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NH Saves Rebates for Heat Pumps, A/C, and Water Heaters

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Utility rebates change the math on a heating or cooling replacement more than most homeowners expect, and the money is real: a heat pump replacing electric resistance heat can qualify for thousands of dollars in New Hampshire this year. What trips people up is the paperwork sequence, because several of these rebates require approval before the equipment is purchased.

This page lays out what NH Saves pays in the 2026 program year, what the equipment has to meet to qualify, and when the applications are due. Total Climate Control installs heat pumps, central A/C, and water heaters throughout New Hampshire, and we handle the rebate paperwork as part of the job. Rebate amounts and requirements are set by the utilities and change between program years, so confirm the current figures before you commit to equipment.

Who Runs NH Saves and Who Qualifies

NH Saves is the state’s utility energy efficiency program. It is “funded by electric and natural gas ratepayers and delivered by Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and Unitil.”1 Which utility serves your address determines which rebates you can claim and what the equipment has to meet, and that distinction matters more than it sounds, as the requirements differ between the three larger utilities and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative.

You qualify as a residential customer of a participating utility. Beyond that, most equipment rebates require professional installation, and some require approval before purchase.

What NH Saves Pays for Heat Pumps

Heat pump rebates are calculated per ton of cooling capacity rather than as a flat amount, so the size of the system determines the payment. NH Saves defines the tonnage as the cooling capacity rated by AHRI, the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, divided by 12,000, and rebates are limited to 5 tons per account.2

Ducted and Ductless Heat Pumps

For Eversource, Liberty, and Unitil customers, both ducted and ductless air-source heat pumps earn $250 per ton. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative members receive the same $250 per ton.2

Replacing Electric Resistance Heat

This is the rebate worth planning around, and it applies to both ducted and ductless air-source heat pumps. An enhanced amount is available to customers who heat primarily with working, permanent electric resistance heat, and the amount stepped up partway through 2026: $1,250 per ton for installations from January 1 through March 22, 2026, and $2,000 per ton from March 23 through December 31, 2026. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative members are at $2,000 per ton for the same measure.2

Pre-verification is required for the enhanced rebate.2 In practice that means the paperwork has to be started before the work, not after, which is a common way homeowners lose this money.

Central Air Conditioning and Thermostats

A central air conditioner earns $70 per ton and must be ENERGY STAR certified. A Wi-Fi thermostat earns $85 per unit, but only when it is installed with a qualifying heat pump system. That one is limited to one thermostat per heat pump zone per account, and the rebate cannot exceed the purchase price.2

The Real SEER2 Thresholds, and the 17 SEER2 Question

If you have been told you need 17 SEER2 equipment to qualify for an NH Saves rebate, we cannot find that figure anywhere in the current program materials.2 The highest published SEER2 threshold in the residential program is 16.0. The number may be a holdover from an older rebate written against the previous SEER rating system, which SEER2 replaced for equipment manufactured on or after January 1, 2023.6 Either way, do not use it to select equipment.

Four metrics do the work here, and they measure different things. SEER2, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2, measures cooling efficiency across a season. EER2, the Energy Efficiency Ratio 2, measures it at a single hot-weather design condition instead. HSPF2, the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor 2, measures heating efficiency across a season. The COP, or coefficient of performance, at 5°F is the one that matters most in a New Hampshire winter, because it describes how much heat the unit delivers per unit of electricity when it is genuinely cold out.

Here is what the program actually requires. For Eversource, Liberty, and Unitil customers, the equipment must appear on the NH Saves Heat Pump Qualified Product List rather than meeting a published SEER2 number. 2,5 For New Hampshire Electric Cooperative members, the thresholds are stated directly2
  • Ducted air-source heat pump: SEER2 of at least 15.2, EER2 at least 10.0, HSPF2 at least 8.1, and a COP of at least 1.75 at 5°F.
  • Ductless air-source heat pump: SEER2 of at least 16.0, EER2 at least 9.0, HSPF2 at least 9.5, and a COP of at least 1.75 at 5°F.
  • Central air conditioner: SEER2 of at least 16.0 and EER2 at least 10.0.

Heat Pump and Natural Gas Water Heater Rebates

A heat pump water heater earns $900 for units up to 85 gallons. The equipment must be ENERGY STAR certified and meet a Uniform Energy Factor, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy consumed, of at least 3.30 for integrated models, or at least 2.80 for 120-volt, 15-amp models and split systems. Units must be new, and there is one rebate per unit. Customers who receive the $900 as an instant discount at a participating retailer cannot also claim it by mail, and equipment already receiving a heat pump water heater incentive through another program is excluded. 3

On the gas side, rebates of up to $700 are available for high-efficiency natural gas water heating equipment. Condensing boilers with on-demand hot water and on-demand tankless water heaters are available through both Liberty and Unitil. Storage water heaters, condensing gas water heaters, and indirect water heaters connected to a gas boiler are Liberty only. Installation has to be performed by a licensed heating contractor or plumber, and Liberty natural gas customers may also qualify for 0% on-bill loan financing.4

When Applications Are Due

The dates are firm, and they are not the same for every measure. Heat pump and cooling equipment must be installed between January 1 and December 30, 2026, with applications postmarked by January 30, 2027.2 Note that the installation window closes on December 30, a day earlier than the December 31 end of the enhanced rate period quoted above, so do not schedule an installation for the last day of the year. Heat pump water heaters must be purchased between January 1 and December 31, 2026, with applications postmarked by January 31, 2027.3 Natural gas water heating equipment must be installed during the 2026 calendar year.4

Sequence matters as much as the deadline. The enhanced heat pump rebate requires pre-verification, which has to happen before the installation rather than after.2 Funds are also described as available on a limited basis and subject to change.3 If your project depends on a rebate, start the application before you order equipment.

The Federal 25C Credit Ended After 2025

This is the question we field most often, and the answer has changed. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit under section 25C, which previously covered up to $3,200 a year for heat pumps, air conditioners, and other equipment,7 no longer applies. The IRS states that “the credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025.8

Equipment placed in service in 2026 does not qualify. Utility rebates through NH Saves are unaffected, and for a typical whole-home heat pump project replacing electric resistance heat, the enhanced rebate is now worth more than the federal credit was.

Efficiency Vermont Rebates

We also serve Vermont, where the equivalent program is Efficiency Vermont. As that organization puts it, “Vermont was the first state in the country to create a statewide energy efficiency utility.”9 Current residential rebates start at $1,200 off ducted heat pumps and $375 off ductless heat pumps, with up to $1,000 off heat pump water heaters.10 The structure differs from New Hampshire’s, so if your property is in Windsor, Orange, Washington, Chittenden, or Franklin county, we will work from the Vermont program rather than this one.

Handling the Paperwork With Your Installation

Rebate administration is part of what we do on an installation, not an afterthought. We check which utility serves your address, confirm the equipment is on the applicable qualified product list before we order it, file the pre-verification where the measure requires it, and submit the application with the documentation the program asks for, including model numbers and AHRI ratings.

We are a Mitsubishi Electric Elite Diamond Contractor, the top tier of that manufacturer’s contractor program, and we also install Rheem and Lennox equipment. That matters here for a practical reason: the qualified product lists are specific, and choosing equipment that both suits the house and appears on the list is easier when the installer knows both.

Get Started

Talk Through Your Project

If you are weighing a heat pump, an A/C replacement, or a water heater, connect with our team before you buy so the rebate sequence works in your favor. Use the form below to schedule a visit. Our office is at 197 N Main St, Unit 5&6, Boscawen, NH 03303, and we dispatch from Penacook.

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