Short answer
Efficiency Vermont's discount applies statewide whoever your electric utility is. On top of that, Burlington Electric adds a rebate open to all its residential customers regardless of income, while Green Mountain Power's is limited to households at or below 80% of Area Median Income, often the largest single variable in what a heat-pump project costs you. The incentive side computes exactly, because incentive amounts are published facts with a source, a figure and a date that can be checked.
Installed cost is deliberately not estimated, since that depends on access, existing electrical capacity, what a contractor finds once a panel comes off, and what equipment is actually available that month. A confident price from four dropdowns would be invented, not estimated. One more flag comes with the result: the federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit no longer applies to equipment placed in service now, a detail a surprising number of contractor proposals still get wrong.
Why this calculator can be honest when a cost calculator cannot
Incentive amounts are published facts. They have a source, a figure and a date, and they can be checked. Installed cost is different. A calculator that produced a confident installed price from four dropdowns would be inventing it, and you would discover the gap when a real quote arrived.
So this computes the side that is knowable, shows every figure's source, and stamps the date each was verified. For the price side, the honest tool is the one that structures the real quotes you have been given. That is linked below.
The published amounts the calculator works from
These are the same figures the calculator applies, so the result can be checked against the source by hand.
| Incentive | Amount | Income-eligible bonus | Limits | Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ductless heat pumps (mini-splits) | $375–$475 instant discount | Additional bonus for income-eligible Vermonters | — | Efficiency Vermont |
| Ducted heat pumps | $1,200–$2,200 instant discount | Additional bonus for income-eligible Vermonters | — | Efficiency Vermont |
| Heat-pump water heaters | $600 discount, up to $1,000 total | Up to an additional $400 for income-eligible Vermonters | — | Efficiency Vermont |
| Heat pump (GMP addresses: income-qualified) | $2,000 per condenser | The rebate itself is the income-qualified benefit | Household gross income at or below 80% AMI; thresholds published by GMP as 2025 figures | Green Mountain Power |
| Mini-split heat pump (Burlington addresses only) | $2,100 or $2,500 | Income-qualified adders of $400–$500 | Limit 2 rebates per household or business; capped at 75% of installed cost | Burlington Electric Department |
| Centrally ducted heat pump (Burlington addresses only) | $1,350–$5,450 (high performance) | $500 income-qualified bonus | Limit 1 rebate per household or business | Burlington Electric Department |
| Air-to-water heat pump (Burlington addresses only) | Up to $12,000 ($2,000 per ton) | $400 income-qualified adder | Limit 1 rebate per household or business | Burlington Electric Department |
| Heat pump: thermal efficiency adder (VEC addresses) | $150 adder, plus the statewide Efficiency Vermont discount | — | The $150 adder requires the building to meet VEC's stated thermal efficiency criteria; apply through VEC's own form, separate from the Efficiency Vermont application | Vermont Electric Cooperative |
Two things that catch people out
The IRS states it applied to property placed in service before 31 December 2025. A great deal of published advice and more than one contractor proposal has not caught up, so if a quote still applies a federal credit, that line is wrong.
Second: timing varies too. Some of these are instant discounts applied by a participating distributor, and some are claimed afterwards. A proposal showing one 'after rebates' number without naming which programmes it assumes is not something you can verify: ask for them listed individually.
Common questions
Are these figures current?
Each is as published by the issuing organisation on 19 August 2026 and the date is shown with the result. Programmes change without notice, so confirm at the source before signing. Every source is linked.
Why does my utility change the amount so much?
The two utilities differ sharply. Because the utility layer sits on top of the statewide Efficiency Vermont discount, and the two utilities treat it differently. Burlington Electric's rebate has no income test; Green Mountain Power's is limited to households at or below 80% of Area Median Income.
Does this tell me what the heat pump will cost?
No, deliberately. Installed cost depends on things a form cannot know. This works out the incentives exactly and leaves the price to a real quote, and the quote comparison tool helps you read those.
Is there still a federal tax credit?
That credit is gone now. No federal credit applies to equipment placed in service now. The IRS states the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit applied to property placed in service before 31 December 2025. Vermont's utility and Efficiency Vermont incentives are separate and unaffected.
Does anything I enter get sent to you?
No. Your browser does all the work: no network request, nothing stored.
Are these incentives instant discounts or claimed afterwards?
Timing varies. Efficiency Vermont's ductless and ducted figures are instant discounts applied by a participating distributor, and other programs are claimed afterwards, so a proposal showing a single after-rebates number should say which is which.
What limits does Burlington Electric Department put on its heat-pump rebates?
The mini-split rebate is limited to 2 per household or business and capped at 75% of installed cost. The centrally ducted and air-to-water rebates are each limited to 1 per household or business. All apply to Burlington addresses only.