The PGW Boiler Rebate, Explained With Real Numbers

Exactly how much PGW pays

These are the current amounts from PGW's homeowner application form — not the older figures still floating around the internet.

Three things this table tells you that the ads don't:

1. A normal boiler swap pays $1,000, not $2,000. If a contractor's pitch leans on the $2,000 figure for a standard boiler replacement, that figure doesn't apply to your job.
2. The combi premium is real. A combi unit pays $400 more than a standard boiler at both tiers — worth knowing if your water heater is also near the end of its life, because one combi replaces both.
3. The income-eligible tier is worth $400 extra on a boiler — and qualifying is easier than most people assume (next section).

Who qualifies for the bigger check

The Affordable tier pays more, and it is not a general low-income test. You qualify if, within the last year, you meet any one of these:

• You're enrolled in PGW's Customer Responsibility Program (CRP), or
• You received a Hardship Funds grant, or
• You received a LIHEAP grant and assigned it to PGW.

That's it. If you were on LIHEAP last winter — a lot of Philadelphia households were — you may already be in the higher tier without knowing it. Check before you buy, because the tier is worth $400 on a boiler and $600 on a combi.

The eligibility checklist (all six must be true)

• You're a PGW customer on a firm gas rate, and your account is active and current. The name on your gas bill must match the name on the application.
• The new unit meets the efficiency bar — 94% AFUE or higher for boilers and combis (95% for furnaces), verified in the AHRI directory (ahridirectory.org) before you buy. This is the step that kills the most claims: a boiler that misses 94% AFUE by a point pays $0.
• A licensed contractor installs it. DIY installs don't qualify, and the application requires the contractor's name, address, and license number.
• You bought it through a normal channel. Purchases from online auctions are specifically excluded.
• It's installed at the PGW service address with an active meter.
• You apply with complete paperwork (below). Rebates are first-come, first-served and the money is not reserved for you until a complete, qualifying application is in.

Renters: you can qualify with the property owner's approval. Landlords: you apply using the tenant's active PGW account number for that unit — one application per address per project, and multi-unit amounts follow the "additional unit" column above.

The federal tax credit is gone — don't let a quote tell you otherwise

Until recently, homeowners stacked a federal tax credit (Section 25C — worth up to $600 on a qualifying boiler) on top of utility rebates. That credit was terminated for any equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025. For a boiler installed in 2026, there is no federal credit. None.

Why this matters when you're comparing quotes: a lot of contractor websites and quote templates still carry the old credit. If a 2026 quote shows a federal tax credit reducing your price, that line is fiction, and it's worth asking what else in the quote is stale. (Installed in 2025? Different story — you can still claim the credit on your 2025 return with Form 5695. Talk to your tax preparer.)

The flip side: with the federal money gone, the PGW rebate is now the entire discount stack for a gas boiler in Philadelphia — plus one more PGW item below.

What the math looks like on a real Philadelphia replacement

A typical boiler replacement in Philadelphia runs about $5,500–$6,100 installed (full range across homes: roughly $3,200–$10,000, depending on the house and the unit — the ranges from our own Philadelphia cost guide). Run the rebate through it:

• Standard boiler: $5,800 typical job − $1,000 PGW rebate = $4,800 out of pocket.
• Income-eligible: $5,800 − $1,400 = $4,400.
• Combi, income-eligible: a combi job runs more upfront, but the $2,000 rebate is the largest single check PGW writes a homeowner.

Then the quiet second saving: PGW's own estimate is that a 94% AFUE boiler saves the average household $170–$250 a year on gas versus a standard-efficiency model. Over a 15-year boiler life, that's $2,500–$3,750 — the rebate is the down payment on a saving that keeps going.

One stack that still works: switching your home to gas from oil or electric? PGW's $500 conversion incentive can be combined with the equipment rebate above — PGW confirms the two are stackable. The federal credit is the only piece that died.

How to claim it — step by step

1. Before you sign anything: confirm the exact model your contractor is quoting is listed in the AHRI directory at 94% AFUE or higher. Two minutes, saves the whole rebate.
2. Get the install done by a licensed contractor and get an itemized, paid-in-full invoice showing the install date, the equipment's manufacturer, model and serial numbers, and its AFUE rating. Ask for a copy of the unit's AHRI certificate.
3. Get the application. Apply online at pgwenergysense.com, or email res.com@pgworks.com after your install and PGW will send you the form. Your contractor fills out and signs their portion — their license number goes on it.
4. Submit with the full packet: signed application with your PGW account number, the contractor's details, the paid invoice, and the AHRI certificate. Online is fastest; paper applications go by mail to the address on the form.
5. Wait 4–6 weeks — PGW's standard timeline, though PGW currently posts a rebate-processing delay notice on its site, so allow extra time right now. The rebate arrives as a paper check by mail — never as a bill credit. Cash it within 90 days of the issue date; PGW will not reissue a stale check on request.
6. Track it or ask: 1-855-PGW-SOLVES (1-855-749-7658), or check your status at pgwenergysense.com.

7 mistakes that kill rebate claims

1. Buying a boiler that's 93% AFUE. The bar is 94%. "High efficiency" on a brochure is not a number — the AHRI listing is.
2. Skipping the AHRI check until after the install. Eligibility is based on the equipment, and by install day your leverage is gone.
3. A name mismatch. The name on the PGW bill and the name on the application must match. Different name, stalled claim.
4. An account that isn't current. Your PGW account must be active when the rebate is processed.
5. No license number, no rebate. An unlicensed installer can't complete the contractor section.
6. Buying the unit from an online auction. Expressly ineligible, even if the model qualifies.
7. Waiting. Funds are first-come, first-served inside a program window that ends August 31, 2027. A boiler bought in a panic in January gets claimed in January — the households who "mean to apply later" are the ones who find the money gone.

Frequently asked questions

Replacing a boiler this winter?

Check whether you may qualify for the rebate, then get a free replacement estimate from a Philadelphia contractor who will walk the rebate paperwork with you — the AHRI check before you buy, the contractor section signed, the invoice itemized the way PGW wants it. That's the difference between a rebate that arrives and one that dies on a technicality.

→ Compare Philadelphia boiler contractors · What boiler repair costs in Philadelphia

Sources: PGW EnergySense program pages and the current homeowner equipment rebate application (pgwenergysense.com), PGW efficiency incentives page (pgworks.com), and IRS guidance on the Section 25C termination under Public Law 119-21 — all checked October 31, 2026. Program amounts and rules can change; PGW's official pages control. BoilerRepairFinder is not affiliated with PGW.