For a few years, the federal 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit was real money — up to $2,000 back on qualifying heat pumps. It ended on December 31, 2025. If an ad, a door-knocker, or a sales rep implies a federal tax credit will offset your 2026 AC install, they are selling you something that does not exist, and you should hear alarm bells about everything else in the pitch. We put this in writing because we keep meeting homeowners who were promised it.
What is actually still real in 2026
- Utility rebates. FPL, Duke Energy, and TECO run their own rebate programs on qualifying high-efficiency equipment. Amounts and requirements change, and they depend on which utility serves your address and exactly what gets installed — when we quote your system, we flag what your equipment actually qualifies for, with the current numbers, in writing.
- $0-down financing. Spreading a $7,000 system over time at a reasonable rate is often the difference between replacing on your schedule versus replacing in an August emergency at whatever is in stock.
- Correct sizing — the unglamorous one. A load-calculated, right-sized system costs less to run every single month for 15 years. Over the life of the system that quietly outweighs most rebates. It is also the difference between a Florida home that is cool and dry versus cold and clammy. Here is how we size and price installations, ballparks included.
The honest summary
The era of stacking a federal credit on top of everything is over for now. What remains is the boring, durable math: utility rebates where they genuinely apply, financing that fits your budget, and a system sized to your actual house. Anyone promising more than that in 2026 is decorating the price. Want the real numbers for your home? Call (407) 398-5929 — you will get good / better / best on one page, and we will tell you which one we would pick ourselves.