Aurora F-3 Project rebates, and how to tell if your home qualifies

What the Aurora F-3 Project pays

Xcel is paying homeowners inside the Aurora F-3 area to reduce natural gas demand instead of building more gas pipe into a system that's approaching capacity. That's why the amounts don't look like normal utility rebates. Every line pays 100% of project cost up to the cap shown.

The cold-climate specification matters more than the dollar amount. A qualifying unit has to hold a COP of at least 1.75 at 5°F, meaning it still returns 1.75 units of heat per unit of electricity at 5 degrees, and it has to keep at least 70% of its 47°F heating capacity down at 5°F. That's what makes the difference between a heat pump that carries an Aurora January and one that doesn't.

Aurora F-3 Project eligibility

Three things have to be true.

1. Active residential natural gas service from Xcel Energy. Gas-only customers and customers with both gas and electric from Xcel both qualify.

2. A physical address inside the Aurora F-3 boundary. Eligibility is by location, not by city limits or neighborhood name.

3. An existing conditioned home. New construction and previously unconditioned space (a newly finished basement or garage) are not eligible.

The boundary is a fully enclosed loop covering the Lowry area, the blocks around the Community College of Aurora, and the neighborhoods south and east of the Anschutz Medical Campus. Xcel describes it as:

• East Montview Blvd. between Quebec Street and Lansing Street

• Lansing Street between East Montview Blvd. and East Colfax Ave.

• East Colfax Ave. between Lansing Street and North Sable Blvd.

• North Sable Blvd. between East Colfax and East Ellsworth

• A short section running from North Sable to East 13th Ave. to Chambers Rd. to East 6th Ave. to North Sable

• East Ellsworth Ave. from North Sable to I-225

• I-225 from East Ellsworth to East Mississippi Ave.

• East Mississippi Ave. from I-225 to South Dayton Street

• South Dayton Street from East Mississippi to East Alameda Ave.

• East Alameda Ave. from South Dayton Street to Monaco Street Parkway

• Monaco Street Pkwy. from East Alameda to East 8th Ave.

• East 8th Ave. from Monaco Street Pkwy. to North Quebec Street

Every address inside that loop is eligible. If you're near an edge, the official Xcel project area map is the authority, and Xcel notes the boundary can change.

The rules that decide what you actually receive

Total rebates from all sources can't exceed your real cost. Xcel caps combined rebates from every party, including state programs, local government, and nonprofits, at the actual equipment and labor cost of the project. Because Aurora F-3 already covers 100% up to its caps, the Colorado state heat pump incentive typically gets absorbed rather than stacked on top.

Heat pump rebates require certified removal of the gas equipment they replace. For the heat pump and heat pump water heater lines, you and your contractor must certify full removal of any existing natural gas equipment that the new system now heats the same space with. Keeping the furnace as a cold-weather backup disqualifies that measure.

One rebate per 12 months for equipment doing the same job, and no duplicate rebate for the same improvement under another Xcel program.

Invoices must be dated on or after June 22, 2026.

Funding is limited and first come, first served. Xcel asks customers to confirm the program is still active and funded before completing a project.

For the full picture, including why Xcel is paying these amounts and the rules most people miss, read our explainer on what the Aurora F-3 Project covers and who qualifies.

How the process runs with Zero Homes

1. Scan your home from your phone. No sales visit. The scan gives our engineers the room-by-room geometry they need to size the system for your house instead of guessing from square footage.

2. We check your address against the boundary and tell you which Aurora F-3 lines you qualify for before you commit to anything.

3. You get a fixed quote with the rebates already applied, so the number you see is the number you pay, with $0 down financing available.

4. We install with a contractor in Xcel's trade partner network, which the program requires, and handle the removal certification at install rather than after.

5. We file the Aurora F-3 application. Xcel typically reviews and processes in six to eight weeks, then either sends a check or credits your invoice.

The insulation and air sealing lines are worth asking about even if you came for the heat pump. In the 1950s and 1960s housing stock inside this boundary, empty wall cavities and R-11 attics are common, and the program pays 100% of the cost to fix them. Doing the shell alongside the equipment is what turns a system that runs constantly into one that holds an even temperature.