Utility Heating Rebates in the Roaring Fork Valley
Utility heating rebates in the Roaring Fork Valley for 2026 come mostly from Holy Cross Energy ($3,500 per heat pump) and Black Hills Energy ($260 to $1,000 for efficient gas furnaces and boilers).
Written by the Upvalley Heat desk from manuals and official pages · how figures are sourced · Rechecked
First tracks
- Holy Cross Energy pays $3,500 for a qualifying heat pump in 2026, or $7,000 for income-qualified members, per its 2026 residential rebate page (read October 2026).
- Holy Cross caps rebates at $5,000 per account per year; income-qualified members can reach $10,000.
- Black Hills Energy pays $260, $350 or $375 for a gas furnace at 90, 95 or 97% AFUE, and $675 or $1,000 for a 90 or 95% AFUE boiler.
- Black Hills applications for 2026 work must arrive by January 31, 2027.
- CORE pays 50% of a cold-climate heat pump up to $7,500, but paused residential rebates in Garfield County and the valley part of unincorporated Eagle County from September 30, 2026.
- Glenwood Springs Electric rebates went to a waitlist on July 1, 2026, per CLEER.
Rebates in this valley depend on which utility sends your bill, so start there. Electricity comes from Holy Cross Energy across most of Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties, from City of Aspen Electric inside part of Aspen, and from City of Glenwood Springs Electric in Glenwood; gas comes from Black Hills Energy. Every amount below is dated. Programs change; check before you buy.
Which utility heating rebates can you get in 2026?
You can get an electric heat pump rebate from your electric utility and a gas equipment rebate from Black Hills Energy, plus a nonprofit top-up from CORE where its money has not run out. Which ones apply depends on your address: check your bill for the electric company's name. Black Hills Colorado Gas lists Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, El Jebel, Glenwood Springs and Snowmass Village among the places it serves in its Colorado gas tariff, though not every street has a gas main. Xcel Energy does not appear as a provider for these six towns in the sources checked for this page.
| Program | What it pays toward heating | Status in October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Energy | $3,500 heat pump ($7,000 income-qualified); $1,000 heat pump water heater | Open; apply within 90 days of invoice |
| Black Hills Energy | $260 to $375 furnace; $675 to $1,000 boiler; up to $100 smart thermostat | Open; 2026 work due by January 31, 2027 |
| CORE | 50% of cost, up to $7,500 for a cold-climate heat pump | Paused in Garfield County and unincorporated valley Eagle County; open in Basalt and Pitkin County |
| Glenwood Springs Electric (run by CLEER) | 2025 flyer: 50% up to $2,000 for an air-source heat pump | Waitlisted since July 1, 2026 |
| City of Aspen Electric with MEAN | $400 to $3,000 by heat pump type | Latest flyer is from fall/winter 2024 |
What does Holy Cross Energy pay for heat pumps?
Holy Cross Energy pays a flat $3,500 per heat pump project in 2026, and $7,000 to members under 150% of their county's area median income. The rebate covers cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ducted or ductless), ground-source, air-to-water and split-hydronic systems, according to the co-op's 2026 residential rebate page, last modified September 2026. A heat pump water heater earns $1,000 ($2,000 income-qualified) if it is electric only.
The equipment rules are specific. Holy Cross words its cold-climate requirement as HSPF2 of at least 9 for ducted systems and at least 10 for ductless systems, wants a Manual J load calculation, and wants the outdoor unit raised at least 12 inches "to defrost properly". For a heat pump paired with a gas or propane furnace, its page says the "crossover temp must be a minimum of 5°F", with the furnace on its own invoice line. The cold-climate heat pump notes explain HSPF2, and the dual fuel page covers switchover settings.
Air sealing and insulation ($1,500 each) and smart thermostats ($50, or $100 income-qualified) are for electrically heated homes only. To qualify for any of it you must enroll in Peak Time Payback (or Power+/Power+FLEX with a battery) and apply within 90 days of the invoice date.
What does Black Hills Energy pay for gas heat?
Black Hills Energy pays fixed amounts for high-efficiency gas heating installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026, per its 2026 Colorado residential rebate application. One condition matters more than the rest: Black Hills must supply the home's main heating fuel, or no heating, thermostat or insulation rebate is paid.
Black Hills Energy gas heating rebates, 2026
- $375Gas furnace at 97% AFUE or higher ($350 at 95%, $260 at 90%)Black Hills Energy 2026 Colorado application
- $1,000Gas boiler at 95% AFUE or higher ($675 at 90%)Black Hills Energy 2026 Colorado application
- $1,815Hydronic driveway snowmelt boiler at 95% AFUE or higherBlack Hills Energy 2026 Colorado application
- $3,500Holy Cross Energy heat pump rebate ($7,000 income-qualified)Holy Cross Energy 2026 residential rebates
The same form pays up to $100 for an ENERGY STAR or learning Wi-Fi smart thermostat and $300 for a boiler outdoor reset control. Envelope rebates need a home at least five years old. Holy Cross, by contrast, lists no residential snowmelt rebate, and the snowmelt systems page explains the fees that come with one.
What do CORE and CLEER add?
CORE adds cash and CLEER adds advice. CORE, a Basalt nonprofit serving Pitkin and Garfield counties and the Roaring Fork part of Eagle County, pays 50% of project cost up to $7,500 for a cold-climate heat pump in 2026 ($10,000 for Community Priority Participants), and up to $2,500 each for building envelope work and for appliances and controls. Its 2026 booklet asks that the heat pump be the primary heat source and rated to heat at −5°F or lower; for dual fuel, CORE's own wording is a switchover temperature "no greater than 5 degrees". CORE pays toward snowmelt only when a heat pump replaces a fossil-fuel snowmelt system. Its free Energy Concierge helps sort rebates and contractors.
CLEER runs Garfield Clean Energy downvalley. It offers free energy coaching and cut the home energy assessment price for Garfield County residents from $200 to $100 starting in 2025, per its residential buildings page. Households at or below 150% of area median income can look at ReEnergize Garfield County, which gives a free assessment and $500 in installed upgrades.
Which utility rebates have caps, waitlists or pauses?
Three programs had limits in place by October 2026. CORE cut Garfield and Eagle County rebate maximums by half from July 17, 2026, then paused all residential incentives in Garfield County and in unincorporated Eagle County within the Roaring Fork Valley from September 30, 2026 for the rest of the year. Pre-approvals are paused everywhere. Projects in the Town of Basalt and all of Pitkin County stay eligible, first come, first served.
Glenwood Springs Electric rebates are on hold: CLEER's rebate page says funding was "fully allocated" as of July 1, 2026 and new applications go on a waitlist that may not clear until 2027. For City of Aspen Electric customers, the newest heat pump flyer the city links is the 2024 fall/winter MEAN flyer ($400 to $3,000 by heat pump type), so ask the city before counting on it. Holy Cross's 2026 rebate rules say funding is limited and rebates may change without notice.
How do you apply without losing a rebate?
Apply fast and keep the paperwork. Holy Cross requires the equipment installed before you apply and the application within 90 days of the invoice, and its rules say checks arrive 4 to 6 weeks after a complete application. One Holy Cross form also applies for its Energy Smart Colorado partners' rebates, which means CORE in the Roaring Fork Valley. CORE has its own 90-day window and, for permitted projects, pays only for scope beyond what code requires.
- Before signing a quote, ask the contractor to show the AHRI number, HSPF2, Manual J and the switchover temperature on paper.
- Keep the invoice, model numbers and permit number together.
- For gas work, confirm Black Hills is your main heating fuel and mail or upload the form well before January 31, 2027.
- Pair utility money with the state credit on the heating tax credits page, and check the REMP and permit page if a permit is involved.
Avalanche report: how this page was checked
This page is based on Holy Cross Energy's 2026 residential rebate page (modified September 2026) and 2026 rebate rules (effective January 1, 2026), Black Hills Energy's 2026 Colorado residential rebate application and tariff, CORE's 2026 residential rebate page with its July and September 2026 funding notices, CLEER's Garfield Clean Energy pages (July and September 2026) and the City of Aspen's 2024 MEAN flyer. All were read in October 2026, and the Holy Cross, Black Hills and CORE pages were reopened on October 27, 2026 to confirm nothing had changed. Left out: Xcel Energy rebates (no source shows Xcel serving these towns), on-bill repayment terms (not published on the pages read), and any estimate of what a project will cost.
Lift-line questions
Does the Holy Cross heat pump rebate need a NEEP-listed model?
Neither the 2026 rebate page nor Holy Cross's 2026 heat pump worksheet mentions a NEEP listing. They ask for a cold-climate unit with HSPF2 of at least 9 (ducted) or 10 (ductless), an AHRI number and a Manual J. Your contractor fills in the worksheet.
Does Black Hills pay a furnace rebate if the house heats mainly with electricity?
No. The 2026 application says that if Black Hills does not supply the main heating fuel, no heating, thermostat or insulation rebate is paid.
Can you get both the Holy Cross and Black Hills rebates on a dual fuel system?
The two programs pay for different equipment: Holy Cross for the heat pump and Black Hills for a qualifying gas furnace. Holy Cross asks for the furnace on its own invoice line and, in its own words, a crossover of "a minimum of 5°F"; confirm with Holy Cross what that means for your switchover setting. Check the Black Hills main-fuel rule before counting on the furnace rebate.
Is CORE money available in Carbondale or El Jebel right now?
Not for the rest of 2026. CORE paused residential incentives from September 30, 2026 in Garfield County (which includes Carbondale) and in unincorporated Roaring Fork Valley Eagle County. Basalt and Pitkin County projects remain eligible first come, first served.
Does Holy Cross pay for insulation in a house with a gas furnace?
No. Holy Cross limits its air sealing, insulation and thermostat rebates to electrically heated buildings. Black Hills offers its own attic, basement wall and air sealing rebates for gas-heated homes at least five years old.
How long does a Holy Cross rebate check take?
Holy Cross's 2026 rules say checks go out 4 to 6 weeks after a complete application. The equipment has to be installed before you apply, and the application must arrive within 90 days of the invoice date.
Who answers rebate questions in Glenwood Springs?
CLEER manages Glenwood Springs Electric's efficiency rebates and Garfield Clean Energy's free energy coaching. Its rebate page is the place to check waitlist status.
Next runs
Back to the base lodge: Roaring Fork Valley heating, town by town