If you are a Fort Collins Utilities or Loveland customer, you may qualify for a $500 Efficiency Works rebate on a service panel upgrade in 2026, but only when the new panel is 200 amps or larger, is installed by a licensed electrician, and is paired with an electrification project such as a Level 2 EV charger, heat pump, heat pump water heater, induction range or solar and battery. If your service is under 200 amps and you do not upgrade, a $250 load-sharing device rebate may apply instead. Funding is limited and the rules change, so check efficiencyworks.org before you sign.
Here is what the 2026 program says, based on the Efficiency Works incentive sheet marked "Effective January 1, 2026" (Efficiency Works incentives PDF).
Who can use Efficiency Works?
Efficiency Works serves customers of the four Platte River member utilities: Estes Park Power and Communications, Fort Collins Utilities, Longmont Power & Communications, and City of Loveland Utilities (Efficiency Works). Fort Collins Utilities and Loveland Water and Power are both city-owned.
If your electric bill comes from Xcel Energy or Poudre Valley REA, which serve Windsor and some outlying addresses, these rebates generally do not apply. Check your bill, then check with your own utility.
The $500 service panel upgrade rebate
The 2026 sheet lists a $500 per unit service panel upgrade incentive. The conditions:
- The new panel is 200 A or greater.
- It is installed by a licensed electrician.
- It is "connected to an upgrade project" that includes at least one of: an induction range or cooktop, a Level 2 EV charger, a heat pump, a heat pump water heater, or solar/battery.
In plain terms, a panel upgrade on its own is not the target. The rebate is for panels that make room for electric equipment. If you are planning a panel upgrade to add a Level 2 EV charger or a heat pump, the pairing is the point.
The $250 load-sharing device rebate
Not every home needs a bigger panel to add an EV charger or heat pump. Where the existing service is under 200 A, Efficiency Works lists a $250 incentive for a load-sharing device: circuit sharing, a controllable breaker, a circuit splitter, or a sub-panel. It must be UL-listed, installed by a licensed electrician, and tied to the same electrification measures. One is allowed per project. Ask the contractors quoting your job whether a load-sharing device would work instead of a full upgrade; our post on whether you need a panel upgrade for an EV charger covers that choice.
Rules that apply to every rebate
The 2026 sheet lists program-wide conditions (Efficiency Works):
- An Efficiency Works Homes listed service provider must do the installation.
- The home must be at least one year old.
- You must apply within 45 days.
- Incentives over $2,500 need pre-approval, or they are capped at $2,500.
- Incentives are limited to 100% of the project cost.
- Funding is limited.
The listed-provider rule is the one people miss. A contractor can be properly licensed and still not be on the list. Ask before you sign, and confirm on the Efficiency Works site.
Other 2026 incentives that pair with a panel upgrade
Because the panel rebate depends on an electrification project, it helps to know the other figures on the same sheet:
| Measure | 2026 listed incentive |
|---|---|
| Service panel upgrade (200 A+, paired project) | $500 |
| Load-sharing device (service under 200 A) | $250 |
| Ducted heat pump, Tier 1 / Tier 2 (cold-climate) | $1,500 / $2,000 per unit |
| Heat pump water heater | $600 (replacing electric or propane) or $400 (replacing gas) |
| Bundling bonus (heat pump plus envelope measure within 6 months) | $2,000 |
The sheet's HVAC page also shows an "Effective October 1, 2026" revision, so heat pump figures may have changed. Treat this table as a starting point and confirm current amounts at efficiencyworks.org. Fort Collins also has a rental bonus for qualifying landlords, which needs preapproval.
Is there a rebate for a home EV charger?
No residential EV-charger rebate is listed. The City's EV page lists Efficiency Works rebates for Level 2 stations at businesses and multifamily properties only (Fort Collins Utilities EV page). The charger can still be the project that makes your panel upgrade eligible for the $500 panel rebate, which is why the two often get quoted together.
Paying for the rest: Epic Loan
For larger projects, Fort Collins Utilities offers the Epic Loan, on-bill financing of up to $50,000 over terms of up to 15 years, covering electrification and solar/battery projects. Eligibility rules apply; check the City's page.
What the rebate does not cover
A $500 rebate is a help, not the whole budget. Published cost guides put a 100 A to 200 A panel upgrade at roughly $750–$2,000, and that range does not include utility service-upgrade costs (HomeAdvisor panel guide). The City's Home Electrification page notes that electrician bids usually do not include Fort Collins Utilities' service-upgrade costs (Fort Collins Home Electrification). Our post on the hidden cost of a service upgrade explains that line item, and the electrician cost guide lists typical ranges for other jobs.
A rebate checklist before you sign
- Confirm your electric utility is Fort Collins Utilities or Loveland.
- Confirm the contractor is an Efficiency Works listed service provider.
- Make sure the panel is 200 A or larger and is part of a qualifying project.
- Ask whether a $250 load-sharing device would work instead.
- Note the 45-day application window and keep your invoice.
- Check efficiencyworks.org for current amounts and funding.
- Confirm the contractor's Colorado electrical contractor registration and its master electrician's license with the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) license lookup. Our guide to checking a Colorado electrician's license walks through it.
- Inside Fort Collins, confirm the contractor is registered with the City.
- Ask who pulls the permit, and make sure it is pulled before work starts.
- Ask for proof of insurance.
- Get a written quote that says whether the utility's service-upgrade costs are included.
Get quotes from local contractors
We connect Fort Collins-area homeowners with independent local electrical contractors for free, no-obligation quotes. The contractor you choose quotes, permits, contracts and does the work directly with you. When you request a free quote, say you want to use Efficiency Works so contractors can tell you whether they are listed providers and what your project may qualify for. We cannot promise any rebate amount; Efficiency Works decides eligibility.