California HEEHRA Waitlist 2026: What CA Seniors Can Claim

What happened on February 24, 2026

The California Energy Commission announced that HEEHRA single-family rebates are fully reserved statewide.¹ The same announcement stopped income-verification processing for new applications and put all reservations submitted after that date into a waitlist.

The practical effect for senior homeowners planning a heat pump install:

• Reservations submitted before February 24, 2026 are honored at the originally approved rebate amount.
• Reservations submitted after February 24 sit in “Under Review” status indefinitely.
• Waitlisted projects qualify for a rebate only if the heat pump is installed after approval.²
• Starting installation before approval forfeits the rebate even if approval later arrives.

The waitlist is honest: there is no ETA for additional federal allocation. The CA Energy Commission has indicated it will process waitlisted projects in submission order if Congress appropriates more IRA funding, but no announcement has been made.

For a senior who needs reliable heating for the next winter, the waitlist alone is not a viable plan. The rest of this article covers what you can claim instead.

What you can stack right now

Program	Typical amount	Income-tested?	Stacks with HEEHRA waitlist?
TECH Clean California	$1,000-$3,000 per heat pump	No	Partially, usually reduced if HEEHRA approves later
PG&E / SCE / SDG&E / SoCalGas IOU rebates	$500-$2,000	No	Usually yes
SGIP (battery storage paired with heat pump)	$200-$1,000 per kWh	Equity Resilience tier higher	Yes
Federal 25D solar credit	30% of solar cost	No	Yes (different equipment)
Federal 25C heat pump credit	Up to $2,000	No	Expired for installs after Dec 31, 2025
California state heat pump tax credit	Up to $1,000	No	Yes (separate program)

The maximum realistic stack for a CA senior in 2026 (no HEEHRA): $3,500 to $7,500 depending on equipment, utility, and pairing decisions.

Compared to the HEEHRA-included stack (up to $14,000+ for low-income households), this is a step down. But it is the realistic path for most CA homeowners right now.

TECH Clean California: your most valuable lever

TECH Clean CA is a utility-funded rebate program separate from HEEHRA, run by the CA Public Utilities Commission. The funding pool is different and was not affected by the February 24 cutoff.²

How it works:

• Your contractor applies on your behalf at techcleanca.com after installation.
• Typical rebate: $1,000 to $3,000 per qualifying heat pump.
• Equipment must be on the AHRI directory and meet TECH efficiency thresholds (similar to ENERGY STAR Most Efficient).
• No income verification required. No waitlist.
• Payment arrives 8 to 12 weeks after install.

How to use it:

• Confirm your contractor is enrolled with TECH (most are).
• Confirm the model number matches a TECH-eligible product before signing.
• Get the rebate dollar amount in writing in the contract, not just “TECH rebate applies.”

For more on what TECH Clean covers, see our 2026 heat pump rebate guide.

Local IOU rebates: separate budget, separate application

California’s investor-owned utilities each run their own heat pump rebate program. The four big ones:

PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric: Northern California)

• Heat pump rebate: $1,000 to $3,000 depending on equipment + tier
• Application: pge.com (online portal) or via contractor
• Income-qualified Energy Savings Assistance program adds free upgrades for eligible seniors

SCE (Southern California Edison)

• Heat pump rebate: $500 to $2,000
• Application: sce.com
• CARE/FERA discount eligible seniors get supplemental dollars

SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric)

• Heat pump rebate: $500 to $2,500
• Application: sdge.com

SoCalGas

• For homes converting from gas to electric heat pump: $1,000 to $2,500 retirement bonus for the gas furnace
• Application: socalgas.com

Stacking rules vary by utility. Most allow stacking with TECH and waitlisted HEEHRA. Always confirm in writing during the application phase.

SGIP: for the battery + heat pump pairing

If you are also adding battery storage (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase IQ, etc.) to power your heat pump during outages, the Self-Generation Incentive Program is uniquely valuable for seniors.⁵

SGIP tiers:

• General Market: ~$200 per kWh of storage capacity
• Equity Tier (CARE/FERA-eligible): ~$700 per kWh
• Equity Resilience Tier (Medical Baseline + High Fire Threat District): ~$1,000+ per kWh

For a senior on Medical Baseline (any household with a CPAP, oxygen concentrator, dialysis machine, or other life-sustaining device), the Equity Resilience tier is realistic. A typical 13.5 kWh Powerwall pairs to $13,500+ in SGIP funding, often covering most of the battery cost.

Application: through a SGIP-enrolled contractor at selfgenca.com. The contractor handles paperwork; you provide medical documentation.

For caregivers preparing for power outages, see our hurricane prep guide for related senior safety planning.

Federal options

25D Residential Clean Energy Credit (still active)

The 25D credit covers 30% of solar installation cost (panels + inverter + battery if installed at the same time as solar) through 2034.⁷

This applies to solar systems, not heat pumps directly. But if you are pairing a heat pump install with solar to power it, the solar portion of the project qualifies.

25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (expired for heat pumps)

The federal 25C credit for heat pumps, which once paid up to $2,000, expired for installs after December 31, 2025.⁶

For details on what 25C still covers (insulation, electrical panel upgrades) and what it does not, see our 25C expired 2026 guide.

The new refrigerant rule: verify before signing

Beginning January 1, 2026, residential and light commercial heat pumps must contain refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of 700 or lower per the EPA Technology Transition Rule.⁸

This rule changes which equipment qualifies for any 2026 rebate (HEEHRA, TECH, or IOU programs). Older R-410A units (GWP 2,088) no longer qualify.

The new compliant refrigerants:

• R-454B: most common in new ducted heat pumps from major manufacturers
• R-32: common in mini-split systems

Action steps before signing:

• Ask your contractor for the equipment model number.
• Look it up on the AHRI directory at ahridirectory.org.
• Verify the refrigerant listed is R-454B, R-32, or another GWP-700-or-lower fluid.
• Get the verification in writing in your contract. A contractor who balks is a red flag.

The waitlist gamble: when it makes sense

Joining the HEEHRA waitlist is reasonable if all of these are true:

• Your install can wait until late 2026 or early 2027.
• Your existing heating system is functional and reliable for at least 6-12 more months.
• You are willing to lose the rebate if funding never arrives.
• You have already maxed out TECH + IOU + (if applicable) SGIP.

It is not a good fit if:

• Your existing system has failed or is unreliable.
• You are facing a high-heat or high-cold weather forecast.
• Your contractor is pressuring you to start before approval.
• The price-after-rebates only works if HEEHRA pays.

Red flags from CA contractors right now

The HEEHRA closure created a wave of misinformation. Specific red flags to watch for:

• “Guaranteed HEEHRA approval”: not possible after February 24. Anyone claiming this is misrepresenting the program.
• “Rebate locked in”: only true with a screenshot of an Approved (not Under Review) status in the Iris portal dated before February 24.
• “We have insider channel for rebates”: there is no such channel. The CA Energy Commission processes reservations strictly through the Iris portal.
• “Sign now to get the rebate”: signing a contract does not affect rebate status. Only the reservation request and approval do.
• Door-to-door sales pitches: HEEHRA is not promoted door-to-door. Real contractors do not cold-call homeowners.

If a contractor pushes you toward signing under HEEHRA-related urgency, get a second opinion. The California State Contractors Licensing Board lookup at cslb.ca.gov verifies licensing.

What to do this week

If you are planning a heat pump install in 2026:

1. Identify your utility and download their heat pump rebate page (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, or SoCalGas). Print the rebate amount and eligibility rules.
2. Get three contractor quotes with itemized line items: equipment cost, install labor, expected rebates by program, net cash. Reject quotes that lump everything into a single “after rebates” number.
3. Verify equipment is GWP-700-compliant on the AHRI directory before signing.
4. Decide on the HEEHRA waitlist: submit a reservation request through your contractor only if your install timeline is flexible. Otherwise skip.
5. Check SGIP eligibility if you are adding battery storage. Medical Baseline status unlocks the Equity Resilience tier.
6. Confirm your contractor will submit TECH Clean and IOU paperwork on your behalf, not just promise it verbally.

For a deeper look at how California compares to other states, see our California heat pump rebate guide (which we update as the program status changes).

What’s next

• For 2026 federal heat pump rebate landscape after 25C expiration: IRA 25C expired 2026
• For the cost calculation including all CA stacks: Heat pump cost calculator
• For senior-specific planning around heat pump install: Heat pump vs gas furnace
• Other CA senior programs: California senior programs by state

If California HEEHRA reopens with new federal allocation, we will update this article and the main California state page. Check back quarterly or follow our RSS feed at /feed.xml.

Citations

1. Inflation Reduction Act Residential Energy Rebate Programs. California Energy Commission, February 24, 2026 update. energy.ca.gov.

2. HEEHRA Rebates Public Reporting. TECH Clean California, retrieved May 1, 2026. techcleanca.com/heehrarebates.

3. HEEHRA Rebates Verification Portal. California Department of Community Services & Development. heehra-incomeportal.com.

4. TECH Clean California — Single Family Incentives. TECH Clean California. techcleanca.com.

5. Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). California Public Utilities Commission. cpuc.ca.gov/sgip.

6. Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C). U.S. Internal Revenue Service. irs.gov.

7. Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D, Form 5695). U.S. Internal Revenue Service. irs.gov.

8. Technology Transitions: Restrictions on Use of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. epa.gov.

9. PG&E Heat Pump Rebates and Incentives. Pacific Gas & Electric, retrieved May 1, 2026. pge.com.