Heat pump & energy rebate deadlines, verified

October 1, 2026: Xcel’s Colorado heat pump bonus drops by about a third

Last day to act: September 30, 2026

Xcel Energy’s own Colorado heat pump page confirms that its bonus for customers who heat with Xcel natural gas changes effective October 1, 2026. The new amounts reach homeowners through participating contractors: Xcel told its trade partners in August that the bonus falls from three times to two times the standard rebate. For a cold-climate heat pump, that means about $1,500 per heating ton instead of $2,250; for a standard heat pump, about $600 per cooling ton instead of $900. On a typical 3-ton cold-climate system, the difference is roughly $2,250. To keep the current amounts, the system must be installed and invoiced before October 1 — in practice, by Wednesday, September 30. Customers who heat with electric resistance, such as baseboard heat, receive the standard rebate only, so the bonus change does not apply to them. Colorado’s state heat pump tax credit and Power Ahead Colorado’s $1,500 are separate programs and do not change on this date.

Confirm directly. Xcel publishes these amounts and the October 15 application date through its August 2026 notice to participating contractors, not on a public rate sheet. Confirm with Xcel Energy at 800-895-4999 before you sign.

Before the date:

• Confirm with your contractor that the job will be finished and invoiced by September 30.
• Get the invoice date and the Xcel rebate amount in writing.
• If the installation slips into October, ask for a revised quote at the new rate before work starts.

Source: Xcel Energy, Colorado heat pump rebates page; Xcel notice to participating contractors (August 2026). Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Colorado rebates.

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October 15, 2026: Xcel rebate applications due for installs completed before October 1

The lower October rates apply to systems installed after September 30, but the paperwork for earlier installations has its own clock. According to the notice Xcel sent participating contractors in August 2026, a heat pump installed and invoiced before October 1 keeps the current bonus only if the rebate application is submitted by October 15, 2026. In most Colorado projects the contractor files the application together with the invoice and the AHRI certificate, and many credit the rebate on the invoice up front — which makes it easy to assume nothing is left to do. Ask anyway. A missed application window can cost you the higher bonus on a job that was otherwise finished on time. Because Xcel publishes these terms through contractors rather than on a public rate sheet, we flag the date for direct confirmation. Keep a copy of the submitted application and its confirmation number with your invoice.

Confirm directly. Xcel publishes these amounts and the October 15 application date through its August 2026 notice to participating contractors, not on a public rate sheet. Confirm with Xcel Energy at 800-895-4999 before you sign.

Before the date:

• Ask your contractor when the application was submitted and for its confirmation number.
• Keep the invoice, the AHRI certificate and the application confirmation together.

Source: Xcel notice to participating contractors (August 2026), as published by participating contractors. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Colorado rebates.

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October 15, 2026: Extended 2025 returns due: the last on-time claim for 25C and 25D

October 15, 2026 is the filing deadline for 2025 individual federal returns extended with Form 4868; the IRS caps the extension at six months, and the date falls on a Thursday. It matters here because 2025 was the final year for the home energy credits: 25C (30% of cost, up to $2,000 for heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, up to $1,200 for insulation and other upgrades) and 25D (30% of geothermal, solar and battery costs) ended for property placed in service or expenditures made after December 31, 2025. A 2025 installation is claimed on Form 5695, and for 2025 property the IRS allows no 25C credit without the manufacturer’s four-character QMID. The extension moved the filing date, not the payment date: tax owed for 2025 was due April 15, 2026, and interest has run since. A late return can still claim the credit, but failure-to-file penalties then apply to any unpaid balance.

Before the date:

• Get the QMID for every 25C item from your installer or the manufacturer.
• Complete Form 5695 — Part II for 25C, Part I for 25D — with the placed-in-service dates.
• E-file before October 15 and keep the IRS acceptance confirmation.

Source: IRS, Form 4868 and its instructions (tax year 2025). Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: heat pump tax credit 2026.

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December 31, 2026: Focus on Energy 2026 rebates: equipment must be installed this year

Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide efficiency program, ties each rebate year to the calendar. Its 2026 residential heating and cooling requirements state that equipment must be purchased and installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026 to qualify under this year’s offerings. That matters because the amounts are not guaranteed to carry over: the program says its rebates are limited and subject to change without notice, and 2027 terms have not been published. Focus on Energy pays for heat pumps through instant discounts from participating contractors and through mail-in rebates, and both stack with Wisconsin’s federally funded HEAR and HOMES programs under the rules on our Wisconsin page. A project planned for the winter should therefore be completed, not just contracted, by December 31. The installation date on the invoice is what the program checks, so make sure your Trade Ally contractor records the completion date accurately.

Before the date:

• Schedule completion — not just signing — before December 31.
• Check that the invoice shows the completion date and the equipment model numbers.

Source: Focus on Energy, Residential Heating and Cooling Rebate Program Requirements (2026). Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Wisconsin rebates.

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December 31, 2026: Pepco’s electrification rebates: contractors must reserve them before EmPOWER’s cycle ends

Pepco’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR page sets the date plainly: for its electrification offer, your Participating Contractor must reserve your rebates by December 31, 2026, by submitting an approved scope of work to the program, and all approved work must be completed within 90 days of the reservation approval. The offer pays up to $15,000 or 75% of job cost when the project switches a gas, oil or propane furnace, boiler or water heater to a qualifying electric heat pump, and it starts with a Home Energy Assessment — $100 for homes up to 3,000 square feet with a single combustion appliance zone. December 31 is also the last day of EmPOWER Maryland’s 2024–2026 program cycle; incentives for 2027–2029 are still being set by the Public Service Commission, which asked the utilities for plans with 30% and 45% smaller programs. In practice, book the assessment in October or November: the contractor needs your completed assessment and an approved scope of work before the year ends.

Before the date:

• Book the $100 Home Energy Assessment with a Pepco Participating Contractor now.
• Ask the contractor for the date the rebate reservation was submitted and approved, in writing.
• Plan the installation to finish within 90 days of that approval.

Source: Pepco, Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program (Maryland). Verified September 26, 2026. Program details: Maryland rebates.

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December 31, 2026: Potomac Edison’s EmPOWER discounts: equipment must be bought and installed within the cycle

Potomac Edison attaches a hard end date to its EmPOWER Maryland discounts. The utility’s Switch to Electric page says discounts are available to its Maryland residential customers on qualified products purchased through December 31, 2026, and its heating and cooling page applies the same date to products purchased through and installed by a participating HVAC contractor. The Switch to Electric offer pays up to $3,000 toward the electrical make-ready work a conversion from gas, oil or propane usually needs, and the heat pump water heater offer adds a discount of up to $2,500 on top of the same make-ready help. Amounts are subject to change and available while funding lasts, and only installations by a participating contractor qualify. December 31 is also the final day of EmPOWER Maryland’s 2024–2026 program cycle, and the 2027–2029 incentives have not been set. For a Potomac Edison customer planning a switch this winter, both the purchase and the installation belong in 2026.

Before the date:

• Choose a contractor from Potomac Edison’s participating list.
• Have the discount and any make-ready amount itemized on the quote.
• Schedule both purchase and installation before December 31.

Source: Potomac Edison, Switch to Electric Program (energysaveMD-home.com). Verified September 26, 2026. Program details: Maryland rebates.

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December 31, 2026: Xcel Colorado 2026 program year: invoices dated by December 31 (reported)

One participating contractor reports that Xcel’s current Colorado heat pump program year requires installations to be invoiced by December 31, 2026, with rebate applications accepted through September 30, 2027. We have not found these dates on a public Xcel page, and Xcel publishes much of its program detail through contractors, so this entry carries a confirmation flag. What it means in practice: an installation after October 1, at the reduced bonus, should still be invoiced in 2026 if you want it handled under this year’s program terms, and the same contractor notes that amounts change between program cycles. Nothing here alters the October 1 change; it is the next boundary after it. If your installation will straddle the new year, ask Xcel directly which program year and which rebate table will apply before you sign, and have your contractor confirm the answer in writing.

Confirm directly. Reported by a single participating contractor; not published on a public Xcel page. Confirm with Xcel Energy at 800-895-4999.

Before the date:

• If the work may run into January, ask Xcel which program year will apply.
• Get the applicable rebate table confirmed in writing before you sign.

Source: Zero Homes (participating Xcel contractor), Xcel rebate guide, August 2026. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Colorado rebates.

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December 31, 2026: Douglas PUD attic insulation rebate: projects must be completed in 2026

Douglas County PUD, which offers no heat pump or appliance rebates, runs one residential rebate in 2026: attic insulation. Permanent residences with a primary electric heat source and an existing attic at R-30 (about 10 inches) or less qualify for $1,000, $1,750 or $2,500 depending on attic size when the finished attic reaches R-49 or more; households enrolled in a PUD assistance program get $200 more. The official page requires all projects to be completed in 2026 and warns that funds are limited and first come, first served, so the practical deadline may arrive before December 31. New construction does not qualify. Apply through the PUD’s online attic insulation application or the printable form.

Before the date:

• Measure your attic insulation depth now; 10 inches or less is the entry ticket.
• Book the installer for 2026 — completion, not signing, is what counts.

Source: Douglas County PUD, Energy Conservation page (updated April 16, 2026). Verified September 27, 2026. Program details: Washington (Douglas County) rebates.

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January 31, 2027: Focus on Energy applications: 60 days after installation, with a hard final cutoff

The date most guides print for Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy is January 31, 2027, but for most homeowners the real deadline comes sooner. The program’s heating and cooling page requires applications within 60 days of completed equipment installation, and no later than January 31, 2027. Both limits apply, and whichever arrives first wins. A heat pump finished on August 15, 2026 had to be filed by October 14; one finished on December 20 must be filed by January 31, not in February. The same 60-day rule appears on the income-qualified rebate page, which adds that retroactive income-qualified rebates are not available. Rebate checks arrive about 8 to 10 weeks after approval. If your Trade Ally contractor applied an instant discount on the invoice, that part has already been claimed; for a mail-in rebate, ask whether the contractor files it, because otherwise the application is yours to submit.

Before the date:

• Count 60 days from the installation date on your invoice and put that date in your calendar.
• Apply with the invoice and model numbers, and keep the confirmation.

Source: Focus on Energy, Heating and Cooling page and 2026 rebate application. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Wisconsin rebates.

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January 31, 2027: CPS Energy heat pump rebates: last day to complete a project under current terms

CPS Energy, San Antonio’s city-owned utility, pays heat pump rebates directly to its residential account holders, and its current rebate terms set a firm window: the project must be completed between February 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027. A second clock starts when the work is done — the application and its supporting documents must be filed within 30 days of completion, a shorter window than several published guides give. The equipment must be installed by an HVAC contractor licensed in Texas, the rebate cannot exceed the cost of the project, and new homes do not qualify. CPS pays different amounts for early replacement and for replacing a failed unit; to claim early replacement of a heat pump, the existing system must be less than 20 years old and documented with photos, model and serial numbers. A tenant who applies confirms the property owner’s permission. Terms after January 31, 2027 have not been published.

Before the date:

• Schedule completion before January 31, 2027.
• Photograph the old unit and record its model and serial numbers before removal.
• File the rebate application within 30 days of the completion date.

Source: CPS Energy Marketplace, heat pump rebate terms (program implementer CLEAResult). Verified September 26, 2026. Program details: Texas (San Antonio) rebates.

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March 31, 2027: Chelan PUD heat pump rebates: last day for applications at the 2026–27 amounts

Chelan County PUD publishes its residential rebates on a program year that runs from April 1 to March 31. For applications received through March 31, 2027, a first-time ductless heat pump pays $1,600 in a single-family home, $2,000 in a manufactured home and $1,000 per unit in multifamily buildings of five or more units; a first-time ducted conversion from an electric forced-air furnace pays $3,300 and a variable-speed upgrade $600. Income-qualified tiers of $2,100, $2,700 and $4,300 are announced for fall 2026. Amounts changed at the last reset (the pre-April 2026 tables were different) and the PUD states programs are subject to change and depend on available funding, so an application received after March 31, 2027 will be judged on whatever the 2027–28 table says. Ducted conversions need contractor pre-authorization before installation, and every application is due within 12 months of the install.

Before the date:

• For a ducted conversion, have your contractor request pre-authorization before any work starts.
• Submit the application within 12 months of installation — and before March 31, 2027 to lock the current amounts.

Source: Chelan County PUD, Heat Pump Rebates page. Verified September 27, 2026. Program details: Washington (Chelan County) rebates.

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May 30, 2027: Seattle Clean Heat bonus: last day to complete an installation

Seattle’s Clean Heat Program pays a $2,000 instant rebate to Seattle households that switch from oil heat to a qualifying heat pump, plus a $4,000 bonus for moderate-income households between 81% and 150% of Area Median Income — up to $6,000 in total. The City’s official program page states that bonus rebates are available for installations completed by May 30, 2027. That is later than many guides still print: older articles give September 30, 2026. A date that has moved once can move again, so treat it as a date to beat rather than a date to aim for. The rebate is applied on the contractor’s invoice after you complete the Homeowner Participation Form, and the qualifying equipment is a Mitsubishi Electric heat pump installed by a participating contractor. Lower-income households may qualify for a no-cost conversion through the City’s separate HomeWise oil-to-electric program instead.

Before the date:

• Get contractor estimates early — the date counts completion, not signing.
• Fill in the Homeowner Participation Form before installation.

Source: City of Seattle, Seattle’s Clean Heat Program page. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: Washington (Seattle) rebates.

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June 30, 2027: NorthWestern Energy Montana rebates: finish and submit under the current forms

NorthWestern Energy’s current Montana residential rebate forms took effect on August 1, 2026, and both set the same window. Its electric existing-home form, which pays $450 for each qualifying ducted or ductless heat pump, and its natural gas insulation form, which pays by the square foot for attic, wall and floor insulation, state that work completed or materials bought before August 1, 2026 are not accepted, and that projects must be completed and submitted by June 30, 2027. Incentive amounts are valid through that date and can change without notice, and funds are first come, first served, so an early application is safer than a last-week one. Applications need an itemized invoice with dates and model numbers and a recent NorthWestern bill for the address; self-installers may apply, new construction does not qualify, and NorthWestern pays in four to six weeks after verifying the work. Former Energy West Montana and Cut Bank Gas customers are excluded from the gas insulation rebates.

Before the date:

• Confirm on your bill that NorthWestern Energy is your electric or gas utility.
• Keep the itemized invoice, model numbers and installation date.
• Mail or email the completed form before June 30, 2027 — earlier if funds may run out.

Source: NorthWestern Energy — Montana Residential Electric, Existing Home, Form 3743 (effective August 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027). Verified September 27, 2026. Program details: Montana rebates.

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March 1, 2028: New York: weatherization becomes a Clean Heat prerequisite

New York’s Public Service Commission ordered NYS Clean Heat to phase weatherization in over two steps. The first arrived on September 1, 2026, when the program’s Weatherized Tier went live after a six-month delay: homes that meet insulation and air-sealing criteria now earn higher heat pump incentives. The second is the hard one. By March 1, 2028, the Commission’s order requires minimum weatherization levels as a prerequisite for receiving Clean Heat incentives at all, and the program administrators have told contractors that weatherization will be a requirement for projects from 2028. The exact 2028 standard has not been published, and the administrators have said the 2026 criteria may differ from the 2028 mandate. The practical reading: insulating now earns the higher tier today and prepares the home for the rule that follows. Homes built after 2010, or that completed a NYSERDA or utility weatherization program, already have a path into the current tier.

Before the date:

• Ask your contractor whether your home qualifies for the Weatherized Tier today.
• Price insulation and air sealing alongside the heat pump, in that order.

Source: NYS Clean Heat, contractor working group summary (March 12, 2026) and stakeholder materials. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: New York rebates.

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Mid-April 2029: The window to amend a 2025 return for a missed energy credit closes

If you installed a heat pump, insulation, geothermal or solar in 2025 and filed without claiming the credit, Form 1040-X can still recover it — but not indefinitely. The IRS instructions allow a refund claim within three years after the date you filed the original return, including extensions, or within two years after you paid the tax, whichever is later. A 2025 return filed early or on time is treated as filed on April 15, 2026, so for most filers the window closes three years later, in mid-April 2029. April 15, 2029 falls on a Sunday, and the IRS generally treats a deadline that lands on a weekend as met on the next business day — but do not plan around the last day. If you filed on extension, the clock starts on the day the IRS received your return: a return filed on October 15, 2026 can be amended until October 2029. The IRS status tool starts showing an amended return about three weeks after filing.

Before the date:

• Check your 2025 return: if Form 5695 is missing and you had 2025 installations, gather invoices and the QMID.
• File Form 1040-X well before the window closes.

Source: IRS, Instructions for Form 1040-X (Rev. December 2025); IRS Topic 308. Verified September 25, 2026. Program details: heat pump tax credit 2026.

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Colorado small multifamily HEAR and HER: promised for 2026, no date yet

The Colorado Energy Office says HEAR rebates for small multifamily buildings and Home Efficiency Rebates (HER) for manufactured and mobile homes and large multifamily buildings will be available in 2026. No opening date has been published. The promise has already slipped: the office’s own FAQ still says multifamily HEAR would open in early 2026 and HER in the first quarter of 2026, and neither had opened when we checked on September 25. HER is the program to watch for mobile-home owners — our Colorado page details amounts of up to $16,000 below 80% of Area Median Income, and households above 150% AMI in manufactured homes can still qualify. Both programs will launch under the federal rules in DOE Program Notice 26-2, which ended HEEHR rebates for replacing fossil-fuel equipment. Single-family HEAR is closed statewide. We will add firm dates here the day the office publishes them.

Source: Colorado Energy Office, Home Energy Rebate Program page and FAQ. Checked September 25, 2026. Details: Colorado rebates.

Washington HARP and HOMES: step 5 of 7, no launch date

Washington’s federal Home Energy Rebates — HARP (the state’s name for HEEHR) and HOMES — have no launch date. The Department of Commerce’s official page, re-read on September 27, 2026, places the programs at step 5 of its 7-step timeline: Commerce and the statewide administrator, Guidehouse, are setting up delivery operations and waiting for the DOE’s approval to launch (step 6). Commerce states the rebates will not be retroactive, so equipment bought now cannot be claimed later. Until step 7, the doors that are open are the state-funded HEAR program, Seattle Clean Heat and utility rebates such as Chelan PUD, PSE and Snohomish PUD — all on our Washington page. We will add a date here the day Commerce publishes one.

Source: Washington State Department of Commerce, IRA Home Energy Rebates page. Checked September 27, 2026. Details: Washington rebates.

Maryland HEAR and HERO: conditionally approved, no launch date

Maryland’s federal home energy rebates — HEAR, and HERO, the state’s name for HOMES — have no launch date. The Maryland Energy Administration says the Department of Energy has conditionally approved both applications, but further DOE approvals are required before funding arrives and the programs can launch. Its most recent update, dated June 9, 2026, says MEA is reviewing the new program guidance DOE issued on June 1 and will update its page as information becomes available. MEA’s program FAQ states that HEAR rebates cannot be provided retroactively, so work finished before launch will not qualify later. For a household planning a heat pump now, the practical consequence is simple: EmPOWER Maryland pays today, and its current program cycle ends on December 31, 2026. You can subscribe to MEA’s email alerts from its rebate page to hear about a launch the day it is announced.

Source: Maryland Energy Administration, IRA Home Energy Rebate Programs. Checked September 26, 2026. Details: Maryland rebates.

Montana HEEHR and HOMES: planning paused, application to be resubmitted, no launch date

Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality runs the state’s two federal home energy rebate programs, HEEHR and HOMES, and says neither is available. DEQ submitted its implementation application in November 2024 and received a conditional award in January 2025, but it cannot use the funds until DOE approves the application, which remains pended. Design work was paused in February 2025 so DOE could rewrite its guidance; DOE issued an initial revised overview on June 1, 2026, with more detail promised. DEQ says it will then resume planning with its contractor, revise and resubmit the application, and launch only after final approval. When HEEHR opens, it will run under DOE Program Notice 26-2: heating, cooling and appliance rebates only for upgrades from existing electric equipment, and insulation first. No date has been announced; DEQ offers an email sign-up for updates on its program page.

Source: Montana Department of Environmental Quality — Home Energy Rebates Program. Checked September 27, 2026. Details: Montana rebates.

Texas HOMES and HEAR: in design, no launch date, no approved contractors

Texas received $690 million for its two federal home energy rebate programs, and the State Energy Conservation Office says neither is available yet. Its status section, dated May 19, 2026 when we read it on September 26, says the programs are in planning and design and that a future launch date will be established once the state has approval from the Department of Energy. SECO hired APTIM Federal Services in April 2026 to help design and implement them. The office also warns that there are no approved contractors for these programs and strongly advises against entering into any agreement associated with them until they formally launch and a contractor list is published. As planned, HOMES will pay up to $8,000 depending on income and expected savings, and HEAR up to $14,000 per income-qualified household, under the federal rules of DOE Program Notice 26-2. You can join SECO’s mailing list from its rebate page.

Source: Texas Comptroller, State Energy Conservation Office — HOMES and HEAR Rebate Programs. Checked September 26, 2026. Details: Texas rebates.