Colorado HEAR Rebates: What You Actually Need to Know (2026)

The Colorado HEAR program (Home Electrification & Appliance Rebate) is fully live and accepting applications. Requirements are finalized. Contractors are doing installs. This is a contractor's guide to how the program actually works, what the gotchas are, and what to watch for before you sign anything.

For a complete overview of all Colorado rebate programs (Xcel, state tax credits, HEAR, and local programs), see our Colorado Heat Pump Rebates & Incentives guide. This article focuses specifically on HEAR.

TL;DR

• HEAR is fully live. Program requirements are finalized. UniColorado is accepting HEAR estimates.
• Income verification takes 2-4 weeks. Start that first.
• Dual fuel systems qualify - the heat pump portion is eligible for the HEAR rebate.
• UniColorado installs cold-climate heat pumps and needed electrical upgrades for HEAR-eligible homes.

HEAR provides up-front, point-of-sale rebates for income-qualified households making electric upgrades in existing homes. Below is the complete list of eligible measures based on current Colorado Energy Office guidance.

Electrification & Appliances

• Cold-climate heat pumps (space heating and cooling)
• Ductless heat pumps
• Heat pump water heaters
• Electric stoves, cooktops, ranges, and ovens
• Electric clothes dryers

Electrical System Upgrades

• Electrical panel upgrades (load service center)
• Electrical wiring upgrades
• New or modified circuits required for eligible electric appliances

Building Shell & Efficiency Measures

• Insulation improvements
• Air sealing
• Ventilation upgrades
• Indoor air quality (IAQ) improvements

Important Requirements

• Replacements only; no new construction
• Heat pumps must replace an existing heating system
• Heat pumps cannot replace an existing heat pump (pending final CEO clarification)

UniColorado offers cold climate heat pumps and electrical panel upgrades (in conjunction with heat pumps, no standalone projects).

You may qualify if:

• Your household income is at or below 150% AMI, and
• The upgrade is happening in an existing home (no new construction)

Homes eligible for HEAR include:

• Single-family homes (active now)
• Townhomes
• Condos (expanding late March 2026)
• Apartments (expanding late March 2026)
• Manufactured/mobile homes (expanding late March 2026)

Renter households can participate, but must obtain landlord permission using the official authorization form included in the state application.

Use the calculator below to check whether your household income qualifies for HEAR rebates in your county. Select your county, household size, and see the AMI thresholds that apply.

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See If YouQualify

HEAR Rebate Calculator

Uses official AMI tables. Answer three quick questions and see if you qualify in seconds.

1County

DenverDouglasArapahoeJefferson

Other County...

2Household Size

2

Based onOfficial HUD AMI tables$14,000 household aggregate cap

+Program Eligibility Requirements

Households ≤80% AMI can receive up to 100% of project cost. Households at 80-150% AMI receive up to 50%. Total HEAR rebates cannot exceed $14,000 per household. For a sense of what projects cost before incentives, see our heat pump installation cost guide. For full HEAR program details, see the HEAR rebates page.

HEAR is currently rolling out the full program; some details are still pending finalization.

1. Verify income in the state portal
2. Meet with a registered contractor to scope eligible upgrades
3. Contractor reserves your rebate before installation
4. Contractor installs the system and applies your up-front discount
5. Contractor submits documentation; rebate is processed in the background

This is different from a tax credit as you receive the discount immediately.

1. HEAR is fully live

The program is active. Requirements are finalized. Income verification and installs are both happening. Start your income verification here.

2. Income verification takes 2-4 weeks

This is the biggest bottleneck. The state portal processes applications, and turnaround is running 2-4 weeks right now. Start this before anything else because nothing moves until your income is verified.

3. Dual fuel systems qualify

If you're keeping your gas furnace as backup and adding a heat pump (dual fuel), the heat pump portion of the project is eligible for the HEAR rebate. This is a common setup in Colorado where temperatures can drop below heat pump efficiency thresholds.

4. Expanding to condos and apartments late March 2026

HEAR is currently active for single-family homes and townhomes. Condos, apartments, and manufactured/mobile homes are expected to be added late March 2026.

5. Stacking with other programs

HEAR cannot be combined with other federal rebates, but you can combine it with:

• Xcel Energy utility rebates
• Colorado state heat pump tax credit
• Local programs (EnergySmart, DRCOG, etc.)

The federal 25C tax credit ended December 31, 2025. Total incentives cannot exceed the project cost. For a full breakdown of how to stack programs, see our Colorado Heat Pump Rebates guide.

HER (Home Efficiency Rebates) is a separate $56 million program for manufactured/mobile homes and large multifamily buildings (50,000+ sq ft). It rewards whole-home efficiency projects that achieve 20%+ energy savings. HER is expected to open in Q1 2026.

If you live in a site-built single-family home, HER does not apply to you. HEAR is your program. Key differences:

• HEAR = individual appliance rebates, single-family now, expanding to other home types (income-based)
• HER = whole-home efficiency, manufactured homes & large multifamily only (not yet open)

HEAR has created a gold rush. Some companies are running aggressive ads promising low prices on heat pump installs, specifically targeting income-qualified homeowners who can get $8,000 off.

Here's what we're seeing: bottom-tier equipment, minimal engineering, and smoke-and-mirrors pricing designed to maximize the contractor's cut of the rebate. The homeowner gets a system that technically qualifies but won't last. A cold-climate heat pump is a 15-20 year investment. The cheapest option upfront is rarely the cheapest option over the life of the system.

What to ask before you sign:

• What brand and model? Look up its HSPF2 rating and cold-climate performance specs.
• Is it a true cold-climate heat pump, or a standard unit being sold as one?
• Does the quote include a Manual J load calculation?
• What warranty comes with it, and who backs it if the company disappears?

A good contractor will show you why a system fits your home, not just that it qualifies for a rebate.

1. Verify your income first

Income verification is running 2-4 weeks right now. Nothing moves without it.

Start your income verification here

2. Get a real estimate

UniColorado is accepting HEAR estimate appointments. We'll verify your eligibility across all programs (not just HEAR) and show you the net price after every applicable rebate. See real cost examples with HEAR rebates applied to get a sense of what to expect.

Request a free estimate or call us to schedule.

UniColorado is the most experienced heat pump installer in Colorado and one of the first contractors approved for the HEAR program. We've designed and installed thousands of systems across the Front Range.

We apply eligible utility rebates and tax credits as upfront discounts, keeping your project simple and cost-effective.

If you're planning a heat pump upgrade, you're in the right place.