Editorial Calendar & Verification Cadence
The four cycle types
- Quarterly: Mass Save rates and HPQPL listings, utility tariff rates. These can move on calendar-quarter cadence; we check at the start of every quarter.
- Annually: AMI tables, SMI thresholds, comprehensive full-site re-verification. Most program annual cycles align with January 1.
- Event-driven: federal program status (25C/25D, HEAR), refrigerant transition, sponsor/MLP boundary changes. We check when news breaks; otherwise no scheduled cadence.
- Continuous: the freshness check (
npm run check:freshness) flags any data figure older than 90 days during every build — catching drift between scheduled cycles.
Upcoming verification cycles
| Cycle | Cadence | Next due |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Save rates & HPQPL refresh | Quarterly | Aug 20, 2026 |
| Utility tariff rate refresh | Quarterly | Aug 20, 2026 |
| Federal program status | Event-driven | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Refrigerant transition & equipment compliance | Event-driven | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Sponsor / MLP boundary check | Event-driven | Jan 1, 2027 |
| AMI tables + income-qualified thresholds | Annually | Apr 1, 2027 |
| Comprehensive annual re-verification | Annually | Jan 15, 2027 |
Mass Save rates & HPQPL refresh
Quarterly · Next: Aug 20, 2026
What we re-verify
- Whole-Home, Partial-Home, and Basic rebate $/ton + per-home caps
- Sizing bonus + Weatherization bonus amounts
- HEAT Loan rate, term tiers (84/60/36 mo by SMI band), and $25K cap
- Heat Pump Qualified Products List delta — additions, removals, refrigerant transition status
- Six-sponsor utility roster (Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, Cape Light Compact, Berkshire Gas, Liberty Utilities)
Against these primary sources
masssave.com/heat-pump-qualified-listmasssave.com/residential/heating-and-cooling/heat-pumpsmasssave.com/residential/programs-and-services/financing
Utility tariff rate refresh
Quarterly · Next: Aug 20, 2026
What we re-verify
- Eversource residential $/kWh (delivery + supply, summer + winter blocks)
- National Grid residential $/kWh + $/therm
- Unitil + Cape Light Compact residential rates
- MLP average residential $/kWh (used by the operating-cost calculator)
Against these primary sources
mass.gov/info-details/dpu-residential-electric-and-gas-tariffseversource.com/content/residential/account-billing/...nationalgridus.com
Federal program status
Event-driven · Next: Jan 1, 2027
What we re-verify
- §25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (currently expired Dec 31, 2025)
- §25D Residential Clean Energy Credit (currently expired Dec 31, 2025)
- IRA-funded HEAR program eligibility, amount caps, and AMI thresholds
- IRA-funded HOMES program status (currently not active in MA)
- Federal legislative activity that could reinstate or replace 25C/25D (current bills: H.R. 616, S.1214/H.R. 2486)
Against these primary sources
irs.gov/credits-deductions/energy-efficient-home-improvement-creditirs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-creditcongress.govmasssave.com/inflation-reduction-act
Refrigerant transition & equipment compliance
Event-driven · Next: Jan 1, 2027
What we re-verify
- EPA SNAP + AIM Act refrigerant phase-down dates
- R-410A HPQPL removal status (currently effective Jan 1, 2026)
- R-32 and R-454B adoption across major brand product lines
- Refrigerant GWP thresholds applied to MA HVAC installs
Against these primary sources
epa.gov/snapenergystar.gov/products/heating_cooling/heat_pumps_air_source
Sponsor / MLP boundary check
Event-driven · Next: Jan 1, 2027
What we re-verify
- 41-town MLP roster (changes only on rare town-level transitions)
- Per-city electric and gas sponsor mapping (60+ MA municipalities)
- Utility mergers / acquisitions (most recent: Eversource acquired Columbia Gas of MA, Oct 2020)
Against these primary sources
mass.gov/info-details/municipal-light-plant-communitiesmasssave.com/about-us
AMI tables + income-qualified thresholds
Annually · Next: Apr 1, 2027
What we re-verify
- HUD Area Median Income tables for the 14 MA counties (1-person through 8-person households)
- MA State Median Income tiers used by the HEAT Loan term-length tiering
- 80% AMI threshold (HEAR eligibility), 60% SMI threshold (Turnkey eligibility)
Against these primary sources
huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.htmlmass.gov (SMI thresholds)
Comprehensive annual re-verification
Annually · Next: Jan 15, 2027
What we re-verify
- Every dollar amount and program rule on the site reviewed against the current primary source
- Incentives Changelog cross-referenced for every entry made over the past calendar year
- Rebate-calculator math + cost models compared to installer-quote samples
- Operating-cost calculator fuel prices and electricity rates set for the new program year
Against these primary sources
All primary sources on the /sources/ page
How readers can help between cycles
If you spot a stale figure between scheduled cycles — a rebate amount that disagrees with masssave.com, a refrigerant rule that's changed, an installer credential we describe wrong — please flag it:
- Submit through the contact form with "editorial correction" in the notes.
- Call (617) 533-0556 and ask for the editorial team.
- Cross-reference the figure with the corresponding entry on the Primary Sources page first if you can — that catches most "stale" reports that turn out to match the current primary source.
Every accepted correction is logged in the Incentives Changelog with the date, the previous value, the new value, and the source that triggered the change. We don't silently edit numbers in place.
What's NOT on this calendar
- Marketing copy and CTA wording — those are revised continuously and don't carry a verification commitment.
- Per-city historical commentary (housing stock notes, climate context) — these don't change on a cadence; we update them only when a city's underlying conditions shift.
- Internal links and site navigation — handled at every site build, not on a calendar.
See the numbers in action
The 2026 rebate math behind every figure on this page lives in our calculators — run yours.