Heat pump rebates in Rhode Island (2026)

A state-sponsored programme from the RI Office of Energy Resources, implemented by InClime.

• Air source, air-to-water and ground source heat pumps — “60% of Heat Pump system and install cost. These incentives are capped at $11,500.” That is a lifetime limit per address for space heating.
• Heat pump water heaters — a flat $2,500 per system
• $18,000 total cap per address across all Clean Heat RI incentives

Income limits — household income must be below 150% of State Median Income: $124,950 (1 person), $142,800 (2), $160,650 (3), $178,500 (4), $192,780 (5), $207,060 (6), $221,340 (7), $235,620 (8). Verification is via SNAP, LIHEAP, the RI Energy Discount Rate, or iVerify.

Conditions worth knowing:

• Your existing heating must be “natural gas, propane, or oil”
• “Partial displacement allowed (whole-home conversion not required)” — you do not have to rip everything out
• From 1 January 2026, equipment using R-410A refrigerant is ineligible. This is a real trap if a contractor is clearing old stock.
• Homes built 2024–2026 are excluded from the 2026 programme

Important: the earlier all-income version of this programme is gone. Clean Heat RI states plainly: “this program closed as of Dec 2025.” Only the income-qualified pathway remains.

The regulated utility programme, and the amount depends on what you are replacing:

• Replacing electric baseboard: “an Enhanced Rebate of $1,500 per ton when you install a high-efficiency heat pump that provides both heating and cooling”, plus “zero-interest loans of up to $25,000”
• Replacing gas, oil or propane: “the Standard Rebate of up to $625 per ton”

From 1 January 2026 equipment must meet ENERGY STAR 6.1 Cold Climate criteria on the RI Energy/NEEP qualified list, and high-GWP refrigerants such as R-410A “will no longer qualify for utility or state Heat Pump incentives”.

This one catches people. Rhode Island’s HEAR programme does not fund space-heating heat pumps. Its eligible products are “ENERGY STAR electric cooking appliances, ENERGY STAR electric heat pump clothes dryers, electrical wiring work, and electric load service center upgrades” — a heat pump dryer is covered, your heating system is not. That is what Clean Heat RI is for.

It is also a geographically limited pilot: currently “limited to the following municipalities — Pawtucket, East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Little Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, and Jamestown.” It runs “through September 2031 or until program funds run out”.

The related HER programme is not launched — “pending U.S. Department of Energy approval”, and aimed at multifamily properties.

• The Office of Energy Resources’ own incentives page lists air source heat pumps at “$150-1,000 per ton”, which contradicts Rhode Island Energy’s current published $625 / $1,500 per ton. We have used the utility’s own figures, as it is the body paying.
• The same OER page still describes the federal 25C credit as running to 2032. It ended with 2025.

Clean Heat RI puts it better than we could: “Information found on other websites, calculators, or AI tools may be outdated or incorrect. Only incentives listed on this page are official and will be honored.” Good advice — including about us. Always click through to the source.

• Clean Heat Rhode Island — incentives (60% / $11,500 cap, income limits, R-410A rule)
• RI Office of Energy Resources — Clean Heat RI
• Rhode Island Energy — electric heating and cooling rebates (per-ton amounts, 2026 eligibility)
• RI OER — Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) scope and pilot municipalities

Programmes change without notice. If a figure here is out of date, tell us — we fix it and change the date at the top.