What's actually on the table this year, what quietly expired, and how Nashua-area homeowners claim it — checked against the official NHSaves program, August 2026.
📞 Call (603) 506-4389For years, the pitch for a heat pump came with a federal sweetener — the 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, worth 30% of project cost up to $2,000. That credit expired on December 31, 2025, and a system installed in 2026 does not qualify. Plenty of marketing pages haven't caught up; if a website or salesperson promises you a federal heat pump credit this year, that's your cue to check the rest of their math too.
One leftover: if your heat pump was installed in 2025 or earlier, you can still claim the credit for that tax year — it goes on IRS Form 5695 with your federal return.
NHSaves — the joint efficiency program run by New Hampshire's electric utilities — is the real money in 2026, and for one group of homeowners it's substantial:
A typical 3-ton cold-climate system replacing electric baseboard could qualify for 3 × $2,000 = $6,000 back — on a project that often runs in the low-to-mid five figures, that changes the decision. The same system replacing an oil boiler earns the standard rate, 3 × $250 = $750. If your house heats with baseboard electric — common in older Nashua multi-families and converted seasonal homes — 2026 is the year the math tilts hardest in your favor.
Program details shift year to year — the current terms always live at nhsaves.com.
In practice, you don't wrangle most of this paperwork yourself. A licensed installer who works these programs weekly will confirm your utility's current terms, pick equipment that clears the efficiency bar, handle the pre-verification if you're coming off electric heat, and apply any instant discounts at purchase. That's also your protection against the expensive version of this story: a bargain installer who sells you a non-qualifying unit and costs you the entire rebate. Sizing the system correctly (see our installation guide) matters just as much — the rebate is per ton, but an oversized system wastes money for fifteen years.
Nashua HVAC is a referral service: one call connects you with a licensed, insured local contractor who quotes the project with the current incentives already worked in. More on how heat pumps perform in NH winters on our heat pump service page.
Get connected with a licensed local installer who knows the 2026 programs cold.
Call (603) 506-4389No. The federal 25C credit — 30% of project cost up to $2,000 — expired on December 31, 2025, and a heat pump installed in 2026 does not qualify. Systems installed in 2025 or earlier can still be claimed for that tax year on IRS Form 5695.
$250 per ton standard, and up to $2,000 per ton when the heat pump replaces electric resistance heat — that larger rebate requires pre-verification through NHSaves before installation. Capped at 5 tons per account; equipment must meet minimum efficiency specs.
Residential electric customers of Eversource, Liberty, Unitil, or the NH Electric Co-op, installing qualifying equipment. For the 2026 program year: installed by December 30, 2026, forms postmarked by January 30, 2027.
Yes — qualifying mini-splits earn the same per-ton rebates, and replacing electric baseboard with mini-splits is exactly the project the biggest 2026 rebate was designed for. Your installer confirms the model qualifies before you commit.
Tell us about your project and a local pro will follow up quickly.
One number covers the whole list — repair, replacement, and the yearly check that prevents both.