What help exists for a new system, and what has already ended?

Incentive pages age badly. A figure that was right two years ago can be wrong today, and a wrong figure in a budget does real damage.

This guide describes what each program does and when we last looked, October 2026. It prints no dollar amounts, because those change by program year, by utility and by household. Use the guide to know which doors to knock on, then ask the contractor to confirm the current terms before you sign.

Section 25C of the Internal Revenue Code, the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025. The IRS page for the credit says it covers improvements through that date.

If you are reading a page that still advertises it for a project this year or next, the page is out of date. Check the in-service date, not the contract date, with a tax preparer.

If you have questions about a project completed last year, ask a tax preparer. We cannot answer them.

The NYS Clean Heat program manual says the electric utilities, including National Grid and NYSEG, run heat pump incentives from 2026 through 2030. NYSERDA handles workforce, standards and consumer education.

The manual says the program covers buildings with one to four dwelling units. It publishes flat per-project incentive tables for each utility, and the tables vary by whether the home is a single family house or smaller, and whether it is in a disadvantaged community.

Those details decide what you can receive. You cannot read them off a web page about someone else's utility. Ask the contractor which utility serves your house, which table applies, and who files the paperwork.

The manual also says a heat pump must be sized under Manual S from Manual J loads to be eligible. That is one more reason to ask for the worksheet.

New York's Heating Equipment Repair or Replacement benefit, known as HEAP HERR, can cover a furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment. It is for homeowners who live in the home, are 60 or older, and meet the HEAP income limits.

Onondaga County's Department of Social Services runs HEAP locally. As of October 2026 its page said the repair and replacement component for the 2025 to 2026 program year closed on April 10, 2026. HEAP years generally start in the fall, so check the county's page for the current dates.

A discount on a quote is not the same as a program. A contractor may offer a seasonal price, a manufacturer promotion or some other discount of their own. Those belong to the contractor and to your contract with them.

Ask for each one in writing, with the dates, and ask what happens if you do not meet them. If an offer is described as a program, ask which agency runs it.

Most of the county is served by National Grid or NYSEG. The Department of Public Service lists Solvay and Skaneateles as municipal utilities, run by the villages themselves. If you live in either village, your electric bills and any heat pump program rules may differ from those on a general web page.

Ask your contractor and your village office whether a utility program applies to your address. Do not assume that a program advertised for National Grid customers is open to you.

Programs differ on what they ask for and when. You will not find out which kind you have by guessing.

Ask the program, or ask the contractor to ask the program, before you sign. Then put any deadline on your calendar and ask the contractor to write the start date on the quote.

County help and utility rules change by season and by year, so check the current dates.

If you think you may fit, call the county office and ask what documents it wants, what it covers and whether anything must happen before work starts. If you do not fit, say so to your contractor early so that nobody builds a plan on money you cannot get.

If a page promises a specific amount for your house without asking about your utility, your home or your income, treat the amount as a question to confirm.

Some programs ask the contractor to file or certify documents, and some ask you to do it. Ask which applies to your project before you sign. If the contractor handles it, ask what they need from you and by when.

Ask also what happens if the program rejects the application or the money runs out first. The answer should be in the quote or the contract. You do not want to find out the terms after the equipment is in the house.

Keep every document the program sends you, and keep your quote, your contract and your invoice together. They may be needed again later.

• Which utility serves my house, and which incentive table applies to this system?
• Who files the paperwork, and when will I know the result?
• Is anything on the quote described as a program, and who runs it?
• If a deadline passes, what changes?

Write the answers beside each quote. The quote that explains the money in plain words is the one that has done its homework.

We do not price work, process incentives or offer loans. We give you the questions and introduce a local contractor. You decide whether anyone visits.