Rebates, Incentives & Tax Credits for Heating and Cooling
There are many ways to help homeowners of existing residences (retrofit customers) install new efficient, qualified heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. These new systems will, in most instances, not only save the residents money on their utility bills, but will keep them more comfortable by circulating more conditioned air throughout the home, reducing hot or cold spots.
Most homeowners think of rebates and incentives only in terms of purchasing new HVAC equipment like furnaces. In reality, they are available for other things like hot water heaters, and ductwork sealing.
Generally speaking, the incentives, rebates and tax credits are not applicable to new construction projects because it is assumed that per new building codes, the home owner will be installing new, efficient equipment in their home.
The noticeable exceptions to this are new construction projects where homeowner (or builder) will make decisions that push the new home toward a “net zero” operating expense. There are some very attractive incentives for geothermal and solar applications.
Milwaukie Heating & Cooling partners with many exceptional agencies such as the Energy Trust of Oregon, Portland General Electric and Northwest Natural Gas. Please visit the listed links below to view the special offers we make to customers associated with those agencies. Contact a Milwaukie Heating & Cooling professional Sales Consultant to discuss all your options for your retrofit or new construction project.
The good new is that for you, the customer, there are many, many ways to help you reduce the overall cost of installing new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in your home. Reducing the overall cost of keeping your home comfortable is a common goal for most homeowners. With the rebates, incentives and tax credits that are available, it is not uncommon for a homeowner to subsidize the cost of replacing an old furnace by as much as 50% of the total project cost on qualifying systems. The better news for you is that there are many solutions that Milwaukie Heating & Cooling can help you with that will not only reduce your utility usage, but in many instances, will allow you to keep your home more comfortable while still reducing your energy usage. That is one of the many benefits of new multi-stage furnaces, hybrid dual-fuel furnaces, heat pumps, geothermal systems and split heating and cooling systems. It will make a remarkable difference in your utility bills if you simply go from an older 80% (or less) furnace up to a multi-stage 92% (or better) efficient furnace.
Heat pumps are another excellent solution that will not only provide you with more efficient heat, but you get the benefit of cooling your home as well. Portland General Electric offers “instant rebates” on qualifying heat pumps that immediately come right off the contract cost.
Some rebates, incentives and tax credits come with the stipulation that the homeowner must upgrade their old hot water heaters at the same time as the furnace to quality for the maximum amounts available.
You need to know that Milwaukie Heating & Cooling is your advocate to obtain all rebates and incentives that you are due on your project. We will assist you with completing your rebate, incentive and tax credit paperwork whenever possible so that you are not wading through all the required forms yourself.
There can be a large number of incentives available to the homeowner. They are too numerous to list here, and the programs change frequently. Please refer to the site links listed below to get the latest information from the program sponsors on rebates, incentives and tax credits that you may qualify for.
- Rebates, incentives and tax credits are offered by a variety of companies and agencies, ranging from manufacturers, public utilities and state or federal taxing authorities. These rebates, incentives and tax credits are not guaranteed by Milwaukie Heating & Cooling. They are subject to program and funds availability from the individual agencies. Milwaukie Heating & Cooling will provide you with our best faith estimate of your incentives for the system you select, and will assist you in completing all the required documentation and help you choose qualifying systems based on the best available information. Ultimately, the final authority resides with the individual agencies to provide you with the rebates, incentives and tax credits. You should also be aware that in most instances, the homeowner will pay for the entire value of the contract at job completion, and any applicable rebates, incentives and tax credits will be applied after the job completion at the discretion of the individual agencies. You should always consult a qualified tax professional when considering how this purchase may affect your specific tax situation.
- Not all heating and cooling systems qualify for rebates, incentives or tax credits. Each agency has specific requirements for qualifying systems. Milwaukie Heating & Cooling will make recommendations for qualifying systems, but the final decision on the system to be installed remains with the homeowner.
- PGE instant rebates are only offered to customers that use PGE as their electricity provider. Similarly, Northwest Natural Gas also offers incentives that are only for their customers.