California Water Heater Rebates & Incentives: What's Actually Available
Program-by-program status for LA, Orange & Ventura counties — including the ones that are reserved, paused, or gone. Because a rebate you can't claim isn't a rebate.
Written by Anthony Hamilton, Co-Founder · verified against LADWP, SoCalGas, SCAQMD, TECH Clean California, and IRS program publications.
Which rebates can I actually claim in July 2026?
Two programs are reliably open right now: LADWP's heat pump water heater rebate (up to $2,500) for its electric customers, and SoCalGas's efficiency rebates ($80–$1,500) for qualifying gas units. TECH Clean California and HEEHRA are fully reserved with waitlists, SCAQMD's GO ZERO pilot is paused, and the federal 25C tax credit ended for installations after December 31, 2025. Full detail below.
LADWP Consumer Rebate Program — Heat Pump Water Heater
LADWP
LADWP residential electric customers replacing a gas water heater with an ENERGY STAR heat pump water heater (≥30 gal, UEF ≥3.3). Purchased and installed on or after Nov 1, 2025.
Tiered by tank size and UEF. Requires a paid itemized invoice, AHRI certificate, and a final approved building permit; apply within 12 months. Limit 1 per residence; new construction and ADUs are not eligible (per LADWP).
SoCalGas Home Energy Efficiency Rebate — Tankless
SoCalGas
ENERGY STAR certified natural gas tankless water heater replacing a conventional tank in a single-family detached home, for SoCalGas residential customers.
2026 tiers: UEF .82–.86 → $80; .87–.94 → $900; .95 → $1,100; .96–.97 → $1,300; .98+ → $1,500 (per SoCalGas). First-come, first-served; applications postmarked by Dec 31, 2026.
SoCalGas Rebate — High-Efficiency Storage Water Heater
SoCalGas
Qualifying high-efficiency natural gas storage water heaters, 20–55 gallons, max input 75,000 BTU/hr (per SoCalGas qualifying-product list).
Not valid if purchased from a statewide participating retailer — check before you buy.
SCAQMD GO ZERO (zero-emission appliance pilot)
South Coast AQMD
Single-family existing homes in the South Coast AQMD area replacing a gas/propane water heater with a heat pump water heater.
The pilot is paused and not accepting new applications (per SCAQMD, July 2026). We monitor reopening announcements — ask us to flag you when it resumes.
TECH Clean California — Heat Pump Water Heater
TECH Clean California
Single-family retrofits through TECH-enrolled contractors.
Single-family heat pump water heater incentives have been fully reserved statewide since Nov 14, 2025; new requests go to a waitlist (per TECH Clean California). No confirmed date for new funding.
HEEHRA (IRA Home Electrification Rebate)
TECH Clean California (state-administered)
Income-qualified households (≤150% of area median income).
Southern California region fully reserved as of Jan 7, 2026; statewide as of Feb 24, 2026. Waitlist only, and no new income-verification applications are being accepted (per TECH Clean California).
Federal 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
IRS
No longer available for equipment placed in service on or after Jan 1, 2026.
Terminated early by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, per IRS). If your heat pump water heater was installed and operational by Dec 31, 2025, you can still claim it on your 2025 return (IRS Form 5695, Part II).
Considering a heat pump water heater to capture the LADWP rebate? Start with our heat pump water heater installation guide. Replacing a larger gas unit? Read how SCAQMD's zero-NOx Rule 1146.2 affects your replacement timeline, and see our current TWHC promotions or financing options to cover the rest.
Which utility serves your address? That decides your rebate.
Utility rebates follow utility boundaries, not city-limit signs — two streets apart can mean completely different money. Municipal electric utilities run their own programs (verified July 2026): LADWP up to $2,500, Glendale Water & Power $4,000, Burbank Water and Power $1,500, Pasadena Water and Power $500, and Anaheim Public Utilities $400 — all for qualifying ENERGY STAR heat pump water heaters. SCE-territory homes rely on the waitlisted state programs, and SoCalGas tankless rebates apply wherever SoCalGas supplies the gas. Our community pages break down the local rules:
- Granada Hills (LADWP) — up to $2,500 heat pump water heater rebate
- Glendale (GWP) — $4,000 heat pump water heater rebate, increased 11/1/2025
- Burbank (BWP) — $1,500 Residential Building Electrification rebate
- Pasadena (PWP) — $500 rebate (+$20 if purchased in Pasadena)
- Anaheim Hills (Anaheim Public Utilities) — $400 Home Incentives Program rebate
- Woodbridge, Irvine (SCE/SoCalGas) — SoCalGas tankless rebates; state heat pump programs waitlisted
- Leisure Village, Camarillo (SCE, all-electric) — electric-to-electric replacements and heat pump fit-checks
- Laguna Woods Village (SCE, all-electric) — mutual paperwork plus city permit, handled end to end
How do I make sure I actually get the money?
We confirm eligibility before you buy
Rebates hinge on details — UEF ratings, tank size, what you're replacing, who your utility is. We check your exact situation against the current program rules before recommending a unit.
We produce the paperwork rebates require
LADWP, for example, requires a paid itemized invoice, the AHRI certificate for your exact model, and a final approved building permit. Every TWHC installation is permitted and documented to rebate standards.
We quote your real net price
Your Price My Water Heater quote reflects what's genuinely claimable today — not programs that reserved out months ago.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About California Rebates
The questions homeowners ask us about incentives, answered honestly.
As of July 2026, two programs are reliably open in our service area: the LADWP Consumer Rebate Program (up to $2,500 on a qualifying heat pump water heater, for LADWP electric customers) and SoCalGas's Home Energy Efficiency Rebates ($80–$1,500 on qualifying gas tankless units, $300–$575 on high-efficiency storage tanks). TECH Clean California and HEEHRA are fully reserved with waitlists, the SCAQMD GO ZERO pilot is paused, and the federal 25C tax credit ended for installations after December 31, 2025.
No. The 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit was terminated early by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — it does not apply to any equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025 (per IRS). If your qualifying unit was installed and running by that date, you can still claim 30% up to $2,000 on the 2025 federal return you file in 2026, using IRS Form 5695, Part II.
Often yes — utility rebates like LADWP's can generally be combined with separate programs (such as SCAQMD's GO ZERO when it is accepting applications), because they're funded by different entities. Each program has its own paperwork and eligibility, and stacking rules can change. We confirm what's stackable for your address as part of your quote.
Because most rebate pages online don't, and homeowners plan projects around money that's no longer there. Funding status changes fast — TECH Clean California reserved out in November 2025, HEEHRA by February 2026, and the federal credit ended December 2025. We'd rather tell you exactly what's real today, quote your true net price, and flag you if a waitlisted program reopens.
Yes. Rebates like LADWP's require a paid itemized invoice, the AHRI certificate for your exact model, and a final approved building permit — and every installation we do is permitted and documented to those requirements. We supply the paperwork you need to submit, walk you through the application, and make sure your equipment actually qualifies before you buy. Call (877) 798-7487 or price your project online to see your net cost after live rebates.
Ready for hot water?
See Your Real Price After Rebates
Build your project online and see the net cost with today's live incentives applied — or call and we'll walk the programs with you.