Know what the work could cost, and what may help pay for it.
For homeowners in Portland and surrounding Cumberland County towns (South Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Gorham, and nearby communities). This is a selected planning area, smaller than the official three-county Portland metro. Programs and prices are specific to this area and dated, so you can check them yourself.
Who this page is for
Portland and surrounding Cumberland County towns (South Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Gorham, and nearby communities). This is a selected planning area, smaller than the official three-county Portland metro. Most of this area is Central Maine Power electric territory, and the heating cost calculator defaults to the actual CMP Rate A residential tariff (24.68¢/kWh volumetric, Maine PUC table as of July 1, 2026). CMP is not the only utility in the region; if a different utility serves your home, the calculator's utility selector and editable rate field handle that.
The programs below are administered statewide by Efficiency Maine, and eligibility follows their rules, not this boundary. Homes across the New Hampshire border are not covered by Maine programs.
Programs worth checking first
Amounts rechecked against Efficiency Maine on September 9, 2026. A maximum is not a typical award, eligibility conditions are summarized and not complete, and the administrator's page controls. Program terms changed more than once this year.
| Program | Amount | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump rebate (any income) | $1,000 per eligible outdoor unit, up to $3,000 lifetime per housing unit | Higher tiers for moderate income ($2,000/unit) and low income ($3,000/unit). Heat pumps must be the primary heating system, the home must not have had a natural gas utility account before the upgrade, and equipment/sizing and registered-vendor rules apply. |
| Insulation and air sealing (any income) | 40% of project cost, up to $4,000 lifetime per condominium or building | For upgrades completed on or before September 30, 2026; the administrator's forms already distinguish work completed before and after October 1, so check current terms for later completions. 60% and 80% tiers for income-qualified homes. Registered-vendor install and other conditions apply. |
| Heat pump water heater | $1,150 instant discount or mail-in rebate | One incentive per installation address per calendar year, never more than the purchase price; ENERGY STAR certified unit installed in Maine. Instant discount and rebate cannot be combined. |
| Home energy loans | 0% APR 1-year ($500 origination fee) or longer terms at 5.99-7.99% APR | Subject to credit approval; most options up to $25,000, the income-based 10-year option up to $7,500. Both the property and the borrower's principal residence must be in Maine; qualifying work and registered-vendor rules apply. |
Scroll the table sideways for all columns
Two program rules matter early. Efficiency Maine's heat pump rebate requires that the home did not have a natural gas utility account before the upgrade. And the federal HEAR rebate is currently limited in Maine to income-eligible manufactured (mobile-home) single-family housing and new affordable multifamily construction, per the Maine Department of Energy Resources, so a typical single-family home should plan around the state rebates above. The full statewide table, including income tiers and IRA status, lives on the Maine page.
Start with the running cost
The Portland calculator uses local, dated prices where we have them. National tools are linked where a local version does not exist yet.
Portland heating cost calculator
Oil, propane, and electricity prefilled from local sources; the gas input is an editable national placeholder. Shows you when the heat pump costs more, too.
Heat pump installation cost
The capital side of the decision. National scope-based ranges for now; a verified Portland installation range needs local quote data we do not yet have, and we will not invent one.
Insulation cost calculator
Cost by assembly and square footage. Efficiency Maine's insulation rebate covers 40% or more of qualifying project cost for work completed by September 30, 2026.
Your Retrofit Plan
Sequence the work: envelope first, then equipment. Saved calculator results land here.
One modeled Portland oil home, end to end
Not a customer story: assumed usage and current survey prices run through the same calculator, so you can see how the pieces fit.
Take a Portland home burning an assumed 800 gallons of heating oil a year through an 80% AFUE boiler. At the September 8, 2026 Greater Portland survey price of $5.33/gal, that fuel costs about $4,260 a year and delivers about 89 MMBtu of heat. A cold-climate heat pump at CMP's 24.68¢/kWh and a seasonal COP of 2.2 delivers the same heat for roughly $2,915, a difference of about $1,350 a year at these prices, before installation and other costs.
Against that operating gap, an any-income Efficiency Maine rebate takes $1,000 per eligible outdoor unit (up to $3,000 lifetime per housing unit) off the installation, with higher income-qualified tiers. Whether the switch pays back, and how fast, depends on the installation quote and how much of the load the heat pump carries; neither is knowable from averages. Run your own numbers in the calculator, then get the envelope assessed before sizing equipment.
Before you commit to any work
- 1. Run the operating-cost comparison with your actual bill and delivery-slip prices, not ours. If the heat pump loses at your numbers, that is a real answer.
- 2. Verify your rebate tier with Efficiency Maine early. Verification is required before the rebate claim, and the administrator recommends doing it up front; 2026 program terms have shifted during the year.
- 3. Use a Residential Registered Vendor. Efficiency Maine rebates require one for heat pumps and insulation; the administrator keeps the locator.
- 4. Seal and insulate first where the assessment supports it. Shrinking the load shrinks both the equipment and the fuel bill at any price. See retrofit sequencing.
- 5. File claims on time. Heat pump and insulation rebate claims are due within six months of project completion; the heat pump water heater mail-in rebate is due within six months of purchase. Each program page carries its own deadline.
Save the snapshot, get told when programs change
The heating cost calculator saves your inputs and results to Your Retrofit Plan. For program changes, this signs you up for Maine rebate alert emails; that is separate from the newsletter and from any contractor contact.
Portland questions
Does this page cover every Portland-area program?
It covers the statewide Efficiency Maine programs, which are the main residential efficiency offers in the Portland area, administered the same way regardless of which utility sends your bill. The City of Portland maintains its own incentives and rebates page; check it for any current local offers. We do not claim this list is exhaustive.
What if my electricity comes from a municipal utility or co-op?
A few Maine communities are served by consumer-owned utilities (Kennebunk Light & Power, Madison Electric Works, and others) with their own, usually lower, rates. Efficiency Maine's program rules still apply statewide. Enter the per-kWh price from your own bill into the heating cost calculator rather than the CMP default.
What are the income limits for the higher rebate tiers?
Efficiency Maine's moderate-income tier applies at an adjusted gross income up to $70,000 for individual filers or $100,000 for joint filers. The low-income tier requires participation in MaineCare, HEAP, SNAP, or TANF. Efficiency Maine recommends verifying your tier early, and verification is required before the rebate claim, so confirm before signing a contract.
I live over the border in New Hampshire. Does any of this apply?
No. Program eligibility follows your home's state and utility, not the nearest city. If your home is in New Hampshire, use the New Hampshire page and its programs instead; do not assume Maine incentives cross the state line.
Sources and review dates
- Maine PUC: residential electricity rates by utility (actual tariffs as of July 1, 2026) checked 2026-09-09
- CMP: pricing (Rate A delivery and standard-offer supply) checked 2026-09-09
- Maine Department of Energy Resources: heating fuel price survey (September 8, 2026 reading) checked 2026-09-09
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, state residential electricity averages (June 2026, released August 26, 2026) checked 2026-09-09
- Efficiency Maine: residential heat pump rebates checked 2026-09-09
- Efficiency Maine: insulation rebates (completions through September 30, 2026) checked 2026-09-09
- Efficiency Maine: heat pump water heater program checked 2026-09-09
- Maine Labor CWRI: metro area labor force estimates (Portland–South Portland MSA = Cumberland, York, Sagadahoc counties) checked 2026-09-09
- Efficiency Maine: home energy loans checked 2026-09-09
- Maine DOER: home energy rebates (HEAR/HOMES status) checked 2026-09-09
- City of Portland: incentives and rebates for residents checked 2026-09-09
Planned re-review: fuel prices weekly with the DOER survey, the CMP tariff monthly and before its next effective change, and the insulation program around its September 30, 2026 completion-date transition. How the calculator math works: heating cost methodology. Statewide programs: Maine rebates and planning tools.