Loading NuWatt Energy...
We use your location to provide localized solar offers and incentives.
We serve MA, NH, CT, RI, ME, VT, NJ, PA, and TX
Loading NuWatt Energy...
NuWatt designs, installs, and manages solar, battery, heat pump, and EV charger systems across 9 states. One company, one warranty, one point of contact.
Get a Free QuoteConcord isn't on Mass Save — it's on CMLP's own program, and it pays more. $3,000/ton (up to $10,000 a year, resetting annually) is the highest heat-pump rebate of any MA municipal — and CMLP's overnight TOU rate is tuned for exactly when your heat pump runs hardest.
Verified June 10, 2026 against concordma.gov/3024. Federal 25C credit EXPIRED Dec 31, 2025.
Concord Municipal Light Plant pays $3,000 per ton for a whole-home air-source heat pump — the highest $/ton of any MA municipal — capped at $10,000 per YEAR, and the cap resets annually rather than being a lifetime limit. Partial/supplemental is $1,250/ton ($10,000/yr), outbuildings $1,250/ton ($2,500/yr), and ground-source or combo systems carry a $15,000/yr cap. Income-qualified households (≤80% or ≤120% Boston-metro AMI) get enhanced amounts. CMLP also runs Rate R TOD, the only heat-pump-tuned TOU rate among MA municipals: cheap overnight Super Off-Peak power (1–5 a.m.) lines up with when cold-climate heat pumps draw hardest. Concord is not on Mass Save.
Mass Save is funded by the three investor-owned utilities — Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. Concord (and parts of Acton) are served by the Concord Municipal Light Plant (CMLP), a municipal light plant, so CMLP customers are outside Mass Save entirely. Here that's an upgrade, not a downgrade: CMLP's self-run program pays more per ton than Mass Save and resets its cap every year.
| Feature | CMLP Program | Mass Save (IOU customers) |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | CMLP (self-administered) | Eversource / National Grid / Unitil |
| Whole-home ASHP rebate | $3,000/ton (highest in MA) | $2,650/ton, cap $8,500 |
| Cap structure | $10,000 per YEAR (resets) | $8,500, effectively per-project |
| Income adder | Enhanced for ≤80% / ≤120% AMI | Income-eligible pathway |
| Equipment list | ENERGY STAR + AHRI | ENERGY STAR cold-climate |
| Heat-pump-tuned TOU rate | Yes — Rate R TOD (DPU 501) | Eversource/NGrid winter HP rate |
| Application window | 90 days from inspection | No fixed short window |
Reading the comparison. Mass Save's $2,650/ton (up to $8,500) figure is the IOU standard, shown only for comparison — Concord homeowners cannot claim it, but they don't need to. CMLP's $3,000/ton and annual-reset $10,000 cap make a phased, multi-year electrification more rewarding than the IOU program.
CMLP is the only Massachusetts municipal with a heat-pump-friendly Time-of-Day rate. The cheapest band — Super Off-Peak, 1–5 a.m. — lands exactly when a cold-climate heat pump works hardest: the coldest, darkest hours of the night. Run the heat pump (or pre-heat the house) on overnight power and you're heating at CMLP's lowest rate. The figures below are Rate R TOD, Mass DPU No. 501, effective April 1, 2026.
| Band | When | Standard months | Shoulder months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Off-Peakcheapest Cheapest power — pre-heat or charge a buffer here | 1–5 a.m. daily | $0.20117/kWh | $0.19644/kWh |
| Off-Peak The default rate most of the day | All other hours | $0.20432/kWh | $0.20230/kWh |
| Peak Most expensive — avoid heavy draw if you can | Weekdays 3–7 p.m. | $0.30315/kWh | $0.25379/kWh |
| Customer charge | Monthly fixed | $20.00/mo | |
Run on overnight Super Off-Peak.Set a smart thermostat to pre-heat the house a degree or two between 1–5 a.m. so the heat pump does less work during the expensive weekday 3–7 p.m. Peak. A buffer tank or thermal storage charged overnight extends the same trick.
Opt-out flat rate runs higher.CMLP's OPT OUT flat alternative is about 4% higher than TOD for the average customer, and you can switch rates only once per 12 months — so for a heat-pump home, TOD is usually the better fit.
Want your heat pump running on Super Off-Peak power?
We size the system, lock in CMLP pre-approval, and configure a TOU schedule so your biggest winter loads land in the cheapest overnight band.
Whole-home air-source leads at $3,000/ton. Every cap below is annual and resets each calendar year — a key difference from the effectively per-project Mass Save cap.
The highest $/ton heat-pump rebate of any Massachusetts municipal utility. The cap is annual, not lifetime — it resets each calendar year, so a phased, multi-year electrification can capture the rebate again.
Cap $10,000 per YEAR (resets annually)
For a heat pump that supplements an existing system or covers part of the home. Per-ton, with the same generous annual cap.
Cap $10,000 per year
For heating a detached garage, workshop, studio, or other outbuilding on the property.
Cap $2,500 per year
Geothermal ground-source heat pumps, and combination systems, carry a $15,000 annual cap — the largest single-tier cap in the CMLP program.
GSHP or combo system
Households at or below 80% or 120% of Boston-metro Area Median Income receive enhanced amounts on top of the base rebate. The tiers are confirmed; the exact adder dollars are on CMLP's official page (link in Sources). Contact NuWatt and we'll confirm your tier.
Because the $10,000 cap resets each calendar year, a phased electrification — heat pump this year, a second zone or outbuilding next year — can capture the rebate again. Plan multi-year projects around the reset.
Federal 25C tax credit: EXPIRED. Section 25C ended December 31, 2025. There is $0 in federal heat-pump tax credit in 2026. The CMLP rebates above are current and available now.
Two timing rules dominate: get pre-approval before you sign, and apply within 90 days of inspection approval.
CMLP strongly recommends pre-approval before you sign an installation contract. This confirms the equipment qualifies (ENERGY STAR + AHRI), the sizing is right, and the rebate amount — including any income adder — before money changes hands. CMLP customers are not eligible for Mass Save heat-pump rebates; this is the program you use.
Homes built before 2008 qualify for a no-cost energy assessment, which must be completed within 3 years (or scheduled within 6 months after the project). The assessment helps right-size the system and surfaces envelope improvements.
NuWatt installs ENERGY STAR + AHRI-listed equipment sized to 90–120% of your Manual J heating load, with no more than 10% supplemental electric-resistance heat, using A2L refrigerant for any 2026 install. Proper sizing is what protects your rebate.
This is the shortest application window of the six MA municipals: you have 90 days from electrical and sheet-metal inspection approval to submit the rebate. Miss it and the rebate is forfeited — so we file promptly.
CMLP issues rebates of $750 or less as a bill credit and amounts over $750 as a check, typically within 6–8 weeks. Because the cap is annual, a large phased project can claim again the next calendar year.
CMLP runs electrification rebates beyond the heat pump. The two confirmed below pair naturally with a heat-pump home that's already wired for electric loads. CMLP also offers heat-pump water heater, weatherization, induction, e-bike, and battery programs; amounts vary, so check the official page for current figures.
Residential charging
New or pre-owned plug-in electric vehicle
Pair with the TOD rate.Charge an EV overnight on Super Off-Peak power alongside your heat pump and you're running two of the home's biggest loads at CMLP's cheapest rate. Compare that with the ~$0.36/kWh flat rate nearby Eversource customers pay around the clock.
Concord Municipal Light Plant pays $3,000 per ton for a whole-home air-source heat pump, capped at $10,000 per YEAR — the highest $/ton of any Massachusetts municipal utility, and the cap resets every calendar year rather than being a lifetime limit. Partial or supplemental heat pumps earn $1,250/ton ($10,000/yr cap), outbuildings $1,250/ton ($2,500/yr cap), and ground-source or combination systems carry a $15,000/yr cap. Income-qualified households at or below 80% or 120% of Boston-metro Area Median Income receive enhanced amounts. Concord is not on Mass Save.
NuWatt gets your pre-approval before you sign, sizes an ENERGY STAR system to 90–120% of your load, files within the 90-day window, and sets you up on Rate R TOD so your heat pump runs on overnight Super Off-Peak power.
