The US AC & Heat Pump Replacement Pack (2026)
A 13-chapter pack you read online or print, with a quote comparison spreadsheet, for US homeowners replacing a central AC or heat pump in 2026.
- 13chapters
- 18worksheets and tables
- 41checklist items
- 7official sources cited
Checked before every release
- 54automated testsrun at every release: prices, links, pages and data checked before publication.
- 7primary sourcesevery rule and number linked to the official text, for you to open.
- October 11, 2026editionrules and numbers checked on this date, updated when a text changes.
Built from the texts and data of IRS, U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR, Code of Federal Regulations, EPA, ACCA.
You have a quote on the table, or one coming, and much of what you read online still promises a tax credit that ended on December 31, 2025. This pack is the working file for the decision: what money is really left and how to claim it, the right size and efficiency for your home, three quotes compared line by line, and the checks on installation day.
Every rule is quoted with its official source (IRS, Department of Energy, EPA) so you can check it yourself. We do not install, sell equipment or recommend contractors: the pack is on your side of the table.
$49
Get the pack, $49Read chapter 1 free- 13 chapters (about 6,300 words): what is left of the incentives in 2026, Form 5695 line by line for a 2025 install, sizing, SEER2 minimums, 20 contractor questions, installation-day checks
- 18 worksheets and reference tables, including a three-quote comparison sheet
- The same comparison as a spreadsheet (CSV: Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets)
Instant access: right after payment your pack page opens in your browser; print it or save it as a PDF. $49 is the total, paid once, no subscription.
As described, or refunded in full · written into our terms of sale
For $40 more: US Homeowner AC Library 2026, 5 guides, $17.80 per guide.
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What you get
- The 2026 incentive map: what ended (25C, 25D), what is left (state Home Energy Rebates, utility and manufacturer money) and the order that keeps you eligible.
- Form 5695, Part II, line by line for a 2025 installation, with a credit worksheet, the QMID and CEE checks, and the Form 1040-X route if you missed it.
- State rebate and utility program sheets: the questions to ask and the traps (pre-approval, enrolled contractors, stacking).
- Sizing and efficiency: what Manual J, S and D are, the data to collect, and the federal SEER2 / EER2 / HSPF2 minimums for your region (10 CFR 430.32).
- Refrigerant in 2026: R-410A stock versus R-454B / R-32 systems, and what to ask.
- 20 contractor questions with a three-column interview sheet, a quote rewritten line by line and a three-quote comparison sheet (also as a spreadsheet).
- Contract, permit and installation-day checklists, warranty registration and the document file, and a repair-or-replace worksheet.
Free guides, the pack or the library
The free articles answer one question at a time. The pack puts the whole replacement in order and gives you the sheets to fill in.
Free guides
$0
59 free US articles
- ✓The rules explained, official sources cited
- —What is left of the incentives in 2026, in the order that keeps you eligible
- —16 worksheets and reference tables
- —Three-quote comparison sheet, also as a spreadsheet
- —Print it or keep it as a PDF
- —Plus 4 more guides: maintenance, hot upstairs, warranty claims, room AC
Replacement pack
$49
paid once
- ✓The rules explained, official sources cited
- ✓What is left of the incentives in 2026, in the order that keeps you eligible
- ✓16 worksheets and reference tables
- ✓Three-quote comparison sheet, also as a spreadsheet
- ✓Print it or keep it as a PDF
- —Plus 4 more guides: maintenance, hot upstairs, warranty claims, room AC
US Homeowner AC Library 2026
$89
5 guides, $145 bought one by one (you save $56)
- ✓The rules explained, official sources cited
- ✓What is left of the incentives in 2026, in the order that keeps you eligible
- ✓16 worksheets and reference tables
- ✓Three-quote comparison sheet, also as a spreadsheet
- ✓Print it or keep it as a PDF
- ✓Plus 4 more guides: maintenance, hot upstairs, warranty claims, room AC
In pictures
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Illustrative photos, published by their authors under free licences.
Who it is for
- Homeowners about to replace a central air conditioner, a heat pump or a furnace-and-AC pair, with quotes on the table or coming
- Homeowners who installed qualifying equipment in 2025 and want to claim the federal credit on that year's return, or amend a return that missed it
- Anyone who wants to know which incentives still exist in 2026 and how to apply before signing, not after
Contents
- Where the money stands in 2026 free below
- Claiming the credit for a 2025 installation: Form 5695, Part II
- Missed the credit? Amending your 2025 return
- State Home Energy Rebates (HOMES and HEEHR)
- Utility, manufacturer and local money
- Sizing: what a correct replacement starts with
- Efficiency rules: the minimum where you live
- Refrigerant in 2026: what to ask
- Twenty questions for every contractor
- Reading a quote line by line and comparing three
- The contract, the permit and installation day
- Warranties and the document file
- Repair or replace: the decision worksheet
- Sources
In the paid chapters: 41 checklist items and 16 worksheets or reference tables, each citing the official rule it relies on.
Introduction
This pack is the working copy of a replacement project. The free guides on Claude AC explain the rules; this document turns them into worksheets you fill in at each stage: the incentive check before you sign, the federal credit lines for a 2025 installation, the data a contractor needs to size the system, the efficiency minimum that applies where you live, the questions to ask every bidder, a side-by-side comparison of three quotes and the checks on installation day.
How to use it: print it (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then "Save as PDF", or print on paper) and keep it with your quotes. A spreadsheet version of the quote comparison is also on your access page. Start with chapter 1: it tells you which chapters apply to you.
The rules quoted are those published on October 12, 2026 by the IRS (Form 5695 instructions for 2025, the energy credits FAQ of January 2025 and the July 2025 changes known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), the Department of Energy (10 CFR 430.32 efficiency standards, Home Energy Rebates), the EPA (refrigerant rules) and the International Residential Code. Each chapter names its source so you can read the official text yourself.
Chapter 1: Where the money stands in 2026
The landscape changed in 2025 and most of what is still written online is out of date. Here is the position as published by the IRS and the Department of Energy.
What ended
- The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (section 25C). The IRS states that the credit "will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025." This is the credit that paid 30% of a qualifying central AC (up to $600) or heat pump (up to $2,000). It was originally scheduled to run until 2032; the law signed on July 4, 2025 (Public Law 119-21, commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) moved the end to December 31, 2025.
- The Residential Clean Energy Credit (section 25D), which covered geothermal heat pumps (as well as solar and batteries). The IRS states that it "will not be allowed for any expenditures made after December 31, 2025", and that an expenditure is treated as made when the original installation is completed. Paying a deposit in 2025 for an installation finished in 2026 does not save it.
What still exists
- The 2025 credit itself, for 2025 installations. If qualifying equipment was placed in service in 2025, the credit belongs on your 2025 return, and the IRS confirms you can amend a return that missed it (chapters 2 and 3).
- Unused 25D credit carried forward. A 25D credit that was larger than your 2025 tax can be carried to 2026 (Form 5695 instructions). A 25C credit cannot: the IRS says unused 25C "may never be claimed".
- State Home Energy Rebates (HOMES and HEEHR), funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and run by each state energy office, where the state has launched them (chapter 4).
- Utility rebates and programs, which never depended on the federal credit (chapter 5).
- Manufacturer and distributor promotions, seasonal and stackable with most of the above.
Which chapters apply to you
| Your situation | What to do | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment installed and running in 2025, credit already claimed | Keep the file (chapter 12); nothing else to claim federally | 12 |
| Equipment installed in 2025, credit not claimed | Claim it on your 2025 return, or amend with Form 1040-X | 2, 3 |
| Geothermal heat pump completed in 2025 with credit left over | Carry the unused 25D credit forward on your 2026 return | 2 |
| Replacing in 2026 or later | No federal credit: check state and utility money BEFORE signing, then size, compare and check | 4 to 12 |
| Installation started in 2025, finished in 2026 | Treat it as a 2026 project: no 25C or 25D credit | 4 to 12 |
| Renting your home | Utility programs may still apply; any equipment decision is the owner's | 5 |
The order that protects the money
Most incentive money in 2026 is lost by timing, not by eligibility. The order below avoids the three classic losses: a rebate refused because the application came after installation, a contractor not enrolled in the program, and equipment that misses the efficiency tier the program requires.
- Before asking for quotes: list every program you may qualify for (chapter 4 and 5 worksheets) and note which ones require pre-approval or an enrolled contractor.
- When asking for quotes: give each contractor that list and ask, in writing, whether they are enrolled and whether the proposed equipment qualifies (chapter 9).
- Before signing: get the pre-approval letters or reservation numbers that the programs require.
- After installation: submit claims within each program's deadline with the documents from chapter 12.
Your incentive summary (fill in as you go)
| Program | Requires pre-approval? | Enrolled contractor required? | Amount or rule | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Home Energy Rebate (HOMES or HEEHR) | |||||
| Electric utility rebate | |||||
| Gas utility rebate (if replacing a furnace too) | |||||
| City or county program | |||||
| Manufacturer or distributor promotion | |||||
| 2025 federal credit (only for a 2025 installation) | No | No | 30%, capped (chapter 2) | Your 2025 return or a 1040-X (chapter 3) |
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Sources you can check
7 official sources cited in this pack. We install nothing and sell no equipment. Terms of sale.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still get the federal tax credit for a new AC or heat pump?
Not for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025: the IRS states that the 25C credit is not allowed after that date, and the geothermal credit (25D) ended for installations completed after it. If your equipment was installed in 2025, the pack walks you through Form 5695 and, if you missed it, the amended return (Form 1040-X). For a 2026 replacement, the money is in state Home Energy Rebates and utility programs, which the pack helps you check before signing.
How do I receive the pack?
Right after payment you are taken to your pack page, with the spreadsheet version of the quote comparison sheet. Bookmark it: the link stays valid and always shows the latest version. To keep a copy, print it or save it as a PDF from your browser (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then “Save as PDF”). Stripe emails you the receipt.
Is the payment secure, and is it a subscription?
You pay once on Stripe’s secure checkout page, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; your card details go to Stripe and never reach us. There is no subscription and nothing is charged later.
Who is behind the pack?
Claude AC, an independent information publisher: not a tax preparer, not an HVAC contractor and not a utility. The pack quotes the official rules with their references so you can check them; a tax professional answers questions about your own return, and your licensed contractor designs your system. We recommend no brand and no contractor.
What is the guarantee?
The pack is guaranteed as described: if it does not open or contains an error, we fix it, and if we cannot, we refund you in full (refund policy in the terms of sale). A duplicate payment is always refunded.
Free guides on the same topic
- Heat pump vs air conditioner: the real decision framework
- Central AC replacement cost: an honest 2026 breakdown
- HVAC tax credit 2026: what still pays after 25C ended
- Repair or replace your air conditioner: how to make the call
- Reading an HVAC quote: how to choose a contractor without guessing
- Geothermal heat pumps: what the ground loop costs and what it buys
$49 is the total you pay: no tax or fee is added at checkout. Payment by Stripe (card, Apple Pay or Google Pay); your statement shows “CLAUDE AC”. See our terms of sale, which include our refund policy. Access is immediate after payment. Claude AC is an information publisher, not a tax preparer or contractor; the pack is not tax, legal or financial advice.