You may qualify for an Act On Energy discount when you have a new high-efficiency furnace, central air or geothermal unit installed by a qualified heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor.
New High-Efficiency HVAC Equipment
Replacing older, inefficient heating or cooling equipment could save you up to $200 a year in energy bills.
Most people don’t replace their furnace or central air conditioner (A/C) until it stops working—the worst time to make an important purchasing decision. If you replace an older, less efficient furnace or A/C with a new, high-efficiency unit, you may qualify for an Act On Energy discount on the cost of installation. You may also qualify for a discount when installing a new unit in a newly built home.
Depending on the efficiency of the new equipment you have installed, your discount could be as high as $200 for a new high-efficiency gas furnace and up to $720 for a new high-efficiency cooling unit. Read below for equipment guidelines and incentive amounts.
How to participate in the program:
- Contact a Program Ally from our list of HVAC contractors. Click here. The Program Ally you choose to work with will provide equipment recommendations based on your specific situation.
- Once the new equipment is installed, your Program Ally will ask you to sign a completed Incentive Application, which verifies the installation and equipment type.
- Your Program Ally’s invoice will show a discount equal to the Act On Energy financial incentive received by the Program Ally.
To qualify for the incentive, your Program Ally must follow strict guidelines on the energy efficiency of the new equipment and the existing equipment.
Natural Gas Warm-Air Furnaces
Incentive amounts are based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating system, which measures heating efficiency against fuel consumption. A furnace with an AFUE rating of 90 percent is 90 percent efficient at converting fuel into heat over the course of the heating season.
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Natural Gas Warm-Air Furnace
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Incentive Amount
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1.
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AFUE Rating of 92 percent or greater
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$125
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2.
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AFUE Rating of 95 percent or greater
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$200
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Cooling Units
Incentive amounts are based on the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), an energy consumption rating developed by the U.S. government and equipment manufacturers. The SEER rating is the Btu of cooling output during a typical cooling season divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours during the same period. The higher the SEER rating of a unit, the more energy-efficient it is. New units must have a rating of 14 SEER.
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Cooling Equipment & Heat Pumps
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Incentive Amount
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1.
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Replacement of an existing central air conditioning or heat pump unit with a name plate SEER rating of 10 or less unit rated 14 SEER
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$600
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2.
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Replacement of an existing central air conditioning or heat pump unit with a name plate SEER rating of greater than 10 with a unit rated 14 SEER
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$110
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3.
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Installation of a geothermal unit (ground source heat pump)
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$600
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4.
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Purchase of new equipment sized at 100 percent of Manual J*
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$120
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*Manual J is a recognized industry guideline for proper sizing of HVAC equipment.