Heat pumps in Illinois
Illinois runs on natural gas, and at 2.4% of homes heating primarily with a heat pump it is near the bottom nationally. Chicago's winters are real but well within cold-climate equipment range — the barrier here is economic, not technical.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗2.4% of Illinois homes use a heat pump as their main heat
Goal: every home
Central heat pumps and ductless mini-splits combined, counted as the home's main heating equipment.
Episodes
Recorded in Illinois
Homeowners and contractors in IL, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What Illinois pays toward one
ComEd and Ameren Illinois
Utility rebates are what is actually available in Illinois today — ComEd in the north, Ameren downstate. The state's IRA-funded rebates were still pending federal approval in mid-2026 and were not accepting applications.
Program details →Illinois Energy Office (DCEO)
The state agency coordinating the federal rebate programs. Worth checking for launch status rather than assuming the money is available.
Program details →Federal Home Energy Rebates
The IRA rebate programs (HEAR and HOMES) survived the 2025 tax changes — they were grants to states, not tax credits. Each state runs its own, and they are at different stages: some open, some already out of money, some yet to launch. Check where Illinois stands before you count on it.
Program details →
The federal 25C tax credit — 30% back, up to $2,000 on a heat pump — ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. If you had one installed in 2025 or earlier you can still claim it; there is no successor credit. Incentives move fast, so check DSIRE for what is current in Illinois. Last checked September 2026.
Ready to get quotes?
Tell us about your home and we'll connect you with installers who work in Illinois — and who we'd let near our own houses.
The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
19°F
Coldest month average low
Chicago · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
85°F
Warmest month average high
Chicago · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Cold-climate heat pumps are rated to hold full output well below zero. The question here is not whether one works, it is whether yours was sized and installed for the coldest night of the year rather than the average one.