National Grid Massachusetts Heat Pump Rebates & Heat Pump Rate

National Grid's two heat-pump programs

National Grid MA's role for an NG-served heat pump household splits into two distinct programs:

• Mass Save heat pump rebate — a one-time payment up to $8,500 that reduces your install cost. National Grid (as the Mass Save electric sponsor for your address) processes the filing. Funded by the Mass Save Energy Efficiency Charge on ratepayer bills, administered through the standard HPIN installer + HPQPL equipment + Manual J sizing requirements.
• Massachusetts Seasonal Heat Pump Rate — a reduced electric distribution rate applied to all of your household electricity from November 1 through April 30, bringing the effective cost of heating-season power to roughly $0.24/kWh against $0.30 on standard R-1. May through October the standard rate returns. This is a published electric tariff filed with the MA Department of Public Utilities — separate from the Mass Save program.

Most NG 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. Heat Pump Rate enrollment is automatic too — but only after National Grid has fully processed and PAID that rebate, which runs 6–8 weeks. Two exceptions apply at National Grid: if you took the $250/ton Basic rebate, or your install came through the new-construction or renovation program, you must apply for the rate yourself rather than wait to be enrolled.

National Grid vs Eversource — what's different?

The Mass Save rebate program is statewide — same amounts, same eligibility, same paperwork regardless of which of the six sponsors processes your filing. Where National Grid and Eversource differ:

• Standard electric rate: National Grid Basic Service + delivery runs ~$0.30/kWh blended in 2026-Q1 vs Eversource's $0.32/kWh — National Grid is modestly cheaper on standard residential.
• Seasonal Heat Pump Rate: both utilities sponsor it, but the winter reduction differs — National Grid lands near $0.24/kWh on heating-season usage vs Eversource's $0.28. National Grid publishes $70–$141/month November–April on R-1; $20–$96/month on the R-2 income-eligible rate; Eversource publishes about $430 over the winter season, roughly $72/month.
• Service territory: National Grid dominates Central + South Shore + North Shore MA. Eversource dominates Greater Boston metro + Western MA. The boundary is mostly geographic, with some city-by-city variation (Brockton has NG electric + Eversource Gas; Cambridge has Eversource electric + Eversource Gas; Worcester has NG for both).
• Processing timeline: Both sponsors process rebates through Mass Save's shared contractor portal — typical 6-12 weeks from install to check arrival. No meaningful difference in processing speed by sponsor.

For most homeowners, the choice of sponsor is determined by your address — you can't switch sponsors by request. What matters: making sure you are actually on the Seasonal Heat Pump Rate before November 1, because it is the single biggest factor in winter heat-pump operating cost. See our Heat Pump Rate deep dive for the full math.

Massachusetts cities National Grid serves

Across the 12 cities MassHVAC covers in depth, National Grid serves the following as a Mass Save sponsor:

• Boston, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas
• Worcester, MA — National Grid (both electric + gas)
• Lowell, MA — National Grid (both electric + gas)
• Brockton, MA — National Grid electric · Eversource gas
• Quincy, MA — National Grid (both electric + gas)
• Lynn, MA — National Grid (both electric + gas)
• Fall River, MA — National Grid electric · Liberty Utilities gas
• Newton, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas
• Somerville, MA — Eversource electric · National Grid gas

Outside our 12-city coverage, National Grid serves another ~80 MA municipalities. Verify your address against the Mass Save Sponsors directory.

Served by a different sponsor? Each has its own rebate guide: Eversource, Unitil (Fitchburg area), Cape Light Compact (Cape & Islands), and the gas-only sponsors Berkshire Gas and Liberty Utilities — whose customers file the heat pump rebate through their electric sponsor (often National Grid).

How the National Grid 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 (the assessor is contracted by whichever sponsor serves your address — typically National Grid for NG-served homes).
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 through Mass Save's contractor portal; National Grid processes the rebate from their portion of the Energy Efficiency Charge fund.
7. Rebate check arrives — typically 6-12 weeks after the rebate filing.

The National Grid Seasonal Heat Pump Rate

National Grid is one of three sponsors — with Eversource 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 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: no on-peak windows, no on-peak penalty, no reason to move laundry or EV charging overnight. The discount applies to every kWh you use in the season.
• What it is worth: National Grid publishes $70–$141/month November–April on R-1; $20–$96/month on the R-2 income-eligible rate — an effective $0.24/kWh on heating-season usage against $0.30/kWh on standard R-1.
• Enrollment — the 6–8 week catch: National Grid auto-enrolls customers who took a Mass Save heat pump rebate on that electric account for a post-January-1-2019 install, but only once the rebate is fully processed and paid. That is 6–8 weeks after filing, so a late-fall install can miss the start of the season. Check your account rather than assume.
• Who must apply instead: customers who took the $250/ton Basic rebate are not auto-enrolled and must apply. So must new-construction and renovation-program installs. Manual application is also open to anyone else with a space-heating heat pump, regardless of install date or whether Mass Save was involved.
• Eligibility: a heat pump used for space heating — not electric resistance heat, not a cooling-only heat pump, not a standalone heat pump water heater, not a commercial account. Renters with their own residential electric account, solar and net-metering customers, and income-eligible customers on the R-2 variant all qualify.
• Opting out: call 1-800-322-3223. The rate follows the premise rather than the customer, and is not retroactive before November 1, 2025.