How much does Energy Saver North Carolina: HEAR rebates pay?

Published amounts run from $840 to $8,000, depending on the upgrade and the conditions attached to it. Every amount and its conditions are listed on this page, each with the date it was last verified against the administrator's own page.

What disqualifies you from Energy Saver North Carolina: HEAR rebates?

Replacing gas, propane, oil or other fossil fuel appliances, for applications not yet reserved by 1 September 2026. Self-installed equipment. The same upgrade already rebated through HOMES.

Where do you apply for Energy Saver North Carolina: HEAR rebates?

Prequalify: https://energync.goeverblue.com/forms/prequalification-step-1; Find a contractor: https://energync.goeverblue.com/find_professional; Phone: 866-998-8555.

Fix First Home › North Carolina › Energy Saver North Carolina: HEAR rebates

Energy Saver North Carolina: HEAR rebates open

Administered by the NC Department of Environmental Quality's State Energy Office, run by APTIM.

North Carolina's federal appliance rebates are open in every county, as an instant discount from a registered contractor: all of the cost below 80% of area median income and half from 80% to 150%, up to $14,000 per household, including up to $8,000 for a heat pump. Since 1 September 2026 they no longer pay to replace gas, propane or oil equipment, only electric equipment with more efficient electric equipment, and the program's own tables have not caught up.

source · verified 27 September 2026 · amounts in US dollars

What it pays

Lifetime maximum per household, by upgrade, as the program's tables publish them
Upgrade	Condition	Up to
Heat pump for space heating	ENERGY STAR; one system	$8,000
Electrical panel	Only when needed to install an eligible appliance	$4,000
Electrical wiring	Only when needed to install an eligible appliance	$2,500
Heat pump water heater	ENERGY STAR	$1,750
Insulation, air sealing and ventilation	Together, lifetime	$1,600
Heat pump clothes dryer, or washer-dryer combination	ENERGY STAR	$840
Electric cooktop, range or oven	ENERGY STAR (ovens exempt)	$840

Share of the cost paid, by income
Household income	Share	Most per household
Up to 80% of area median income (Tier 1)	100% of the project cost	$14,000
80% to 150% (Tier 2)	50% of the project cost	$14,000

Above 150% of area median income a household is not eligible. The contractor deducts the rebate on the invoice.

Who is eligible

Income limits for a household of four, 2026 table, by county
County	80%: the 100% tier	150%: the 50% tier
Franklin, Johnston, Wake	$105,850	$198,450
Chatham, Durham, Orange	$101,700	$190,650
Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union	$93,900	$176,100
New Hanover	$87,350	$163,800
Buncombe, Henderson, Madison	$81,900	$153,600
Davie, Forsyth, Stokes, Yadkin	$76,250	$142,950
Guilford, Randolph	$73,200	$137,250
Cumberland	$65,500	$122,850
39 counties at the state floor, among them Robeson, Wayne, Wilkes and Halifax	$62,650	$117,450

automatic: Enrollment in the last 12 months in SSI, Medicaid, SNAP, LIHEAP, Lifeline, Head Start, free school lunch, public housing and several others qualifies a household for Tier 1; weatherization and WIC only for households of one to five.
renters: Yes, with the property owner's signed project authorization.
how: A registered contractor does the work and deducts the rebate; self-installation never qualifies, and nothing is paid retroactively.

What disqualifies you

The rules people find out about after the work is done.

Replacing gas, propane, oil or other fossil fuel appliances, for applications not yet reserved by 1 September 2026.
Self-installed equipment.
The same upgrade already rebated through HOMES.

Where the application goes

Prequalify online or by phone; a registered contractor then applies and deducts the rebate.

Where the application goes
If this is you	Apply here
Prequalify	energync.goeverblue.com
Find a contractor	energync.goeverblue.com
Phone	866-998-8555

The thing most pages get wrong

Since 1 September 2026, under new federal guidance, HEAR no longer pays to replace gas, propane or oil appliances; it now allows electric-to-more-efficient-electric upgrades. Most of the program's own material still describes the old rules: DEQ's page mentions switching from gas to electric stoves, and the published tables still say rebates are 'available only when upgrading from a non-electric appliance' and that an existing heat pump is not eligible. The program has not said what the new electric-to-electric projects pay.

The eligibility button opens last year's table

The 'Check your eligibility' link on the program's home page opens the 2025 income table. On the current 2026 table, 14 counties' limits fell: a Rowan County family of four earning $68,000 reads as Tier 1 on the old table ($70,150) and is Tier 2 on the new one ($66,700).

Two wiring caps on DEQ's own page

DEQ's rebate table lists electrical wiring at $2,000; the FAQ lower on the same page and the program's table say $2,500. DEQ's pages also still point people to the federal efficiency tax credit, which ended with 2025.