Your 2026 HVAC rebate & upgrade options, sorted out in one visit

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC and HPWH (replacing gas or electric resistance), plus wiring/panel add-ons and city-funded adders in some cities

Details: Combined rebates across multiple appliance upgrades can reach up to $13,000. HP HVAC $2,000 standard / $3,000 income-qualified (replacing gas); $500 / $1,500 (replacing electric resistance). HPWH $2,500 / $3,500 (gas); $1,000 / $2,000 (electric resistance). From September to October 2026, get an extra $500 on a heat pump water heater on top of the base rebate. Core prewiring/wiring/circuit splitter-pauser rebate $500 per circuit up to $2,000 ($750 up to $3,000 income-qualified). Add-on rebates (require an SVCE core appliance rebate): electrical infrastructure/panel upgrade $1,000; prewiring EV charging circuit $500; All-Electric Bonus for gas meter removal $500. City adders stack on top in some SVCE cities: Milpitas +$850 HPWH / +$2,500 HP HVAC / +$250 panel / +$500 induction cooktop; Mountain View +$2,000 HPWH (gas) / +$500 HPWH (electric); Sunnyvale +$1,000 HP HVAC / +$1,500 income-qualified HVAC. Los Altos: extra city funds are no longer available. Reserve before install for core rebates

Eligibility: SVCE electric customer: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, unincorporated Santa Clara County. Excludes San Jose, City of Santa Clara, Palo Alto

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC and HPWH (replacing gas), plus electrical and weatherization add-ons

Details: HP HVAC $1,500 standard / $2,500 Environmental Justice Communities; HPWH $3,000 standard / $4,000 EJC, including a $500 bonus for applications September 1 through October 31, 2026. Add-on tier (requires a core HP-HVAC or HPWH rebate): electric service panel upgrade $1,000 / $2,000 EJC; attic insulation $0.75/sq ft up to $700 ($1,000 EJC), must pair with HP-HVAC; EV/dryer/cooking circuit prewiring $500 / $750 EJC each; circuit pauser/splitter device $250. Battery storage is no longer accepting new applications; applications submitted before July 1 follow the eligibility requirements in place at that time. Reserve before install (120-day window)

Eligibility: SJCE customer, City of San Jose; replace a gas appliance

What it covers: Interest-free financing for heat pump HVAC, heat pump water heater, or battery storage installs

Details: Borrow up to $5,000 at 0% interest with no money down, over a term of up to 5 years, to help cover a heat pump HVAC, heat pump water heater, or battery storage project. This Payment Plan is a separate application from the EcoHome Rebate, so apply for both if you want the rebate and the financing.

Eligibility: Current San Jose Clean Energy customers. Apply separately from your EcoHome Rebate application.

What it covers: Bill credits and a signup bonus for enrolling a home battery in demand response

Details: Enroll your battery and SJCE automatically manages it each evening when energy is needed most, saving you money on your bill while paying you for the adjustment. You can earn up to $240 just for signing up, plus ongoing bill credits. Twenty percent of your battery’s capacity always stays in reserve for backup power. If you received a battery storage rebate through EcoHome, this enrollment is required.

Eligibility: San Jose Clean Energy customers with a home battery storage system. Required for anyone who received an EcoHome battery storage rebate.

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC, HPWH, and electrical panel

Details: HP HVAC $1,500, replacing a gas heater or furnace; limit two HP HVAC rebates per electric account. HPWH replacing a gas water heater: limited-time offer, up to $4,000, for installations completed Sept 1-Oct 31, 2026; limit two HPWH rebates per electric account. HPWH $500, replacing an electric resistance water heater, same two-per-account limit. Electrical panel upgrade $1,000, one per electric account. Smart load management devices $500 each, up to two per electric account. CARE/FERA bonus +$1,000 per measure, max $4,000 per electric account. Menlo Park residents +$1,500 while state grant funds last. WestLight does not offer rebate reservations; apply within 90 days of installation completion. An optional 0% interest loan is available when you use a loan-approved contractor.

Eligibility: Must be an active WestLight Energy customer and the legal owner of the property, meeting all rebate requirements. Income-qualified customers may receive no-cost installations. Only cities and towns within WestLight Energy’s service area qualify.

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC and HPWH (replacing gas or electric resistance)

Details: HP HVAC $2,500 standard / $5,000 for income-eligible residents. HPWH $3,500 (replace gas) / $500 (replace electric resistance), plus a limited-time +$500 bonus for switches between July 1 and October 31, 2026. Gas Meter Removal incentive $2,500. Electrical panel upgrade $1,000 standard / $2,000 for income-eligible residents. Attic/roof insulation $0.75/sq ft up to $1,000. Prewiring, wiring, circuit splitter/pauser devices and subpanel installation: $1,000 per circuit for heat pump water heater projects, $500 per circuit or device for other add-ons; one subpanel rebate and up to two circuit splitter/pauser rebates per household. Permit fee rebate up to $662 per eligible permit ($1,000 for an electrical panel upgrade permit, income-eligible residents only). Ask about a CPAU Instant Rebate Partner contractor: they apply your rebate as an instant discount at point of sale and handle the paperwork for you. Reserve before install; funds hold for 120 days.

Eligibility: Palo Alto resident with active CPAU electric and gas service

What it covers: HPWH, HVAC tune-up, blower door test, attic insulation, electrical add-ons

Details: HVAC Heat Pump (replace gas furnace) $3,000 per ton up to $10,000, plus $500 FRAP and $500 LIHEAP. HVAC Heat Pump (replace electric resistance) $1,000 per system, plus $500 FRAP and $500 LIHEAP. HPWH $5,500 (replace gas), up to $6,500 income-qualified (FRAP $500 + LIHEAP $500). HPWH $500 (replace electric resistance), up to $1,000 income-qualified (FRAP $250 + LIHEAP $250). HVAC tune-up up to $75. Blower door test add-on $200 for every ACH50 point reduced. Insulation add-on $1.00/sq ft up to $5,000. Electrical add-ons (require an SVP electrification rebate already in progress): new circuits prewired for future electric appliances $500/circuit, max $2,000 for 4 circuits (+$250 FRAP and +$250 LIHEAP per circuit, up to $1,000 for 4); circuit pausers/splitters $50 (+$50 FRAP +$50 LIHEAP). ENERGY STAR + permit required. First-come.

Eligibility: City of Santa Clara resident receiving electricity from Silicon Valley Power

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC and HPWH

Details: 3CE pays rebates for replacing a gas, propane or wood heater with a heat pump HVAC system, and a gas or propane water heater with a heat pump water heater. A pre-wiring rebate pairs with either. 3CE’s current amounts, standard and income-qualified, are in the rebate table on its program page, effective October 1, 2026. One rebate per outdoor unit, limit two HP HVAC rebates per electric account per fiscal year, and limit one HPWH rebate per electric account per fiscal year. Applications for installations between August 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027 must be submitted by September 30, 2027, and are processed in the order received, subject to available funding.

Eligibility: 3CE residential customers in Santa Cruz County. The heat pump must replace a gas, propane, wood or other non-electric appliance; dual-fuel systems with gas backup do not qualify. HP HVAC units must be ENERGY STAR certified or meet the efficiency standards ENERGY STAR uses, and single-family water heaters must be ENERGY STAR certified. Proof of a permit is required. Income-qualified amounts are for households enrolled in CARE or FERA, or with income under 3CE’s limit for their household size.

What it covers: Portable heat pump heating and cooling units

Details: 3CE pays a rebate for a portable heat pump that heats as well as cools, and it can sit alongside your current heater. Check the rebate table on 3CE’s program page before you buy: it gives the current amount and which homes qualify. One rebate per unit, limit one per account per fiscal year.

Eligibility: 3CE residential customers in Santa Cruz County, in the homes 3CE’s rebate table lists, so check it before you buy. The unit must heat as well as cool; cooling-only units do not qualify. No permit is needed, and it can’t be combined with 3CE’s pre-wiring rebate.

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC, only when replacing a wood-burning device

Details: $5,000 for an electric heat pump replacing a wood stove, insert, or fireplace. Income-qualified: low-income households and residents of designated disadvantaged communities. Estimate must be dated on or after 2025-09-03 by an authorized installer. All projects require a local building permit and a final permit; self-installation is prohibited, the device must be installed by an MBARD-approved licensed dealer.

Eligibility: Homeowner in Santa Cruz, Monterey, or San Benito County, replacing a functioning open hearth fireplace, woodstove, or wood burning insert manufactured prior to July 1988 and used as the home’s primary heat source; income or DAC qualified. This is the Santa Cruz analogue to BAAQMD Clean HEET (Santa Cruz is in MBARD, not BAAQMD).

What it covers: New-construction all-electric incentives (HPWH controller, smart panel/HEMS, battery storage)

Details: New-construction all-electric incentive: $2,500 per unit for single-family, duplex, triplex, or townhome at the Market Rate tier, rising to $3,000 per unit for disadvantaged-community or hard-to-reach projects. Multifamily/condo/ADU gets $1,400 per unit market rate or $1,750 DAC; manufactured housing gets $5,000 or $5,500 DAC. Add-on bonuses stack on top: up to $1,500 for a smart panel or home energy management system, $600 for a heat pump water heater controller, and battery storage at $250/kWh ($300/kWh in all-electric reach-code jurisdictions). All-electric new construction only, not retrofits. Rates are the same through 2028 and incentives run first-come, first-served.

Eligibility: All three counties

What it covers: Standard central or room AC that is not a heat pump

Details: No utility, CCA, or federal program rebates replacing a standard non-heat-pump AC in 2026. The federal central-AC credit expired 2025-12-31. Closest help: SVP HVAC tune-up up to $75. The statewide Golden State Rebates program has ended, so the former $40 instant room-AC rebate is gone. The real rebate money is in converting to a heat pump ($1,500-$6,500+ depending on city).

Eligibility: All three counties

What it covers: Heat pump HVAC

Details: HP HVAC $3,000 per ton, max $10,000 (replace gas furnace). $1,000 per system (replace electric resistance). Income-qualified bonus +$500 FRAP and +$500 LIHEAP per system (up to $11,000 total when maxed). HVAC Tune-Up $75. Rebates up to $600 paid as a bill credit, over $600 by check; allow 2 to 3 billing cycles. Licensed or qualified contractor labor only.

Eligibility: City of Santa Clara resident receiving electricity from Silicon Valley Power

What it covers: No-cost energy and decarbonization retrofits for low-income households

Details: The CEC’s Equitable Building Decarbonization Direct Install Program provides and installs energy-efficient upgrades for low-income households at no cost, through three regional administrators. The Association for Energy Affordability covers the Northern Region. The program is supported by a combination of state funds and federal HOMES funds: California will allocate $142.3 million of its HOMES rebate funds to it, though DOE has not yet approved California to offer HOMES rebates.

Eligibility: Low-income households working through the regional program administrator for their area. Contact the program to confirm eligibility for your address.