Washington has two programs named HEAR. Only one exists yet.
The installed-cost number for Washington isn't far from the national range — Pacific labor runs a bit above it. What's different is the rebate picture: one HEAR program is live today, the other is still awaiting federal approval, and mixing them up is how homeowners budget for money that doesn't exist yet.
Start with the national range, then adjust for the coast
Nationally, a whole-home ducted heat pump runs roughly $14,500 on average by marketplace quote data, or $17,000–$23,000 by whole-home conversion modeling for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft house — the sources disagree because they're measuring different job mixes, and both are worth knowing. A single-zone mini-split is a different product at a different price: $5,400–$8,500 by the same modeling source, with a lower marketplace-quoted range of $2,000–$6,000 for simpler jobs. See the heat pump costs explainer for how ducted, ductless, and multi-zone systems compare.
Washington doesn't have its own verified installed-cost figure distinct from that national range, but one regional pattern is documented: labor costs across the Pacific region run elevated compared to the national average. Budget toward the upper half of the national bands rather than the lower half.
Climate matters more than the state line. West of the Cascades, winters are mild and marine — a standard heat pump usually has the capacity you need. East of the Cascades, winters run cold enough that cold-climate equipment is the safer call, and that equipment carries a real premium: one published comparison puts cold-climate models at $12,000–$20,000 versus $8,000–$15,000 for standard units, a 20–40% premium.
Washington sits in the Pacific Contiguous rate zone: residential electricity averaged 26.05¢/kWh, well above the 18.83¢/kWh national average. A correctly sized, efficient heat pump still beats most fossil-fuel heating on operating cost — but run your own numbers before assuming a Northeast-style payback story applies here.
Two programs named HEAR. Only one is live.
Aggregator pages conflate these constantly. They are not the same program.
State HEAR
Climate Commitment Act–funded
Funded by Washington's own cap-and-trade program, delivered through local third-party administrators. Eligibility is income-based (≤150% of area median income), and per-measure amounts are set by each local administrator — there's no single statewide dollar figure to quote. Contact [email protected] to find yours.
Federal HEAR / HOMES
IRA Home Energy Rebates
This is the federal money — the program that nationally caps out around $14,000 per household. Washington selected Guidehouse as administrator in September 2025 and is awaiting DOE approval before it can launch. It is not retroactive, and no per-measure dollar amounts have been published. Don't budget for it until it's live.
Both programs cover heat pumps and related electrification work; only the state one is paying out today. Check current status on your Washington state page before you count on either.
Utility rebates that exist today
Seattle City Light runs two tracks. Income-eligible customers can get HomeWise: a free heat pump plus insulation, no cost to the household. Everyone else gets a point-of-sale discount of $300–$600 on a qualifying heat pump (amount depends on efficiency tier) plus $750 on a heat pump water heater, both applied through participating distributors with professional installation required.
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is the opposite shape: strong on the envelope, quiet on the equipment. PSE publishes no per-unit heat pump rebate — its rebate dollars go to insulation, air sealing, and duct sealing through a PSE-approved contractor:
| Measure | Rebate |
|---|---|
| Attic insulation (R11 or less → R49) | $1.75/sq ft, up to $3,500 |
| Attic insulation (R12–R19 → R49) | $0.50/sq ft, up to $1,000 |
| Wall insulation | $2.50/sq ft, up to $5,000 |
| Floor insulation | $2.50/sq ft, up to $5,000 |
| Air sealing — attic | $0.20/sq ft, up to $400 |
| Air sealing — floor | $0.20/sq ft, up to $400 |
| Duct sealing + insulation | up to $1,000/home |
| Duct sealing only | up to $550/home |
| Advanced duct sealing | up to $1,250/home |
Existing single-family homes and manufactured homes only — new construction, 5+-unit multifamily, and commercial accounts are excluded. Income-qualified PSE customers can get weatherization at no cost through the Home Weatherization Assistance Program instead of these rebate rates.
Tacoma Power, Snohomish County PUD, and Clark Public Utilities also run residential weatherization and heat pump programs, but current per-measure dollar amounts weren't independently re-verified this sweep — treat them as qualitatively real and confirm the current figure with your utility directly.
PSE pays more for the envelope than the equipment. Use that.
Washington is a state where the envelope rebates outpay the equipment rebates, not the other way around. A PSE customer who air seals and insulates first — using the rebate table above — shrinks the home's heating load before a contractor ever runs a load calculation. That means the heat pump gets sized smaller, costs less to buy, and runs better on cold nights, while the subsidized dollars land where PSE is actually paying them: the walls, attic, and ducts.
Our weatherize-before-heat-pump guide covers the full sequence and the one exception (a furnace that dies before you're ready). Run your own numbers in the sizing calculator by flipping the envelope setting.
Two federal claims that are no longer true
The federal 25C tax credit, which covered 30% of a heat pump's cost, expired for anything placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. State and utility rebates in Washington are unaffected and still stack with each other — the credit that's gone was always a federal add-on, not a Washington program.
One wrinkle worth flagging: PSE's own rebate page still references the 25C tax credit as something to stack with. That's stale — the page hasn't caught up to the law change. Don't let a utility's own materials talk you into counting a credit that no longer exists.
How this plays out in practice
Illustrative combinations of the verified figures above — not a quote for your house.
Seattle City Light customer, market rate
A single-zone mini-split at $5,400–$8,500 installed, minus SCL's $300–$600 point-of-sale discount, leaves the household covering the large majority of the cost themselves. This is the honest baseline for most non-income-qualified Seattle buyers: the heat pump rebate layer here is real but modest.
PSE customer, bundling insulation + heat pump
Attic insulation up to $3,500 and air sealing up to $400 through PSE's program reduce the envelope-work bill substantially. Doing that work before sizing the heat pump — rather than after — is how this household turns PSE's strongest incentive into a smaller, cheaper system rather than just a smaller insulation bill.
Income-qualified household
Routed to the Weatherization Assistance Program (free for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, 60% of state median income, or 80% AMI) or to a local State HEAR administrator for heat pump and appliance support. Seattle City Light customers in this bracket can also qualify for HomeWise: a free heat pump plus insulation, no rebate math required.
Want numbers from an actual installer instead of a range? Get matched with contractors who work in Washington and know these programs.
Washington heat pump cost questions
How much does a heat pump cost in Seattle?
The same national range applies: roughly $14,000–$23,000 installed for a whole-home ducted system, or $5,400–$8,500 for a single-zone mini-split, before incentives. Pacific labor rates run above the national average, so budget toward the upper half of those bands. What's different in Seattle isn't the equipment price — it's that the rebate layer for heat pumps specifically is thin (Seattle City Light's $300–$600 discount and $750 HPWH rebate, mainly), so most market-rate buyers end up paying close to that sticker price. Run your address through the Rebate Matcher before you assume otherwise.
Is Washington's $14,000 electrification rebate available yet?
Not the federal one. The $14,000-per-household figure comes from the federal IRA Home Energy Rebates (HEAR) program design, and that program is not launched in Washington — it's still awaiting DOE approval after the state selected Guidehouse as administrator in September 2025, and it isn't retroactive. Washington does run a separate, active State HEAR program funded by the Climate Commitment Act, but it has no single statewide dollar figure — amounts are set by local third-party administrators for households at or below 150% of area median income. Contact [email protected] to find your local administrator.
Does PSE give a heat pump rebate?
Not directly, as of this writing. PSE's published residential rebates cover weatherization — insulation, air sealing, and duct sealing — not the heat pump unit itself. That's actually useful information: it means a PSE customer's subsidized dollars are in the envelope, not the equipment, which is the case for weatherizing first and buying a smaller system.
Can I still get the federal heat pump tax credit in Washington?
No. The federal 25C credit, which used to cover 30% of a heat pump's cost, expired for anything placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Washington's state and utility rebates (State HEAR, Seattle City Light, PSE) are unaffected and still stack with each other — just not with a federal credit that no longer exists.
Do I need a cold-climate heat pump in Washington?
Depends which side of the Cascades you're on. West of the Cascades, winters are mild and marine — a standard heat pump usually holds capacity fine. East of the Cascades, winters run cold enough that cold-climate equipment is the safer call. One published comparison puts cold-climate models at a 20–40% premium over standard units ($12,000–$20,000 vs $8,000–$15,000) — real money, but cheap insurance against a system that can't keep up on the coldest night of the year.
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