Pick the company on your electric bill and what heats your home today. You'll see what your utility pays, the deadline, and the official page, copied straight from the utility's own site.
MBRACE checked these pages so you don't have to. He's the DMV's curious koala. He goes to the official source, writes down the date, and shows you where every number came from.
Maryland's EmPOWER Limited Income program, run by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), installs energy upgrades at no charge for eligible households. Check the income limit for your household size.
You're also automatically income-eligible if you currently take part in programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF, HUD housing assistance, utility bill assistance through OHEP, and others on DHCD's full list. The program may provide insulation, hot water system improvements, furnace cleaning, tuning and safety repairs, and health and safety items. Ask DHCD what it can do for heating equipment in your home.
DHCD EmPOWER Limited Income program → · Phone 1-855-583-8976 (Maryland only)
Eight quick questions. We'll show you which answers matter and why. This helps you decide what to ask. It isn't an inspection: only a technician who sees your equipment can diagnose it.
Most lost rebates come from doing things out of order: buying first, then learning the program needed an assessment or a participating contractor.
Use the questions above. Planning before something breaks gives you time to use rebates properly.
Your electric company decides which rebates you can use. BGE and Potomac Edison need the install done by December 31, 2026.
An assessment shows where the house leaks heat. Whole-home rebates (Home Performance with ENERGY STAR) start with a home energy audit by a participating contractor. At BGE the audit costs $100, and the current program needs an approved reservation, with the work finished and the final application submitted by December 31, 2026. Source: BGE Home Performance, checked Oct 31, 2026. Other utilities' rules may differ, so ask yours.
A tighter house needs a smaller system. Doing this first can lower the size, cost and running cost of the heat pump.
Ask for a Manual J load calculation. It tells you what size system the house actually needs.
Maryland's HVAC rebates are paid through participating contractors. A non-participating installer can cost you the rebate. Get two or three quotes.
The six steps, the five contractor questions and your utility's deadline on one page. We'll also email you when Maryland's 2027 rebates are announced.
No. Utilities list two different offers. You get the one that matches what you're replacing: the switching (electrification) amount if you're moving off gas, oil or propane, and the efficiency amount if you're replacing electric equipment.
Efficiency levels set by each utility using the equipment's SEER2 (cooling) and HSPF2 (heating) ratings. Higher-rated equipment reaches Tier 2 and earns more. Your contractor can tell you which tier a model meets.
As of October 31, 2026, BGE and Pepco say they're waiting on a Public Service Commission decision about extending programs into 2027. Amounts and rules could change. We'll update this page when the decision is published.
No. The federal 25C credit doesn't cover heat pumps placed in service after December 31, 2025. Utility and state programs are what's left.
Because the honest answer depends on your house, your equipment and your energy prices. A guessed number can cost you money. We show the official rebate amounts and deadlines, with the date we checked them.
Not rechecked on Oct 31: the federal 25C end date (from IRS guidance, checked Oct 15, 2026). Amounts are subject to change and available while funding lasts, per the utilities. The utility's own page is always the final word.
Every change to a fact on this page is listed here with its date, what changed, and why.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2026 | Page first published. All amounts, deadlines and income limits checked against the official pages listed in Sources. |