To qualify for the standard NHSaves heat pump rebate you need three things: electric service from Eversource, Liberty, or Unitil, equipment on the program's qualified product list, and an install completed inside the 2026 program window. The standard rebate pays $250 per ton up to 5 tons, so about $1,250 on most homes. The enhanced rebate of $2,000 per ton exists only for homes replacing permanent electric-resistance heat, and it requires pre-verification at NHSaves.com/GetVerified BEFORE the install. That last sentence is the one that costs people money, so let's walk the whole thing properly.
Who qualifies for the standard NHSaves rebate?
You qualify if your electric utility is Eversource, Liberty, or Unitil and the heat pump meets the program's efficiency list. The rebate applies whether you are switching from oil, natural gas, or propane, which surprises people who assume it only covers electric-heat homes. Verified July 2026, the install must be completed between January 1 and December 30, 2026, and the application postmarked by January 30, 2027. Miss the paperwork window and the rebate is gone, which is why we file it for you.
- Electric customer of Eversource, Liberty, or Unitil in New Hampshire.
- Equipment on the qualified product list. Not every unit on the market qualifies, and older R-410A models have been delisted under EPA refrigerant rules, so the model number matters.
- Installed January 1 through December 30, 2026, application postmarked by January 30, 2027.
How much does NHSaves actually pay?
The standard rate is $250 per ton, capped at 5 tons, so about $1,250 on a typical whole-home system and less on a single zone. Add $85 for a qualifying Wi-Fi thermostat. A heat pump water heater earns its own $900 rebate. Those are the program's own published rates, verified July 2026, and they are modest. Anyone quoting you a New Hampshire install with thousands in assumed rebates on a standard project is either confusing programs or padding the pitch. The one exception where NH money gets big is income-qualified NH HEAR, covered below.
One thing we do differently, and the reason this article exists: the rebate is your discount, not our markup. The audience research behind this site is full of homeowners convinced that quotes inflate the moment a rebate enters the room. Our estimate engine shows the gross price and the potential rebate on separate lines so you can check the math yourself.
What is the enhanced rebate, and what is the GetVerified catch?
The enhanced rebate pays $2,000 per ton, but only when the heat pump replaces working permanent electric-resistance heat, meaning baseboard electric as your primary system. For installs from March 23 through December 31, 2026 the rate is $2,000 per ton; installs earlier in 2026, January 1 through March 22, ran at the prior $1,250 per ton rate. Same 5 ton cap.
The catch is buried in the program pages: enhanced-rate projects require pre-verification at NHSaves.com/GetVerified before the install happens. Sign a contract, do the install, then apply, and you have a standard-rate project no matter what you used to heat with. We have watched this detail cost homeowners thousands. When we quote an electric-baseboard house, the GetVerified step goes on the schedule before the equipment does.
What about NH HEAR, the income-qualified program?
NH HEAR is the federal electrification rebate program administered by the NH Department of Energy, separate from NHSaves. For income-qualified households it reaches up to $8,000 on heat pump space heating and up to $1,750 on a heat pump water heater, verified July 2026. Eligibility and funding status get confirmed at intake, because federal program funding moves. If your household might qualify, say so early, because it changes which path we quote first. The full picture of every 2026 program, including what Massachusetts and Maine readers get, is in our 2026 rebate reality guide.
What paperwork do you actually have to do?
With us, close to none. We confirm your utility, check the model against the qualified list before you sign, schedule GetVerified pre-verification when the enhanced rate applies, and file the application after commissioning. You see every eligible rebate as a line on the heat pump estimate before you commit. One caution worth repeating from the flagship guide: the federal 25C tax credit ended December 31, 2025, so if a contractor's quote still shows a federal credit line for a 2026 install, walk. Programs also stack in some cases, including the New England Heat Pump Accelerator, which is worth asking about at quote time.
