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Rhode Island · checked October 20, 2026
Air-source heat pump rebates in Rhode Island
1 program pays toward an air-source heat pump in Rhode Island right now, with 3 separate offers between them. The largest stated amount is $11,500 (a maximum), from Rhode Island Energy heat pump rebates (Clean Heat RI (income-eligible)). The federal 25C credit for this upgrade ended on December 31, 2025, so the state and utility money below is what is left.
- 1Air-source heat pump $11,500 max
- 2Heat pump water heater $625
What Rhode Island pays for heat pumps
Rhode Island Energy heat pump rebates Open
Run by Rhode Island Energy · for customers of 1 utility
- Standard: Up to $625 per ton, switching from gas, electric, oil or propane heat
- Enhanced (electric baseboard): $1,500 per ton for electric baseboard customers, through a participating contractor
- Clean Heat RI (income-eligible): 60% of the project, up to $11,500, for households under 150% of state median income heating with oil, propane or gas income-qualified
Conditions on the program page: From January 1, 2026: ENERGY STAR 6.1 Cold Climate and on the RI Energy/NEEP qualified list; From January 1, 2026: systems with high-GWP refrigerants such as R-410A do not qualify; Clean Heat RI: weatherization completed and a Clean Heat RI network installer.
Also on the page: Zero-interest loans up to $25,000 for systems replacing electric heat.
Source: Rhode Island Energy: Heat pumps. Last checked October 20, 2026. Official program page.
Worked example: one Rhode Island home
Take a 3-ton air-source system (2 outdoor units) replacing oil heat. These are example inputs, not typical prices. Each program's own rule gives the amounts below; where one program has several tiers only the largest one counts, separate programs add up, and a percentage offer with no cost entered is shown at its ceiling.
| Utility | Not income-qualified | Moderate income | Low income | Replacing baseboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island Energy | $1,875 | $11,500 max | $11,500 max | $4,500 |
For a household that is not income-qualified, the example comes to $1,875, made of $1,875 from RI Energy heat pumps (Standard). A household that meets a program's low-income definition gets $9,625 more in the same example, because 1 offer is paid at the income-qualified level. Replacing electric baseboard heat instead of oil changes the example to $4,500, because a Rhode Island offer depends on the heat being replaced.
Who can use these Rhode Island offers
Every household in Rhode Island covered by Rhode Island Energy can apply; the offers are not limited to one utility's territory. None of these program pages lists an end date, and each can change or stop while funds last.
Federal credit and state IRA rebates
The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (IRC §25C) paid 30% of cost, up to $2,000 a year (heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, biomass stoves and boilers combined). The IRS page says: “can claim the credit for improvements made through December 31, 2025.” Not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Source: IRS: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, 26 U.S.C. §25C, as amended by Public Law 119-21 (July 4, 2025). See what the credit covered and when it ended.
Rhode Island HEAR and HOMES: Limited. HEAR launched September 17, 2024; its Retail Pathway Pilot is limited to 11 municipalities, and since September 1, 2026 “Equipment rebates are no longer available for switching from a fossil fuel appliance to an electric one.” HOMES launched September 23, 2026 for income-eligible customers installing a heat pump modeled to cut energy use at least 20%. The OER pages do not publish per-upgrade amounts. Source: RI OER: Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (updated October 14, 2026).
How Rhode Island compares
1 of the other 14 covered states list a larger top amount for heat pumps. Open elsewhere: Massachusetts $16,000; Connecticut $10,000; New Hampshire $10,000; Maine $9,000; North Carolina $8,000; Vermont $4,000; California $3,000; Oregon $3,000; Arizona $1,125; Texas $950; Wisconsin $900; Michigan $350; Florida $200. No open, sourced offer is listed in 1 other covered state (Pennsylvania). Compare them on the air-source heat pump rebates by state page.
Other upgrades in Rhode Island: heat pump water heater. Background: how rebates stack and the federal credit status.
Rebates are set by each program and can change or close without notice; the program's own page and application decide what is paid. This page is information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Amounts last checked October 20, 2026.