Belmont Light’s service territory ends at the town line, and so does its heat pump rebate. Inside it, Clement Boston Heat Pumps handles heat pump installation in Belmont, MA on two rebate paths: Belmont Light’s for oil, propane and electric homes, and Mass Save’s for gas.
The gas side qualifies because National Grid, a Mass Save sponsor, supplies Belmont’s gas. Getting that split right before the estimate keeps the paperwork, the assessment and the equipment choice lined up.
Which rebate a Belmont home gets
Belmont buys its electricity from a municipal light plant, not Eversource or National Grid. So the rebate follows the fuel you’re leaving, and the two programs have different rules.
Oil, propane or electric heat: Belmont Light
Belmont Light’s heat pump program pays $1,000 per ton for a partial or whole-home system, up to $5,000 per account. Its page lists added amounts for completing a recommended weatherization project, for low-income Rate A customers, and for removing the fossil-fuel system at install. The application goes in within six months of the install.
Gas heat: Mass Save
Belmont Light’s own page says residents who heat with natural gas may be eligible for Mass Save’s heat pump incentives. National Grid is the gas sponsor, so a gas home follows Mass Save’s rules; see our rebate guide.
When the gas system comes out, Mass Save’s whole-home tier pays $2,650 a ton, capped at $8,500, on installs finished by December 31, 2026.
What Belmont Light requires
- A home energy assessment within the past three years: through Belmont Light and Energy New England for oil and electric heat, through Mass Save for gas.
- Equipment listed as ENERGY STAR cold climate or on NEEP’s cold-climate list.
- An outdoor unit on a stand with at least 12 inches of ground clearance, unless shielded.
- A Massachusetts-licensed electrician on the electrical work.
Financing
Belmont Light’s page notes a 0% loan through the state’s light plant program, the Z-loan, for residents who can’t use Mass Save. Gas-heated homes that qualify for Mass Save use its HEAT Loan instead, applied for before work starts.
Belmont’s older houses and two-families
More than half of Belmont’s homes were built in 1939 or earlier. About 45% are detached and close to 30% are two-families, which sets how many systems a house needs.
Two-families
Each unit gets its own heat pump, sized to its own floor, on its own panel. Belmont Light’s cap applies per account, so two units on two electric accounts can each claim their own rebate. Our multi-family guide covers stacked units.
Radiator houses
A pre-war house on a hot-water or steam boiler has no ducts. Attic air handlers serve the bedrooms, a basement unit or stacked closets serve the first floor. See boiler to heat pump conversion and our old house guide.
Houses that already have ducts
An oil or gas furnace house keeps its ducts once we’ve measured static pressure, sized the return and sealed the joints. That’s the shortest path to a heat pump; see oil to heat pump conversion.
Placing the outdoor unit on a Belmont lot
Belmont Light’s stand rule and the town’s own bylaw both bear on where the outdoor unit goes. We plan the spot to satisfy both before the estimate.
The stand
The 12-inch clearance Belmont Light asks for keeps the coil above snow and gives defrost water somewhere to drain. Our snow stand guide shows the setup.
The bylaw
Belmont Light’s page points to the town’s zoning bylaw section on outdoor mechanical equipment for single and two-family dwellings. We read that section against your lot, including setbacks and visibility, before choosing a spot. Noise limits are confirmed per address.
Rear yards and driveways
On a narrow two-family lot, the rear corner of the house or a spot beside the driveway usually keeps the unit out of the front yard and away from the neighbor’s windows. The line set then runs along the foundation to the air handler, inside a cover.
Running cost on Belmont Light
The state’s seasonal heat pump rate covers Eversource, National Grid and Unitil customers only, so it doesn’t apply here. Your winter bill follows Belmont Light’s own rates.
Oil still costs more per unit of heat delivered than a heat pump on most Massachusetts electric rates. We run the comparison on Belmont Light’s actual rate in the estimate, not a figure from another utility. See heat pump vs oil.
Keep the oil furnace, or take it out?
Belmont Light’s rebate covers partial-home systems as well as whole-home ones, so keeping a newer furnace as backup still qualifies. Removing the fossil-fuel system at install adds to the rebate, though, and ends oil deliveries and tank upkeep. We price both versions when the furnace has years left; see dual-fuel heat pumps.
Permits, code and utility in Belmont
The town’s building department issues the electrical and sheet metal permits a ducted job needs, plus a gas permit where a line gets capped. Belmont’s specialized code applies to new homes and major renovations, not a replacement.
| What | Belmont |
|---|---|
| Electric utility | Belmont Light (municipal) |
| Gas utility | National Grid |
| Energy code | Specialized stretch code since January 1, 2025 |
| Rebate, oil, propane or electric homes | Belmont Light, $1,000 per ton up to $5,000 per account |
| Rebate, gas homes | Mass Save |
| Outdoor unit | Stand with at least 12 inches of clearance, unless shielded |
Visit, estimate, install: the Belmont sequence
We confirm your fuel and which assessment you need, then run a room-by-room load calculation, test the ducts or find routes for new ones, check the panel, and pick a stand location the bylaw allows.
- Written estimate: equipment with capacity at 5°F, duct work, electrical, permits, the Belmont Light or Mass Save path, and the price.
- Install: three to nine working days, depending on new ducts. Oil tank removal follows once the heat pump carries the house.
- Commissioning: pressure test, vacuum below 500 microns, charge by weight, measured airflow, and backup lockout recorded for the rebate file.
Next door, Arlington is on Eversource and Mass Save under a fossil-fuel-free bylaw, and Watertown is on Eversource too.