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Rebates and tax credits for a Fort Wayne house
HVAC rebates and tax credits around Fort Wayne have changed: federal credits are over, as the IRS disallows property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Check NIPSCO and Indiana Energy Saver.
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Can you still claim the federal tax credit on a new furnace or AC?
No, not for a 2026 install. The IRS wording is exact: "The credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025." The Form 5695 instructions say the same thing. ENERGY STAR's page says federal credits were "available through the end of 2025." Older web pages and old sales sheets may still mention the credit. Leave it out of your math for any new equipment. If you have a question about work finished in 2025, take it to a tax preparer.
What does NIPSCO offer for a furnace or boiler in 2026?
The only figures this site could read are in a distributor's copy of a January 2026 flyer: $250 for a furnace or boiler at 95% AFUE or higher, and $65 for a smart thermostat, both ending December 31, 2026. That copy is not NIPSCO's own, and nipsco.com could not be reached from here. Confirm the amounts on NIPSCO's site before you count on them. The flyer's AC and heat pump lines are confusing, so this site prints no amount for those. The OUCC shows NIPSCO's gas efficiency plan running 2024 to 2026, and this site found no 2027 plan.
Does I&M have rebates right now?
This site can't say, and prints no I&M amounts. The OUCC says I&M's 2026-2028 efficiency plan was before regulators in Cause 46255, and its page does not say whether the plan was approved. I&M's own site could not be reached from here, so check it directly. Greater Fort Wayne Inc. also lists Northeastern REMC, Heartland REMC and Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative as electric utilities in the area. If one of them sends your bill, ask it what it offers.
Who can get a HEAR rebate through Indiana Energy Saver?
HEAR is for households under 150% of area median income. Under 80%, it covers 100% of qualified cost up to $14,000. From 80% to 150%, it covers 50% up to $14,000. The caps are by item: $8,000 for a heat pump for heating and cooling, $1,750 for a heat pump water heater, $4,000 for an electrical panel, $2,500 for wiring, and $1,600 for insulation, air sealing and ventilation. One limit matters here: "HEAR rebates are not permitted for the replacement of existing electric equipment." A gas furnace is not among the items this site read on that page.
| What | The figure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Allen County 80% AMI, 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 people | $53,300 / $60,900 / $68,500 / $76,100 | Indiana Energy Saver AMI table |
| Allen County 150% AMI, 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 people | $99,900 / $114,150 / $128,400 / $142,650 | Indiana Energy Saver AMI table |
| HEAR maximum total | $14,000 | Indiana Energy Saver |
| HEAR heat pump cap | $8,000 | Indiana Energy Saver |
| HOMES under 80% AMI, 35%+ savings | $18,000 or 100% of cost | Indiana Energy Saver |
| HOMES 80% AMI or more, 35%+ savings | $4,000 or 50% of cost | Indiana Energy Saver |
| NIPSCO furnace or boiler, 95% AFUE+, from a distributor's flyer | $250, ends Dec 31, 2026; confirm with NIPSCO | Munch's Supply copy, January 2026 |
How does the HOMES rebate work?
HOMES pays by how much energy a project saves, and it is open to all incomes for single-family homes. Under 80% of area median income, it pays $12,000 or 100% of cost at 20-34% savings, and $18,000 or 100% of cost at 35% or more. At 80% or above, it pays $2,000 or 50% at 20-34%, and $4,000 or 50% at 35% or more. The state's program page says applications are open. The newsroom has items from October 2026, though no fund balance is published, so apply before you commit to a job.
How do you spot a fake rebate offer?
Start with how the offer reached you. The Indiana Office of Energy Development says the only way into the state program is an application at IndianaEnergySaver.com, and that program contractors "do not go door-to-door or solicit business." A knock on the door with a rebate pitch doesn't fit that description. Neither does a quote that counts the federal credit on a 2026 install. Ask for the program name and check it on the program's own site before you sign.
What to do
Right now
- Cross the federal credit off your list for any 2026 install.
- Find your household size and income on the Allen County table.
- Check NIPSCO's site for current rebate amounts and the December 31, 2026 end date.
Before next winter
- Apply at IndianaEnergySaver.com before you commit to a job that depends on a rebate.
- Check I&M's site, or your electric co-op's, for what it offers.
- Ask whether a rebate needs a set efficiency: ENERGY STAR's furnace line in Indiana is 97% AFUE, while the flyer's rebate line is 95%.
Call a pro when
- You need a quote with the model number and AFUE or SEER2 printed on it, since rebate forms depend on those.
- A tax question about work finished in 2025 comes up. That is for a tax preparer.
What neighbors ask
Can a furnace installed in 2026 get the federal 25C credit?
No. The IRS says the credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. A 2026 install falls after that date.
Does a 95% furnace count as ENERGY STAR in Indiana?
Not by that figure alone. ENERGY STAR's line for the U.S. North, which includes Indiana, is 97% AFUE or greater. The 95% figure is the rebate line on the distributor's copy of NIPSCO's flyer.
Is Indiana Energy Saver a real program?
Yes. The Indiana Office of Energy Development announced it May 14, 2025, with about $182 million in federal funding, and says applications are open. Applications go through IndianaEnergySaver.com.
Can I combine a NIPSCO rebate with Indiana Energy Saver money?
The published pages don't settle that. Ask the program and NIPSCO before you count on both.
What happens to NIPSCO rebates after 2026?
Nobody has said yet. The flyer's amounts end December 31, 2026, NIPSCO's gas plan runs through 2026, and no 2027 plan turned up. Check NIPSCO's site near year's end.
Where this came from
This essay rests on the IRS, the Indiana Office of Energy Development, Indiana Energy Saver and the Indiana OUCC, checked November 3, 2026. NIPSCO's amounts come only from a distributor's January 2026 flyer, and neither nipsco.com nor I&M's site could be opened when this was checked, so confirm those on the utilities' own sites. This is general information, and a tax preparer can speak to your own return.