Decisions Money and rules Both sides
Take a rebate now or wait for better money?
Take what is open now or Wait for HARP and HOMES
Compared by the people who run this site. Updated . Rebates and prices checked November 3, 2026.
Whether to take a rebate or wait comes down to what is open today: take a utility or local rebate that fits your house, and don't hold a failing system for money with no launch date. Federal tax credits ended with 2025 installs, and Washington's federal-funded rebates have not launched, as of November 2026.
The verdict, by situation
If you heat with baseboards or an electric furnace and your utility has an offer
Take it now. Most offers below are written for existing electric heat, and no announced program is better than one you can claim.
If your system is failing or already dead
Don't wait. HARP and HOMES have no launch date, and those rebates are "not retroactive," so a job done now won't qualify later.
If your income is at or under 150% of area median and nothing is urgent
Check HEAR first, then decide. State HEAR money runs through local administrators with their own amounts, so a working system buys you time to ask.
If you heat with oil in Seattle
Move before May 30, 2027. The Clean Heat bonus requires completed installation by then, for households at 81% to 150% AMI.
If you were waiting for a tax credit on a 2026 install
Stop waiting. The IRS says the credit is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
If you are on Avista in Spokane
Call before you plan on a rebate. Avista's page shows no heat pump amount (archived copy, June 2026), so confirm with the utility; see the Spokane furnace page.
Side by side
| Compare | Take what is open now | Wait for HARP and HOMES |
|---|---|---|
| Status, November 2026 | Utility offers listed; HEAR active through local administrators | Step 5 of 7, "program operation preparation" |
| Launch date | Already running | None given |
| Income limit | Most utility offers none; HEAR 150% AMI or less | Up to 150% AMI |
| Amounts | Printed by each utility; HEAR set locally | "Rebate amounts vary"; no figures on the page |
| Work done early | Rules vary; some pre-approval | "Rebates are not retroactive" |
| Covers | Heat pumps, weatherization, some wiring | Wiring, panels, insulation, air sealing, ventilation, appliances, heat pumps |
Sources under the table: Commerce IRA rebates, Commerce HEAR. The Commerce pages show no per-administrator open or closed status, so the only test is to ask. Commerce says DOE changed program guidance on June 1 and that it is evaluating how those changes affect the program.
What would change the answer
- A launch date appears on the Commerce page. Even then, you must apply and be approved first.
- Your local HEAR administrator says funds are open and your income fits. HEAR may then be worth a short delay.
- Your utility changes its offer. The numbers below are dated.
- The old equipment gets worse. A dead furnace in January beats any rebate calculation.
- You find your starting heat doesn't fit. PSE's offer, for example, needs electric resistance as primary heat, which pushes gas homes to a different line.
- Your low income qualifies you for free work. Seattle, Snohomish and Clark all list free routes.
What it costs, with dates
Here is the money as printed, as of November 2026. No official installed-price figure turned up, so the table shows offers, not net costs. Get written bids that itemize equipment, labor, electrical, permits, the rebate applied and who files it.
Heat pump offers by utility
| Utility | Offer | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| PSE | Electric resistance to heat pump $1,500; Efficiency Boost $2,400 by income (archived copy, May 2026), confirm with the utility | Trade Ally or REP; apply within 30 days of purchase; no self-install, no new construction |
| PSE, gas | $4,000 for income-qualified gas customers (archived copy, May 2026), confirm with the utility | Trade Ally or REP; old gas equipment removed or decommissioned |
| Seattle City Light | Instant discount $300, $400 or $600 by HSPF2 through distributors | DIY not eligible |
| City of Seattle, oil | $2,000 instant; bonus $4,000 at 81% to 150% AMI, up to $6,000 total, for installs completed by May 30, 2027 | A qualifying heat pump from the program's list, participating contractor |
| Tacoma Power | Ductless $1,000 (up to 4 units), $650 (5 or more); air-source $1,000; variable-speed $2,000 replacing an electric furnace | Participating contractor; no DIY or new construction |
| Snohomish PUD | Ducted conversion $1,800; inverter-driven $2,500; no ductless amount shown | Registered contractor; electric as primary heat |
| Clark Public Utilities | Ducted $500 to $1,250 by starting system; ductless $900 | Licensed contractor; no self-install |
| Avista | No heat pump amount shown (archived copy, June 2026), confirm with the utility | Ask Avista directly |
Sources: PSE conversion (archived copy, May 2026), PSE gas (archived copy, May 2026), City Light, Seattle Clean Heat, Tacoma, Snohomish, Clark ducted, Clark ductless, Avista (archived copy, June 2026). Conditions and contacts are collected on your utility's page.
Who does the work
A contractor on your utility's own list is usually the first requirement, ahead of price. Pick from that list, then confirm active registration on L&I's tool, and see who pulls the permit for the paperwork. Your job is to get the rebate in writing, keep invoices, and note any filing deadline. Self-installs lose the rebate at PSE (archived copy, May 2026), so confirm with the utility; the same goes for Seattle City Light, Tacoma and Clark.
Can you still get a federal tax credit for a 2026 heat pump?
No. The IRS FAQ says "The credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025."
Paying in 2025 for a 2026 install does not help, because the IRS treats the expense as made when the original installation is completed. Some government pages still describe the old credit, so go by the IRS wording.
Is HEAR the same thing as HARP and HOMES?
No, and the difference matters. State HEAR is running now through local administrators, for households at 150% of area median income or less, renters included. It covers heat pumps and "Electric panel and wiring upgrades required for installation of new electric equipment."
Commerce's page prints no dollar amounts and warns "Not all program administrators offer rebates based on the eligibility criteria listed above." Its award list includes King County, Seattle, Tacoma, Pierce County, Spokane County and Vancouver, among 40 local administrators. If yours isn't listed, the page says the contract may not be final or no one was awarded your area.
HARP and HOMES are the federal-funded track. Don't budget for them. Commerce points low-income households to state Weatherization, LIHEAP and the Home Rehabilitation Grant Program.
What can cost you a rebate you thought you had?
Mostly order and paperwork, and the order differs by program:
- HARP and HOMES: apply and be approved first.
- Tacoma's 0% loan: pre-approval.
- PSE: apply within 30 days of purchase (archived copy, May 2026), and confirm with the utility.
- Almost everywhere: the wrong contractor, or a house whose current heat doesn't match the offer.
So get the answer in writing before you sign. The starting page and running cost comparison show where this fits.
What people ask next
Does a propane or oil home get a utility heat pump rebate outside Seattle?
We found no PSE oil or propane conversion rebate. Tacoma lists $1,000 for a variable-speed system replacing non-electric heat, as of November 2026.
What if I'm already replacing a heat pump?
Offers shrink. Tacoma lists $1,000 for a variable-speed unit replacing a heat pump and nothing for an existing ductless one, and Clark lists $500 for a heat pump to central variable speed.
Can a new house get these rebates?
PSE (archived copy, May 2026, so confirm with the utility) and Tacoma both exclude new construction. See the new build page.
Decide next
Should you insulate first or replace the equipment first?
- Insulate and seal first
- A working system in a house with a thin attic or leaks
- Equipment first
- A failed system, or a baseboard house already well insulated
Ductless heat pump or keep the baseboard heaters?
- Ductless heat pump, baseboards stay
- West side electric homes with an open main living area
- Baseboards alone
- Small or lightly heated homes, or homes that lean on wood
Stay on heating oil, or switch to a heat pump?
- Stay on oil for now
- A sound newer furnace and no tank trouble
- Switch to a heat pump
- Seattle homes eligible for Clean Heat, and homes with worn oil furnaces
Where this came from
- IRS: FAQs on modification of sections 25C and 25D, checked November 3, 2026.
- Washington Commerce: HEAR, checked November 3, 2026.
- Washington Commerce: IRA Home Energy Rebates, checked November 3, 2026.
- PSE: Electric resistance to heat pump rebate (archived copy, May 2026), checked November 3, 2026.
- PSE: Gas customer heat pump rebate (archived copy, May 2026), checked November 3, 2026.
- Seattle City Light: Home energy solutions, checked November 3, 2026.
- City of Seattle: Clean Heat program, checked November 3, 2026.
- Tacoma Power: Heat pumps, checked November 3, 2026.
- Snohomish County PUD: Heating rebates, checked November 3, 2026.
- Clark Public Utilities: Heat pump program, checked November 3, 2026.
- Clark Public Utilities: Ductless heat pump program, checked November 3, 2026.
- Avista: Single-family rebates (archived copy, June 2026), checked November 3, 2026.
- L&I: Verify a contractor, checked November 3, 2026.