Home / Guides / Mass Save heat pump rebate (2026): whole-home vs partial, QPL, and HPIN installers
Mass Save heat pump rebate (2026): whole-home vs partial, QPL, and HPIN installers
Quick answer. Mass Save air-source heat pump rebates in 2026 are tonnage-based (whole-home, partial-home, and basic), require ENERGY STAR Cold Climate equipment on the Mass Save Qualified Products List, and must be installed by a Heat Pump Installer Network (HPIN) contractor. The 2026 amounts published on Mass Save’s ASHP page (checked 2026-11-03) are $2,650 per ton up to $8,500 for whole-home, $1,125 per ton up to $8,500 for partial-home, and $250 per ton up to $2,500 for basic, with income-based enhanced incentives up to $16,000. Those figures change — re-check the official page before you sign. ElectrifyRadar lists HPIN contractors from the public network file.
What Mass Save published for 2026 (and the 2027 cut)
Figures below are copied from Mass Save’s Air Source Heat Pumps page, checked 2026-11-03. Tons are calculated from AHRI cooling capacity divided by 12,000 BTUs.
| Rebate type (2026) | Amount (as of Nov 2026) | Typical trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-home | $2,650 per ton, up to $8,500 | Heat pumps as the sole heating and cooling source; weatherization rules apply |
| Partial-home | $1,125 per ton, up to $8,500 | Existing boiler or furnace kept as supplement; integrated controls where fossil fuel remains |
| Basic | $250 per ton, up to $2,500 | Not displacing fossil fuel or electric resistance (for example replacing an existing heat pump or conditioning a new addition) |
| Income-based enhanced | Up to $16,000, or up to no cost through Turnkey Services | See MassSave.com/Enhanced; pre-existing fuel must be oil, propane, or electric resistance |
Mass Save also states that for whole-home projects installed on or after 1 January 2027 the rebate falls to $2,350 per ton capped at $7,500, and for partial-home projects on or after that date it falls to $1,000 per ton capped at $7,500. Instant incentives may also be available through the New England Heat Pump Accelerator at nehpa.org; Mass Save notes that NEHPA is not administered by the Mass Save Sponsors.
Steps before you sign a contract
- Confirm your utility is a Mass Save sponsor for the fuel you are displacing. The ASHP page lists Cape Light Compact, Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil on the electric side, and Berkshire Gas, Eversource, Liberty, National Grid, and Unitil on the gas side. Municipal-gas rules differ for basic rebates — read the eligibility section on the official page.
- Schedule a Home Energy Assessment and note weatherization recommendations. Whole-home rebates require sufficient weatherization and a signed Whole-Home Heat Pump Verification Form.
- Get two or three HPIN bids. Mass Save recommends at least 2–3 contractors and publishes “Questions to Ask your Installer.” Start with ElectrifyRadar’s Massachusetts HPIN directory (for example Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, Newton) and confirm each name on the official finder. Use our vetting checklist.
- Confirm models on the QPL and AHRI match. Equipment must meet ENERGY STAR Cold Climate and appear on Mass Save’s Heat Pump Qualified Products List.
- Choose whole-home, partial-home, or basic based on whether fossil backup stays. Partial-home projects that keep propane, oil, or natural gas on a zone need an integrated control from Mass Save’s Integrated Control QPL, set at or below the published switchover temperatures.
- Install, then keep invoices and serial photos. Beginning 1 October 2026, Mass Save requires serial numbers on rebate applications, with a clear photo of each outdoor unit nameplate.
- Submit by the published deadline. For equipment installed between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026, Mass Save says the rebate form and supporting documents must be received by 28 February 2027. Optional financing runs through the HEAT loan portal.
Checklist: what your quote must name
- Whole-home, partial-home, or basic — and why
- Exact outdoor and indoor model numbers plus AHRI reference
- Heating capacity at your town’s outdoor design temperature (see Manual J)
- Whether integrated controls are included (partial-home with fossil backup)
- Who pulls permits and who handles the rebate application
- What happens to the old furnace or boiler (disconnected, removed, or left as emergency backup)
- Electrical panel work, line sets, and condensate drainage as line items
Partial-home bonuses Mass Save listed
Checked 2026-11-03 on the same ASHP page: a $500 weatherization bonus when a Home Energy Assessment and recommended weatherization fall within one year before or up to six months after a partial-home install; and a $500 sizing bonus when heat pumps are sized to meet 90–120% of total heating load at the outdoor design temperature per ACCA Manual J across 100% of conditioned space. The heat pump rebate and each bonus must be applied for together through the online portal, with the load calculation attached for the sizing bonus.
Find HPIN installers on ElectrifyRadar
Our Massachusetts pages republish the Mass Save HPIN spreadsheet (Revised: 10-29-2026). Short rebate facts also live on /us/rebates/ma/. Ownership labels follow our methodology. Cold-climate sizing context is in cold-climate heat pumps.
Sources (as of Nov 2026)
- Mass Save — Air Source Heat Pumps (rebate table, eligibility, 2027 changes, serial-number rule)
- Mass Save — Find a Heat Pump Installer (HPIN)
- New England Heat Pump Accelerator (instant incentives note on the Mass Save page)
- Mass Save HEAT loan portal
Questions
Whole-home vs partial-home — what’s the difference?
On the Mass Save air-source heat pump page checked 2026-11-03, whole-home rebates are for customers who install heat pumps as the sole source for heating and cooling. Partial-home rebates are for customers who keep an existing boiler or furnace to supplement a new heat pump system, and those projects generally need an integrated control from Mass Save’s Integrated Control Qualified Product List where propane, oil, or natural gas will remain in use. Basic rebates cover installs that are not displacing fossil fuel or electric resistance heat. Re-check the official ASHP page before you sign.
Do I need insulation done first?
For the whole-home rebate, Mass Save requires the home to be sufficiently weatherized and a Whole-Home Heat Pump Verification Form to be completed and signed. Sufficient weatherization can be shown by at least one of: the home was built during or after 2000; a Home Energy Assessment report recommends less than $1,000 of weatherization; or weatherization recommendations made during or after 2013 have been completed. Heat pumps that do not meet that weatherization rule may still be eligible for partial-home amounts. Partial-home projects can earn a $500 weatherization bonus when assessment and recommended weatherization fall in the window Mass Save publishes. Details are on Mass Save’s ASHP page.
Does my installer have to be on HPIN?
Yes for these Mass Save air-source heat pump rebates. The program page states that equipment must be installed by a contractor participating in the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network. ElectrifyRadar’s Massachusetts directory is built from that public network file (header Revised: 10-29-2026, checked 2026-11-03). Confirm the company on Mass Save’s installer finder before you rely on a listing.
Where do I check if my model is on the QPL?
Mass Save requires ENERGY STAR Cold Climate equipment and points to the Mass Save Heat Pump Qualified Products List from the ASHP rebate page. Ask every bidder to write the exact outdoor and indoor model numbers and the AHRI reference number on the quote, then match those to the QPL yourself.
How does the Mass Save HEAT loan relate to the rebate?
The rebate and the HEAT loan are separate paths. Mass Save’s program materials point homeowners to the HEAT loan portal at myheatloan.com for financing questions. Loan eligibility, rates, and whether a project can combine both change. Treat the portal and your HPIN contractor as the source of truth; this page is not lending advice.
Last reviewed 2026-11-03. Publisher: ElectrifyRadar.