North Carolina home electrification rebates (2026)

The North Carolina Energy Office (within the NC Department of Environmental Quality) launched HEAR in late 2025 and the program has been operating steadily through 2026. Application paperwork is straightforward, contractor enrollment moved quickly, and there's no backlog of the kind that's plagued some other states' rollouts.

For a state without a state heat pump tax credit and without the loud advocacy infrastructure of the Northeast, NC has quietly become one of the easier places to actually claim HEAR money in 2026.

• Heat pump: Up to $8,000 — income-tiered (100% of cost ≤80% AMI, 50% of cost 80–150% AMI)
• HPWH: Up to $1,750
• Induction stove: Up to $840
• Weatherization: Up to $1,600
• Electrical service / panel upgrade: Up to $4,000
• Household maximum: $14,000 across all upgrades

NC also runs HOMES (Home Energy Performance Rebates) for whole-home retrofits achieving specific energy reduction targets — this is the "performance" track of IRA rebates, distinct from HEAR's "appliance" track. HOMES is more complex and aimed at deeper retrofits; modeling and verification are required. For most single-appliance upgrades, HEAR is the right path.

Duke Energy serves most of NC (Duke Energy Carolinas in the west, Duke Energy Progress in the east), and their residential efficiency program is reasonably robust:

• Heat pump rebates $300–$1,200
• HPWH rebates $300–$600
• Smart thermostat program
• Time-of-use rate plans (newer)

Other utilities to know: Dominion Energy NC covers part of northeastern NC; electric cooperatives (over two dozen of them) cover rural areas with varying rebate programs; municipal utilities in Greenville (GUC), Wilson, and elsewhere have their own programs.

3-bedroom house in Raleigh. Family of 4, household income $55,000 (about 57% AMI — qualifies for the low-income tier of HEAR). Existing heating: 25-year-old gas furnace and dying AC. They're replacing both with a heat pump and adding attic insulation:

• Heat pump install: $13,000. HEAR covers 100% up to $8,000 cap = $8,000
• Attic insulation: $2,500. HEAR covers 100% up to $1,600 cap = $1,600
• Duke Energy heat pump rebate: $600
• Total stack: $10,200 on a $15,500 combined project. Net cost: $5,300.

For a higher-income household (e.g., $120,000 = ~125% AMI), the same project would net roughly half of HEAR ($4,800 vs $9,600) — still meaningful, but obviously a much bigger benefit in the low-income tier.