Heat Pump and HVAC Rebates in Onslow County, NC: What Is Still Available in 2026

Published September 11, 2026 - Kennedy's Heating & Air Conditioning - Richlands, NC

Last verified: September 11, 2026. Every program below was read from the program's own page on that date. We re-check this page each quarter. Program rules change, so confirm the current terms on the linked page before you sign a contract.

The federal tax credit that paid for part of a new heat pump is over. The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, known by its tax code section as 25C, covered qualifying equipment installed through December 31, 2025, and nothing installed in 2026 qualifies. What is left for a homeowner in Richlands, Jacksonville, Sneads Ferry or Swansboro is the utility and state layer: five utilities that each serve part of Onslow County and its neighbors, and a state program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Nobody has laid them out town by town, so here they are.

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What Changed on January 1, 2026

The IRS page for the credit says it in one line: you can claim the credit for improvements made through December 31, 2025, and you claim it for the tax year the property was installed, not the year it was purchased. ENERGY STAR's air-source heat pump credit page uses the same window, January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025. If Kennedy's installed your heat pump in 2025, you claim it on your 2025 return with Form 5695, Part II, and you will need the Qualified Manufacturer Identification Number from your equipment paperwork. If your system went in this year, the credit does not apply, and any website that still says it does is out of date. The programs below are what remain.

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Which Utility Serves Your Town

Every rebate in this guide is tied to the company that sends your electric or gas bill, so start there. Service territories overlap in and around Jacksonville, and the line between co-ops near the Pender and Carteret county borders is not published in a form we can reproduce, so check the logo on your bill rather than assuming from your town. In general terms:

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Jones-Onslow EMC

JOEMC's HVAC rebate is written for exactly the equipment most Onslow County homes need. Members who install a qualifying ENERGY STAR rated heat pump or air-to-air heat pump may be eligible, and the unit must meet a minimum efficiency of 16 SEER or 15.2 SEER2. The rebate is claimed by the member of record on the co-op's HVAC rebate form after the installation, and the amount and any conditions are printed on that form rather than on the web page, so download the current form before you buy. JOEMC also lists a rebate for a newly installed heat pump water heater, which is worth pairing with a heat pump changeout if your electric tank is more than a decade old. Read the program at joemc.com/energywise/products-rebates.

Duke Energy Progress Smart $aver

Duke Energy's Smart $aver program pays residential HVAC rebates in its North Carolina territory, with the efficiency thresholds quoted in SEER2 and separate tiers for replacing an existing heat pump and for converting a home away from electric resistance heat. Duke's program page is built as an application that our tools could not read on the verification date, so this guide does not reproduce its tiers or amounts. Two things to know before you sign: Duke rebates generally have to be installed by a contractor participating in the program, and the tiers change with the program year. Confirm the current terms at duke-energy.com/home/products/smart-saver and ask us at the estimate whether the system you are quoted meets the threshold.

Four County EMC (Burgaw)

Four County EMC has the most fully published heat pump program on the roster. The standard heat pump rebate is available to any member who installs a heat pump rated 15 SEER2 or better, for new construction or a retrofit, at a primary residence served by the co-op. Proof of purchase is required and the application must be submitted within one year of the purchase date. The co-op also lists separate rebates for an ENERGY STAR cold climate heat pump with an inverter or variable-speed compressor, for a dual fuel heat pump with a fossil fuel backup, for a ductless mini-split heat pump rated 15.2 SEER2 or better, and for an ENERGY STAR heat pump water heater. Amounts are printed on the page. Read it at fourcty.org/energy-efficiency/rebates.

Carteret-Craven Electric (Emerald Isle)

As of our verification date, Carteret-Craven's rebate page does not list a rebate for a space-heating heat pump. What it does list is a rebate for a qualified ENERGY STAR heat pump water heater and the Connect to Save thermostat program, which pays members who own an eligible Google Nest, ecobee or Honeywell Home smart thermostat and allow the co-op to make occasional adjustments during peak demand. If you are replacing a heat pump in Emerald Isle, the Daikin promotion and the state program below are the levers to check. Read the page at ccemc.com/energy-efficiency/rebates.

Piedmont Natural Gas Furnace Rebates (Jacksonville)

Piedmont's North Carolina residential rebate is for natural gas customers who replace existing natural gas equipment with new high-efficiency natural gas equipment. It is not available for new construction, the equipment must be installed by a licensed contractor, and the application must be postmarked within 90 days of the installation date. The furnace rebate is tiered by AFUE, the annual fuel utilization efficiency printed on the furnace label. The public application form we could find is marked as revised in 2018, so confirm the current tiers with Piedmont before you count on a figure. If your Jacksonville home is on Piedmont's mains, see our furnace installation and replacement page for the equipment side.

Energy Saver NC (the State's IRA Rebates)

Energy Saver NC is the state program that runs the two Inflation Reduction Act home energy rebates, HOMES and HEAR, and it is active in every county in North Carolina. It is income-qualified. A household below 80 percent of the area median income can have up to 100 percent of a project's cost covered, up to the program's caps; a household between 80 and 150 percent can have up to 50 percent covered; above 150 percent is not eligible. Households already enrolled in programs such as SNAP or LIEAP can qualify without separate income verification.

Three rules matter more than the amounts. First, the rebate is taken off the invoice at the time of installation by a registered contractor; it is not mailed to you afterward, and self-installed work does not qualify. Second, on a heat pump project the contractor must perform a Manual J load calculation to size the system to your home. Third, the rules changed on September 1, 2026. Under updated federal guidance, HEAR no longer pays for replacing a gas or other fossil fuel appliance with electric equipment, it now allows replacing an existing electric appliance with a more efficient electric one, and insulation and air sealing may be required alongside a heat pump project. Applications that had not reached rebate reservation status by that date fall under the new rules. Start at energysavernc.org, check eligibility first, and use the program's registered contractor finder before you accept a quote.

Daikin Rebates

Daikin runs seasonal manufacturer promotions on qualifying systems, and as the region's only Daikin Comfort Pro dealer, Kennedy's installs the equipment those promotions apply to. The amounts and qualifying models change by season, so we do not print them here. Ask at the estimate what the current Daikin promotion is and which of our heat pump installation and ductless mini-split options qualify.

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What Is R-32?

R-32 is the low-global-warming refrigerant Daikin uses in its new heat pumps and air conditioners, while most other brands moved to a blend called R-454B. Both replace R-410A, which is being phased down under federal rules. The difference matters locally because of what happened in 2025. R-454B is a new blend that ships in a new type of cylinder, and in the spring of 2025 supply could not keep up: its main producer said in April that it could not meet demand, cylinders were scarce, and contractors across the country reported delays and sharply higher prices for the refrigerant during peak season. R-32 is a single-component refrigerant that has been used in more than 130 countries and is made by many producers, and Daikin lists it at a global warming potential of 675 against 2,088 for R-410A. For a homeowner it means the refrigerant in a Daikin system installed today is easier to source for repairs. Refrigerant is not a do-it-yourself product in either case; handling it requires EPA Section 608 certification.

What Is SEER2?

SEER2 is the cooling efficiency rating adopted in 2023, measured under a test that adds more airflow resistance than the old SEER test to better reflect real ductwork. Every rebate above quotes it because the programs use the rating on the AHRI certificate for the exact matched system, and a rating just under a program's threshold does not round up.

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How to Stack Them Without Losing One

The order of operations is set by each program's rules. Confirm Energy Saver NC eligibility before any work starts, because that rebate is applied at the point of sale by a registered contractor and cannot be claimed after the fact. Then file the utility rebate after installation, inside the program's window: Four County EMC gives one year from purchase, Piedmont requires a postmark within 90 days of installation, and JOEMC's window is printed on its form. Then apply the manufacturer promotion, which has its own dates. Energy Saver NC states that a household can receive both its rebate and a utility incentive on the same product as long as the combined rebates do not exceed the purchase price. Keep the itemized invoice, the AHRI certificate and the installation date together; every form asks for all three.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the federal heat pump tax credit still available in 2026?

No. The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (section 25C) covered qualifying equipment installed through December 31, 2025. A heat pump installed in 2025 is claimed on the 2025 return with IRS Form 5695. Equipment installed in 2026 does not qualify. What remains in Onslow County is the utility layer (Jones-Onslow EMC, Duke Energy Progress, Four County EMC, Piedmont Natural Gas) and the state-run Energy Saver NC program.

Does Jones-Onslow EMC give a rebate for a new heat pump?

Yes. Jones-Onslow EMC lists an HVAC rebate for members who install a qualifying ENERGY STAR rated heat pump with a minimum efficiency of 16 SEER or 15.2 SEER2. The rebate is claimed on the co-op's HVAC rebate form after installation, and the current amount and conditions are printed on that form, not on the web page. JOEMC also lists a rebate for a newly installed heat pump water heater.

Do I qualify for Energy Saver NC?

Eligibility is based on household income and household size. Households below 80 percent of the area median income can have up to 100 percent of project cost covered up to the program cap, households between 80 and 150 percent can have up to 50 percent covered, and households above 150 percent are not eligible. The work must be done by an Energy Saver NC registered contractor and the rebate is taken off the invoice at the time of installation. Enrollment in programs such as SNAP or LIEAP can qualify a household without separate income paperwork.

Can I get a rebate for replacing a gas package unit?

It depends on the program. Since September 1, 2026, Energy Saver NC no longer pays a HEAR rebate for replacing a gas or other fossil fuel appliance with a heat pump; it now covers electric-to-electric upgrades. The co-op rebates from Jones-Onslow EMC and Four County EMC are based on the efficiency of the new heat pump, not on what it replaces. Piedmont Natural Gas rebates go the other direction and apply only when existing natural gas equipment is replaced with new high-efficiency natural gas equipment.

Does Kennedy's fill out the rebate paperwork?

The rebate forms are filed by the account holder, because every program ties the rebate to the utility account or the tax return. Kennedy's provides what the forms ask for: the itemized invoice, the model and serial numbers, the AHRI certificate with the SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings, and the installation date. Ask at the estimate which programs apply to your address and whether the program requires a contractor enrolled in it, and we will tell you before any work starts.

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Ready to Replace a System This Year?

Same-day service is available across Richlands, Jacksonville and the coast. We will tell you at the estimate which of these programs your address and your equipment choice qualify for. See heat pump installation, mini-split installation, furnace installation and financing, or call (910) 340-7061.