Every HVAC rebate in Eastern NC, on one page.
The rules changed a lot between 2025 and 2026. The federal tax credit ended, the state rebates got bigger, and what you qualify for now depends on your income and on which power lines happen to run to your house. Here is the whole picture, checked against the program sources as of July 2026.
First, the bad news: the federal tax credit is gone.
The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C), the “30%, up to $2,000” credit you may remember, ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025. Systems installed in 2026 do not earn a federal tax credit. If a company's ad or quote still promises one, be careful about the rest of their advice too. The programs below are current, real, and in several cases worth more than the old credit ever was.
Energy Saver NC: up to $8,000 toward a heat pump
North Carolina's Home Energy Rebates program has been live in all 100 counties since February 2026, and it is the largest HVAC incentive this region has ever seen. It pays income-qualified households up to $8,000 toward an ENERGY STAR heat pump, capped at $14,000 total per home. A separate whole-home track called HOMES pays up to $16,000 for qualifying efficiency packages that can include duct sealing and insulation along with the HVAC work.
Now the fine print that matters. Since May 2026, the rebates apply to electric-to-electric replacements: an old heat pump, electric furnace, or strip heat, replaced with a new efficient heat pump. Homes heating with natural gas or propane no longer qualify for conversion rebates under the current federal guidance. If your home already heats with electricity, and a large share of homes in our five counties do, the program was practically written for you.
- Income limits vary by county and household size. Plenty of two-earner households qualify at the 50% tier without realizing it, and checking takes a few minutes.
- The install must be done by a contractor registered with the NC DEQ program. Ask for registration status in writing before you sign with anyone.
- Renters can qualify with landlord approval. Owners of manufactured homes qualify too.
- The funding is committed but not unlimited. The program runs until the money is gone, so waiting has a cost.
Your utility pays you too, if you know which one you have
Electric service around here is a patchwork: a city utility, three co-ops, and Duke, with rebates that change street by street. These stack on top of Energy Saver NC, up to the total cost of your project.
City of New Bern Electric
- $100 per ton, up to $400, for replacement central heat pumps with strips (min 15.2 SEER2, ≥1 ton)
- $150 for qualifying high-efficiency electric water heaters
Tideland EMC
- $100 bill credit: 16 SEER air-source heat pump
- $150 bill credit: 17+ SEER air-source heat pump
- $400: geothermal or dual-fuel heat pump (15 SEER min)
- $100: variable-capacity “hyper-heat” whole-house heat pump
- $350: heat pump water heater
- Requires installer’s Manual J load calculation with the rebate form
Jones-Onslow EMC
- Heat pump rebate for ENERGY STAR units, minimum 16 SEER / 15.2 SEER2 (existing homes). Confirm the current amount with JOEMC.
- $300: heat pump water heater (≤55 gal)
- ENERGY STAR appliance bill credits
Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative
- $300: ENERGY STAR heat pump water heater
- Connect My Thermostat: $50 enrollment + $50/year bill credit (Nest, ecobee, Honeywell)
Duke Energy Progress
- Smart $aver rebates for qualifying high-efficiency heat pump replacements
- Larger rebates when replacing electric strip/resistance heat
- Amounts are tiered and change. We confirm current figures with every quote.
Not sure which utility you have?
Bring a power bill to your free estimate, or just tell us your road. We match every quote to your utility's current program and your Energy Saver NC eligibility, then handle the paperwork with the install.
Program details verified against NC DEQ, DOE guidance, and utility program pages as of July 2026. Rebate programs change, and some pause when funds run low. Amounts and eligibility are always confirmed against current program rules in your written quote before you commit to anything.
Rebate questions, answered straight
Is the federal HVAC tax credit still available in 2026?
No. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C) ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025, so systems installed in 2026 do not qualify. Any ad still promising a "30% federal tax credit" is out of date. What replaced it is worth a look, though: for many North Carolina households the state and utility programs now pay more than the old credit ever did.
How much is the Energy Saver NC heat pump rebate?
Up to $8,000 toward a qualifying ENERGY STAR heat pump for income-eligible households, capped at $14,000 in total rebates per home. Households under 80% of area median income can have up to the full project cost covered. Between 80% and 150% of AMI, up to half. Above 150%, the program does not apply. The income limits change by county and household size, and we can tell you where you land in about five minutes.
Does replacing my old heat pump with a new one qualify?
Usually, yes, and this is the part that surprises people. Under the rules in effect since May 2026, the rebates cover electric-to-electric replacements: an old heat pump, electric furnace, or baseboard/strip heat replaced with a new efficient heat pump. If your home already heats with electricity, you fit. Conversions from natural gas, propane, or oil no longer qualify under the current federal guidance. If that describes your house, your utility may still have rebates of its own, and we will check.
Can I combine state and utility rebates?
Yes. Utility rebates from New Bern, Tideland, JOEMC, or Duke stack on top of Energy Saver NC, up to the total cost of the project. The one thing you cannot do is combine the two state programs, HEAR and HOMES, on the same piece of work. We figure out the best stack for your address and income as part of every replacement quote, and we handle the paperwork.
Why does my installer have to be "registered" for me to get the state rebate?
Energy Saver NC only pays rebates on installs done by contractors registered with the NC Department of Environmental Quality. It is a consumer-protection rule, and it has teeth: the wrong installer means no rebate. Before you sign with anyone, ask them to confirm their registration status in writing.
Find out what your address qualifies for.
Give us five minutes, a power bill, and your household size, and we can tell you what the state and your utility will pay toward a new system. In writing, before you spend anything.
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