Eversource Massachusetts Heat Pump Rebates & Heat Pump Rate

Two programs, often confused

Eversource's role for an Eversource-served MA homeowner installing a heat pump comes in two distinct programs that work together:

• Mass Save heat pump rebate — a one-time payment up to $8,500 that reduces your install cost. Eversource (as the Mass Save electric sponsor for your address) processes the filing after install. Funded by the Mass Save Energy Efficiency Charge on ratepayer bills, administered through the Mass Save HPIN installer + HPQPL equipment + Manual J sizing requirements.
• Massachusetts Seasonal Heat Pump Rate — a reduced electric distribution and transmission rate applied to all of your household electricity from November 1 through April 30, cutting the effective cost of heating-season power to roughly $0.28/kWh against $0.32 on standard R-1. May through October you pay the standard rate again. This is a published electric tariff filed with the MA Department of Public Utilities, separate from the Mass Save program.

Most heat pump homeowners benefit from both. The rebate cuts the install cost; the Heat Pump Rate cuts the winter electric bill. The rebate is automatic if your installer is HPIN-enrolled and the equipment is on the HPQPL — and if that rebate lands on your Eversource electric account for a system installed after January 1, 2019, Heat Pump Rate enrollment is automatic too: Eversource enrolls you and sends notice. Everyone else applies with install documentation.

Eversource Electric vs Eversource Gas — what's the difference?

Eversource Energy operates two subsidiaries in Massachusetts that are both Mass Save sponsors, but they sponsor DIFFERENT rebate categories:

• Eversource Electric (NSTAR Electric d/b/a Eversource) — the legacy NSTAR Electric service. Serves Boston, Cambridge, Springfield, Newton, Somerville, New Bedford, and ~50 other MA cities. As Mass Save sponsor: heat pump rebates, the HEAT Loan electric coordination, and the Seasonal Heat Pump Rate.
• Eversource Gas of Massachusetts — formerly Columbia Gas of MA, acquired by Eversource in October 2020. Serves Cambridge, Springfield, Brockton (gas only), Framingham, and ~40 other gas service areas. As Mass Save sponsor: gas furnace and gas water heater rebates, weatherization for gas-heated homes, gas-side HEAT Loan coordination.

For a heat pump install: the rebate ALWAYS goes through the electric sponsor (because heat pumps run on electricity). So even if your gas is from Eversource and your electric is from National Grid, your heat pump rebate is filed through National Grid, not Eversource. If both your electric and gas are Eversource (Cambridge, Springfield, etc.), a single Eversource entity handles both filings.

Massachusetts cities Eversource serves

Across the 12 cities MassHVAC covers in depth, Eversource Electric serves the following as the Mass Save sponsor:

• Boston, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas
• Springfield, MA — Eversource (both electric + gas)
• Cambridge, MA — Eversource (both electric + gas)
• Brockton, MA — National Grid electric · Eversource gas
• New Bedford, MA — Eversource (both electric + gas)
• Newton, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas
• Somerville, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas

Outside our 12-city coverage, Eversource serves another ~50 MA municipalities. Look up your specific address against the Mass Save Sponsors directory to confirm.

Not served by Eversource? The other Mass Save sponsors each have their own rebate guide: National Grid, Unitil (Fitchburg area), Cape Light Compact (Cape & Islands), and the gas-only sponsors Berkshire Gas and Liberty Utilities — where the heat pump rebate files through your electric sponsor instead.

The Eversource Seasonal Heat Pump Rate

Eversource is one of three sponsors — with National Grid and Unitil — of the Massachusetts Seasonal Heat Pump Rate, in effect since November 1, 2025. Key facts:

• What it is: a reduced electric distribution rate — Eversource also reduces transmission — applied to ALL household electricity use from November 1 through April 30. From May through October, enrolled customers pay the standard residential rate.
• Not time-of-use: there are no on-peak or off-peak windows and no on-peak penalty. Shifting laundry, the dishwasher, or EV charging overnight does nothing for this rate.
• What it is worth: Eversource publishes about $430 over the winter season, roughly $72/month. That puts the effective cost of heating-season electricity near $0.28/kWh against $0.32/kWh on standard R-1.
• Enrollment: automatic if you received a Mass Save heat pump rebate on this Eversource electric account for a system installed after January 1, 2019 — Eversource enrolls you and notifies you. Otherwise apply online with proof of purchase, a contractor invoice, a Mass Save rebate confirmation letter or email, a photo of the outdoor unit showing model and serial number, or a MassCEC-approved application.
• Eligibility: a heat pump used for space heating — it does not have to be your only heat source, and renters with their own residential electric account qualify. Electric resistance heat, a cooling-only heat pump, and a standalone heat pump water heater do not.
• No separate line item: the reduction sits on the delivery side of the bill, folded into the distribution charge, so municipal-aggregation and third-party-supply customers receive it as well.

The rate follows the premise, not the customer, and is not retroactive before November 1, 2025. For an Eversource-served home converting from oil, the seasonal discount is the difference between modeling winter electricity at $0.32/kWh and at $0.28/kWh — our operating-cost calculator runs both.

How the Eversource rebate filing works

1. Get a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment — free 60-90 minute assessment, gates every rebate. Schedule through Mass Save's website.
2. Choose an HPIN installer — your installer must be enrolled in the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network. Vet installers for HPIN status BEFORE signing.
3. Manual J load calculation — your installer runs ACCA Manual J to size the system within the 90-120% sizing-bonus band
4. HPQPL-listed equipment — the proposed make/model must be on the current Heat Pump Qualified Products List
5. Install and commissioning — typical 3-5 days for a multi-zone ductless install
6. Rebate filing — your installer submits the filing through Mass Save's contractor portal; Eversource processes the rebate
7. Rebate check arrives — typically 6-12 weeks after the rebate filing

Full procedural detail is in our Mass Save rebate claim process guide. The Eversource-specific part is in step 6 — Eversource processes the rebate against their portion of the Mass Save Energy Efficiency Charge fund.