Program tracker · United States

What’s open for US homeowners in 2026

The federal tax credits most guides still quote ended with 2025. The new Home Energy Rebates run state by state, and most states haven’t opened them. Every program below links to its official source, checked on October 12, 2026.

Utility bills and a phone showing a monthly energy-use chart on a kitchen table

What changed in 2026

Ended

Federal tax credits

25C and 25D don’t apply to work after December 31, 2025 (Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025). That includes the $150 credit for a home energy audit. 2025 work is still claimed on 2025 returns with IRS Form 5695.

IRS FS-2025-05 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Rewritten

Home Energy Rebate rules

Since May 29, 2026, HEAR is HEEHR, and it pays only for electric-to-electric upgrades, not for replacing gas, oil or propane equipment (new construction still qualifies). Insulation and air sealing come before heating and cooling upgrades.

DOE Program Notice 26-2 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

State by state

Rebates open in 10 states plus DC

Each state runs its own rebates. 10 states plus DC are taking applications for at least one of the two programs. California’s and Colorado’s launched programs are closed to new applicants, and 35 states haven’t launched or couldn’t be confirmed on a state page.

All 50 states plus DC · verified October 12, 2026

2025 to 2026, in order

  1. July 4, 2025 Public Law 119-21 cut the home energy tax credits short: 25C and 25D end for work after December 31, 2025, and 45L for homes acquired after June 30, 2026. It did not rescind the two Home Energy Rebate programs. Public Law 119-21 ↗
  2. December 31, 2025 Last day for work to count toward 25C, including its $150 home energy audit credit, and 25D. IRS FS-2025-05 ↗
  3. January 23, 2026 Public Law 119-74 funded the Weatherization Assistance Program for FY2026 and set at least $33,024,000 for ENERGY STAR. Public Law 119-74 ↗
  4. March 3, 2026 DOE and EPA signed a 10-year agreement making DOE the lead agency for ENERGY STAR. DOE–EPA agreement ↗
  5. May 29, 2026 DOE Program Notices 26-1 and 26-2 took effect: HEAR became HEEHR and stopped paying to replace gas or other fuel-burning equipment, and insulation and air sealing now come before heating and cooling upgrades. DOE Program Notice 26-2 ↗
  6. June 30, 2026 45L, the credit builders claim for efficient new homes, ended for homes acquired after this date. IRS 45L page ↗
  7. August 1–2, 2026 Colorado’s single-family HEAR rebates closed with $0 remaining. Colorado Energy Office ↗
  8. September 1, 2026 North Carolina and Wisconsin applied DOE’s new rules. Launched programs had about three months to conform. NC DEQ program changes ↗
  9. September 23, 2026 Rhode Island launched HOMES for income-eligible multifamily buildings of five or more units. RI Office of Energy Resources ↗
  10. September 30, 2026 Maryland resubmitted its rebate applications under the new rules. Its launch depends on DOE approval. Maryland Energy Administration ↗
  11. October 1, 2026 FY2027 began under a continuing resolution (Public Law 119-103) that funds programs at FY2026 rates through December 11, 2026. Public Law 119-103 ↗

Federal programs

Status as of October 12, 2026. The chip is our summary; the line beside it is what the official source says.

Federal tax credits (25C, 25D, 45L)

Closed 25C: ended — not allowed for property placed in service (or expenditures made) after Dec. 31, 2025; 2025 work is still claimed on 2025 returns (Form 5695). 25D: ended — not allowed for expenditures made after Dec. 31, 2025.

25C paid 30% of efficiency upgrades, up to $1,200 a year plus $2,000 for heat pumps, including up to $150 for a home energy audit. 25D paid 30% of solar, battery and geothermal systems.

45L, the credit builders claim for efficient new homes, ended for homes acquired after June 30, 2026.

IRS 25C page ↗ · IRS FS-2025-05 ↗ · Public Law 119-21 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

What ended and what’s left →

Home Energy Rebates (HOMES and HEEHR)

Partly open DOE: “Home Energy Rebates are now available in select states” (program page modified July 8, 2026). Taking applications in 10 states plus DC as of October 12, 2026.

Two Inflation Reduction Act programs, funded through September 30, 2031: HOMES pays for whole-home upgrades by their energy savings, and HEEHR pays for electric appliances for households up to 150% of area median income.

See every state’s status

DOE program page ↗ · Trade-group map, June 2026 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

How HOMES and HEEHR work now →

Weatherization Assistance Program

Open Funded for FY2026 by Public Law 119-74; DOE’s Program Year 2026 allocations total $369 million. Apply through your state’s weatherization agency.

Pays for energy-efficiency work, starting with an energy audit, in homes of households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines or with a member who received TANF or SSI in the past year.

Program Year 2026 average spending limit: $8,813 per home.

DOE WAP ↗ · DOE WPN 26-2 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Who qualifies and how to apply →

LIHEAP (energy bill help)

Open Funded for FY2026: HHS released $3,713,859,933 on Nov. 28, 2025 and a final $421,540,067 on Apr. 17, 2026. FY2027 runs on a continuing resolution through Dec. 11, 2026.

Helps pay heating and cooling bills, avoid shutoffs and make energy-related repairs, through your state or local LIHEAP office. Federal law caps income at the greater of 150% of the poverty level or 60% of state median income; states set the exact limits.

The FY2027 budget proposed ending LIHEAP again.

HHS ACF ↗ · ACF FY2026 final release ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

LIHEAP and weatherization →

ENERGY STAR

Open Kept. Congress set at least $33,024,000 for FY2026 (Public Law 119-74), and DOE is taking over as lead agency from EPA under an agreement effective Mar. 3, 2026.

EPA’s FY2026 budget had proposed eliminating the program that housed ENERGY STAR. energystar.gov and its ZIP-code Rebate Finder remain online; the website is set to move to DOE before July 2027.

DOE’s 2026 rules made ENERGY STAR certification optional in HOMES projects.

DOE ENERGY STAR page ↗ · Public Law 119-74 ↗ · ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

DOE Home Energy Score

Open Continues on DOE’s Better Buildings Solution Center (homeenergyscore.gov redirects there), with a ZIP-code Find an Assessor tool.

A 1-to-10 rating of a home’s expected energy use from a walk-through of under an hour, with upgrade recommendations. Portland, Oregon requires one before most homes are listed for sale; Berkeley, California requires one before single-family homes and duplexes are listed.

DOE Home Energy Score ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Where it’s required →

Energy-efficient mortgages

Open FHA’s Energy Efficient Mortgage is in HUD Handbook 4000.1 (last revised Aug. 12, 2026). Fannie Mae’s HomeStyle Energy is now HomeStyle Refresh.

  • FHA EEM: adds cost-effective energy improvements to an FHA purchase or no-cash-out refinance, based on a home energy assessment no more than 120 days old.
  • Fannie Mae HomeStyle Refresh and Freddie Mac GreenCHOICE: improvements up to 15% of the as-completed value.

HUD Handbook 4000.1 ↗ · Fannie Mae ↗ · Freddie Mac ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

USDA home repair loans and grants (Section 504)

Open Applications accepted year-round at local Rural Development offices; approval depends on local funding (USDA page modified Oct. 1, 2026).

For homeowners who live in the home, can’t get affordable credit elsewhere and meet the county’s low-income limits: loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older with very low income to remove health and safety hazards. Combined maximum $50,000; grants are repaid if the home is sold within three years.

USDA Rural Development ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Home Energy Rebates by state

HEEHR pays toward electric appliances; HOMES pays toward whole-home upgrades. Each chip summarizes the state’s own page as checked on October 12, 2026; the state page quotes the exact wording and links the official source. “Unconfirmed” means no state page could confirm a status.

8Open5Open with limits, paused or waitlist3Closed35Not launched or unconfirmed

Home Energy Rebate status by state (part 1 of 2)
StateHEEHR · appliancesHEEHRHOMES · whole homeHOMES
AlabamaNot open yetNot open yet
AlaskaNot open yetNot open yet
ArizonaPartly openUnconfirmed
ArkansasUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
CaliforniaClosedNot open yet
ColoradoClosedNot open yet
ConnecticutNot open yetNot open yet
DelawareNot open yetNot open yet
District of ColumbiaOpen · limits applyOpen
FloridaNot open yetNot open yet
GeorgiaPausedOpen
HawaiiNot open yetNot open yet
IdahoNot open yetNot open yet
IllinoisNot open yetNot open yet
IndianaOpenOpen
IowaNot open yetNot open yet
KansasNot open yetNot open yet
KentuckyNot open yetNot open yet
LouisianaUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
MaineOpen · limits applyNot open yet
MarylandNot open yetNot open yet
MassachusettsUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
MichiganOpen · limits applyOpen · limits apply
MinnesotaNot open yetNot open yet
MississippiUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
MissouriNot open yetNot open yet
Home Energy Rebate status by state (part 2 of 2)
StateHEEHR · appliancesHEEHRHOMES · whole homeHOMES
MontanaNot open yetNot open yet
NebraskaUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
NevadaNot open yetNot open yet
New HampshireUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
New JerseyNot open yetNot open yet
New MexicoOpenOpen
New YorkOpenUnconfirmed
North CarolinaOpen · limits applyOpen
North DakotaNot open yetNot open yet
OhioUnconfirmedUnconfirmed
OklahomaNot open yetNot open yet
OregonNot open yetNot open yet
PennsylvaniaNot open yetNot open yet
Rhode IslandOpen · limits applyOpen
South CarolinaNot open yetNot open yet
South DakotaNot participatingNot participating
TennesseeNot open yetNot open yet
TexasNot open yetNot open yet
UtahPausedPaused
VermontNot open yetUnconfirmed
VirginiaNot open yetNot open yet
WashingtonNot open yetNot open yet
West VirginiaWaitlistWaitlist
WisconsinOpenOpen
WyomingNot open yetNot open yet

Local programs in 26 metro areas

Utility audits and rebates, weatherization agencies and local energy rules for the largest US metro areas, in Census population order.

Not sure which programs fit your home?

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How this tracker works

Every program here links to its official source, checked on October 12, 2026. DOE no longer publishes a current state-by-state list, so we checked each state’s own program page and compared it with the Building Performance Association’s June 2026 map, a trade-group source. Where they disagree, we report the state’s page and say so on that state’s page. Some state pages are out of date themselves; the state pages note when.

Federal and state programs change quickly. Confirm the details on the official page before you sign a contract or buy equipment.