Pennsylvania home electrification rebates (2026)

Pennsylvania's HEAR plan was approved by the DOE in 2024 and is in administrative rollout. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection runs it, with launch expected throughout 2026 — first for income-qualified households, then broader middle-income tiers. As of mid-2026, PA HEAR is not yet broadly accepting applications, but the launch is closer than in some peer states.

Meanwhile, PA has several pre-existing programs that aren't going anywhere and are worth using whether HEAR is open or not.

Keystone HELP (Home Energy Loan Program) provides below-market-rate financing — typically 1–2 points below conventional home improvement loans — for energy efficiency upgrades. Up to $25,000, no equity requirement, fast approval. Stackable with rebates.

This matters because the biggest barrier to electrification isn't the eventual ROI, it's the upfront capital. A $17,000 heat pump install minus eventual rebates still requires $17,000 of upfront cash unless you finance. Keystone HELP at 5–6% vs a credit card at 18% can make or break a project.

• PECO — Philadelphia metro. Decent heat pump rebate program, strong HPWH incentives, smart thermostat give-aways.
• PPL Electric Utilities — central and northeast PA. Smaller rebate menu but pairs well with state programs.
• Duquesne Light — Pittsburgh metro. Strong on efficiency and emerging heat pump programs.
• FirstEnergy companies (Met-Ed, Penelec, West Penn Power) — most of the rest of the state.
• Natural gas utilities (UGI, Columbia Gas, Peoples Gas) — currently don't offer electrification incentives (obviously), but most of PA outside Philadelphia uses gas heat, so most heat pump conversions reduce demand on these utilities.

Pennsylvania has an Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) that creates a small but real SREC market — typically $5–$40 per SREC. Not as lucrative as Illinois Shines or NJ's SRP, but it adds $100–$400/year to a typical 7 kW solar system.

Net metering is full retail in PA, which makes solar genuinely workable. State-level solar tax credit is $0 (the federal one expired), but the property tax exemption applies to commercial solar and is being expanded for residential in some counties.

A $24,000 install in PA in 2026: no federal credit, no state credit, full retail net metering, modest SREC stream, no property tax penalty. Payback 11–14 years for most homeowners. Workable but slow.