February 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027. See our Texas page.
A San Antonio rebate guide tells CPS Energy customers to stack their rebates with the 25C credit and point-of-sale HEAR rebates.
· Texas · Published guide
What was wrong. A 2026 guide to CPS Energy rebates advises stacking them with the 25C tax credit (“30% back… available to all income levels”) and with HEAR rebates of up to $8,000 for heat pumps “applied at point of sale by participating contractors.”
What is true.The 25C credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Texas’s State Energy Conservation Office says its HOMES and HEAR rebates are not currently available, that no approved contractors exist, and that no one should sign an agreement for them before launch.
A rebate calculator still says Colorado HEAR is open in Region 2.
· Colorado · Published guide
What was wrong. A rebate calculator whose Colorado page was updated on August 11, 2026 says HEAR remains open in Region 2 — ten days after Region 2 closed. The page still said so on September 26, 2026.
What is true.The Colorado Energy Office denies single-family HEAR applications submitted for Region 2 after August 1, 2026; Region 1 closed after April 27. Colorado’s remaining HEAR phases (small multifamily) and the HER program are promised for 2026 with no date.
“The 25C limits apply in 2026 and reset in 2027” is false.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. A heating-equipment retailer’s guide, published in March 2026, presents the 25C annual limits as available for 2026 installations and says they reset for 2027.
What is true.Section 25C does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025. There is no 2026 limit and no 2027 reset: the credit is gone for new installations.
“25C runs through 2032, so there is no urgent deadline” is false.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. An energy calculator’s guide from May 2026 tells readers that 25C runs through 2032 and that there is no urgent deadline.
What is true.The credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. The deadline that matters now is October 15, 2026 — the filing date for 2025 returns extended with Form 4868, the last on-time chance to claim a 2025 installation.
“The 30% federal heat pump credit remains available” is false.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. A home magazine article from June 2026 says the 30% federal tax credit for heat pumps is still available.
What is true.It is not available for any heat pump placed in service in 2026, whatever the fuel it replaces. Heat pumps installed in 2025 can still be claimed on the 2025 return, with the product’s QMID.
“Geothermal heat pumps keep a 30% credit through 2032” is false.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. A guide from May 2026 says geothermal heat pumps still earn a 30% federal credit through 2032.
What is true.That was the Inflation Reduction Act schedule. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act ended the Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D) for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. Unused 25D credit from earlier years can still be carried forward.
HEAR’s $8,000 heat pump rebate is presented as the way to replace a gas furnace in 2026.
· Federal · Published guide
What was wrong. A rebate calculator updated in June 2026 presents HEAR’s $8,000 heat pump rebate as the 2026 route for households replacing a gas furnace.
What is true.Since May 29, 2026 (DOE Program Notice 26-2), HEEHR — the renamed HEAR — no longer pays for replacing non-electric heating, cooling or appliances, and insulation and air sealing come first in most homes. Rebates already approved before the change are honored.
New York guides quote the old HEAR caps and miss the Sustainable Futures adders.
· New York · Published guide
What was wrong. New York guides published in July and August 2026 present the original HEAR caps as the main heat pump money in the state.
What is true.NYSERDA’s EmPower+ pays up to $12,000 upstate and $14,000 downstate at no cost to low-income households, and the Sustainable Futures Program adds amounts on top of those caps: up to $10,000 for an air-source or ground-source heat pump, $5,000 for a heat pump water heater, $5,000 for an electrical panel and $2,500 for wiring.
Guides describe NYS Clean Heat’s Weatherized Tier as a future change. It is live.
· New York · Published guide
What was wrong. Guides written in the summer of 2026 describe the higher incentive for weatherized homes as something coming later.
What is true.The Weatherized Tier has been live since September 1, 2026, after moving from March 1 in the program manual. By March 1, 2028, weatherization becomes a prerequisite for NYS Clean Heat incentives; the 2028 standard has not been published.
Guides still give September 30, 2026 as the end of Seattle’s oil-conversion bonus.
· Washington · Published guide
What was wrong. Seattle heat pump guides, including one marked “updated Aug 22”, still say the Clean Heat bonus ends September 30, 2026.
What is true.The City of Seattle’s program page says bonus rebates apply to oil-to-heat-pump installations completed by May 30, 2027: $2,000 at any income plus a $4,000 bonus for households at 81–150% of AMI. The date has moved once already, so confirm it before you book.
What was wrong. Several guides say Wisconsin’s HOMES rebate reaches $10,000 for any household.
What is true.The $10,000 tier applies only to households below 80% of Area Median Income whose project cuts modeled energy use by 35% or more. HOMES is open to every income, but above 150% of AMI the ceiling is $3,000.
A rebate calculator shows generic federal HOMES amounts for Wisconsin and names the wrong administrator.
· Wisconsin · Published guide
What was wrong. A widely used rebate calculator shows Wisconsin’s HOMES rebates as the generic federal $4,000 and $8,000 figures, doubled, and attributes the program to an office that does not run it.
What is true.Wisconsin’s HOMES program is run by Focus on Energy, the administrator chosen by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and pays on its own six-step matrix, from $1,500 to $10,000, set by household income and modeled energy savings (at least 20%).
A Wisconsin guide misses the September 1, 2026 change and cites an expired deadline.
· Wisconsin · Published guide
What was wrong. A Wisconsin heat pump guide marked “updated June 5” still presents the store (retail) route for replacing gas or propane equipment and gives the old first-half calendar, with a deadline of August 31, 2026.
What is true.Since September 1, 2026, Focus on Energy no longer accepts retail purchases for equipment that replaces fossil-fuel appliances; coupons issued before that date are honored. Whether the contractor route still covers those replacements under the new federal rules is something to confirm with Focus on Energy directly.
When a reader, an official source or our own re-verification shows that something on this site
is wrong, we fix the page the same day, update its “last verified” date and log the
correction here with the original error, the corrected fact and the source. We do not quietly
rewrite history: corrections stay on this page permanently, including the ones that embarrass
us. When a published guide or an official page contradicts the official program text, we log
that too, because readers arrive having seen it. We describe those publications without naming
them — many were accurate when written and went stale — and we recheck the claim
before logging it. Figures that a program publishes only through its contractors are marked
“confirm directly” on our pages rather than presented as official. To report an
error, email hello@cozykilowatt.com with the page and
the source.
Sources and method
Each entry links to the primary source for the corrected fact: the IRS, the U.S. Department of
Energy, the Colorado Energy Office, the Maryland Energy Administration, the Washington State
Department of Commerce, NYSERDA, NYS Clean Heat, Focus on Energy and the City of Seattle. For
errors in published guides we record the publication, its date and the exact claim in our
internal log, and recheck the claim before listing it here. A lead that does not survive the
recheck is not listed: on September 27, 2026 we dropped one, an ENERGY STAR page we had
been told still showed 2032, because ENERGY STAR had already corrected it. This is general
information, not tax or legal advice.
Open data. This log is free to reuse under
CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. Download it
as JSON.
Frequently asked questions
How often are heat pump rebate guides wrong in 2026?
Often. Since September 20, 2026 we have documented 24 errors in guides published or updated in 2026, plus three official pages that still contradict the law. Most trace back to two federal changes: the July 2025 law that ended the 25C and 25D credits after December 31, 2025, and DOE Program Notice 26-2, which since May 29, 2026 stops federal HEEHR rebates from paying for replacing gas, oil or propane equipment.
Is the federal heat pump tax credit still available in 2026?
No. The 25C credit does not apply to heat pumps placed in service after December 31, 2025, and the 25D credit for geothermal systems ended for expenditures after that date. A heat pump installed in 2025 can still be claimed on the 2025 return; extended returns are due October 15, 2026.
Why does an IRS page still say the credit runs through 2032?
Because it has not been updated. The IRS overview page for its 25C and 25D FAQs, last reviewed January 18, 2026, still shows the Inflation Reduction Act schedule. The IRS “Home energy tax credits” page, updated July 8, 2026, shows the credits ending in 2025, as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires.
Do you name the sites that got it wrong?
No. We describe the error, the kind of publication and when it was published or updated, and we show the official source for the correct fact. The goal is to stop the error from costing a homeowner money, not to shame a publisher. Many of these guides were right when written and went stale.
How do I report an error on CozyKilowatt?
Email hello@cozykilowatt.com with the page and, if you have it, the official source. We check the claim against that source, correct the page if we were wrong, and log the correction here with the date.
How can I follow new corrections and updates?
Subscribe to our RSS feed at cozykilowatt.com/feed.xml in any feed reader. It lists new pages, re-verified pages and every correction as it is published. No email address or account is involved.