Every month a homeowner asks me what HVAC rebates apply to their Hesperia or Victorville or Riverside home, and every month the answer shifts a little. The federal IRA credit just expired, SCE bumped its heat pump rebate tier in late 2025, and SoCalGas changed its high-efficiency furnace eligibility for 2026. So here’s the current state of the rebate stack for San Bernardino County HVAC installs.
Two-sentence answer: a typical High Desert heat pump install in 2026 nets $500-$1,200 in SCE rebates plus $200-$600 in manufacturer rebates. The federal $2,000 heat pump credit is gone (expired Dec 31, 2025); state and utility programs continue.
Below is the full breakdown by program and by equipment type.
What expired and what didn’t
Expired Dec 31, 2025:
- Federal IRA Section 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit — $2,000 max for heat pumps, $600 for high-efficiency furnaces or central AC. Gone for installs completed in 2026 or later.
- IRA Section 25D Residential Clean Energy Credit — applied to geothermal heat pumps (rare in our service area anyway). Also expired.
Still active in 2026:
- SCE residential heat pump rebate (tiered by efficiency)
- SCE residential central AC rebate (lower tier, still active)
- SoCalGas high-efficiency furnace rebate
- RPU (Riverside Public Utilities) heat pump rebate — Riverside customers only
- Liberty Utilities propane/electric rebates — Wrightwood + parts of Phelan
- Manufacturer quarterly rebates (Goodman, Rheem, Carrier, Bosch, Daikin)
SCE heat pump rebate (the biggest in HD)
SCE’s residential heat pump rebate is the single largest individual incentive most HD homeowners qualify for. Three tiers based on equipment efficiency:
| Tier | SEER2 ≥ | HSPF2 ≥ | Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Standard) | 15.0 | 8.5 | $500 |
| Tier 2 (High-Efficiency) | 16.0 | 9.5 | $850 |
| Tier 3 (Premium) | 17.0 | 10.0 | $1,200 |
SEER2 = seasonal cooling efficiency. HSPF2 = seasonal heating efficiency. Both ratings appear on the equipment data plate. We always quote the highest tier you qualify for that fits your home’s load. There’s no penalty for picking premium tier — same install labor, slightly higher equipment cost, much bigger rebate.
Eligible cities for SCE rebate (in our service area): Hesperia, Apple Valley, Victorville, Adelanto, Phelan, Wrightwood, Oak Hills, Lucerne Valley, Helendale, Oro Grande, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Jurupa Valley, Rialto, Ontario, Fontana, Chino, Redlands. Riverside is RPU territory (see below).
SCE central AC rebate (smaller)
For homeowners replacing AC only (keeping the gas furnace), SCE has a separate but smaller rebate:
| Tier | SEER2 ≥ | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 15.5 | $300 |
| Tier 2 | 17.0 | $600 |
If you qualify for a heat pump rebate, take that — it’s larger and the equipment handles both heating and cooling. The AC-only rebate is for households keeping gas heat and replacing the AC condenser separately.
SoCalGas high-efficiency furnace rebate
For households keeping gas heat (Hesperia, Apple Valley, Victorville, Adelanto, and most of San Bernardino County natural gas territory):
| AFUE rating | Rebate |
|---|---|
| 95-96% AFUE | $100 |
| 97% AFUE or higher | $300 |
Smaller than SCE’s heat pump rebate, but still real money if you’re staying on gas. Eligibility requires the furnace be Energy Star-certified and installed by a SoCalGas Trade Pro Network contractor (we are).
SoCalGas also runs a tankless water heater rebate ($300-$1,000) and a high-efficiency water heater rebate, but those are outside HVAC scope.
RPU (Riverside Public Utilities) — Riverside customers only
If your Riverside home is on RPU (most central and western Riverside neighborhoods), you qualify for a separate rebate program that stacks with SoCalGas. RPU does not duplicate SCE rebates because RPU is your electric utility, not SCE.
| RPU equipment type | Rebate |
|---|---|
| Heat pump (15+ SEER2, 9+ HSPF2) | $600 |
| Heat pump (17+ SEER2, 10+ HSPF2) | $1,000 |
| Central AC (15.5+ SEER2) | $300 |
| Smart thermostat (Ecobee, Nest, Honeywell) | $50 |
Riverside is split between RPU territory (central + west + most of Wood Streets, Magnolia, Arlington, downtown) and SCE territory (far southeast toward Moreno Valley). We check your meter at quote time to confirm which utility you’re on.
For more on Riverside-specific HVAC considerations, see our Riverside HVAC page.
Liberty Utilities — Wrightwood + high-elevation Phelan
Wrightwood and parts of high-elevation Phelan (above 4,200 ft) are on Liberty Utilities for electric, separate from SCE. Liberty has smaller rebates:
- High-efficiency heat pump: $400-$600
- Smart thermostat: $40
- Heat pump water heater: $400
If you’re in Liberty territory, also consider that propane is your primary heating fuel option (no natural gas service to most Wrightwood addresses). The fuel-cost math shifts in favor of heat pumps. See Heat Pump or Furnace for High Desert Homes for the propane comparison.
Manufacturer rebates (changes every 90 days)
The major HVAC manufacturers we install run quarterly rebates that vary by season:
- Goodman — typically $200-$500 instant rebate on AC + furnace combo or heat pump packages during installation windows
- Rheem — quarterly $200-$400 on high-efficiency systems
- Carrier — Comfort Choice $100-$300 on Performance tier; Infinity Choice $200-$600 on Infinity tier
- Bosch — $300-$500 on IDS heat pump packages
- Daikin — $200-$400 on Fit/Aurora packages, varies
We don’t publish exact manufacturer rebate amounts in this post because they change literally every quarter. We pull current rebate sheets at quote time and apply whatever’s running. For an example: an Apple Valley install in Q2 2026 of a Bosch IDS 18 SEER2 heat pump netted the homeowner $1,200 SCE + $400 Bosch = $1,600 in rebates on a $14,800 install.
What we file vs what you file
| Rebate | Who files | When |
|---|---|---|
| SCE heat pump | Us | Day after install |
| SCE central AC | Us | Day after install |
| SoCalGas furnace | Us | Day after install |
| RPU heat pump (Riverside) | Us | Day after install |
| Liberty Utilities | Us | Day after install |
| Manufacturer | Us (mostly) | Applied as install discount or filed for mail-in |
| Federal IRA (expired) | Was on you (homeowner) | N/A — expired 2025 |
You don’t track paperwork or chase forms. We file everything within 24 hours of install completion. Utility processing takes 4-10 weeks depending on program; manufacturer takes 8-12 weeks for mail-in or is applied at point of sale for instant rebates.
If a rebate stalls or gets bounced, we follow up with the utility. The most common bounce reason is missing equipment serial numbers, and we attach those on the front-end form so it’s rare for us.
Realistic rebate stacks by scenario
Scenario 1: Hesperia home, replacing 18-year-old AC + furnace, going to heat pump
- Equipment: Bosch IDS 18 SEER2 / 10 HSPF2 heat pump w/ air handler
- Install cost: $14,800
- SCE Tier 3 rebate: -$1,200
- Manufacturer instant rebate: -$400
- Net cost: $13,200
Scenario 2: Apple Valley home, replacing furnace only (keeping AC)
- Equipment: Goodman GMVM97 97% AFUE variable-speed furnace
- Install cost: $5,400
- SoCalGas rebate: -$300
- Manufacturer mail-in: -$200
- Net cost: $4,900
Scenario 3: Riverside (RPU territory) home, full heat pump replacement
- Equipment: Carrier Infinity 19 SEER2 / 10 HSPF2 heat pump
- Install cost: $16,400
- RPU Tier 2 rebate: -$1,000
- Manufacturer Infinity Choice: -$600
- Smart thermostat (Ecobee) rebate: -$50
- Net cost: $14,750
Scenario 4: Wrightwood propane → heat pump conversion
- Equipment: Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat 18 SEER2 / 11 HSPF2 cold-climate heat pump
- Install cost: $17,800
- Liberty Utilities rebate: -$600
- Mitsubishi rebate: -$500
- Net cost: $16,700 (plus annual propane savings ~$700-$1,000)
How to get the stack quoted
Call 760-983-2326 for a free in-home estimate. We bring current rebate sheets, the Manual J load calculation worksheet, and 2-3 specific equipment options at different efficiency tiers. The rebate amounts on the quote are the actual numbers we’ll file for — no bait-and-switch.
See our heat pump vs furnace cost guide for full pre-rebate pricing, or our heat pump service page for what we install. Our cost guides hub has the full set including ductwork, mini-split, and AC installation pricing.
