Mass Save Heat Pump Proposal Checklist for HEAT Loan

Before the proposal is signed, confirm each item against the current Mass Save financing page and HEAT Loan guide:

• Official letterhead: the proposal identifies the contracting business and provides usable contact information.
• Signature: the final proposal—not an earlier estimate—is signed.
• Participating installer: the heat-pump contractor is in the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network for the proposed work.
• Manufacturer and model numbers: the equipment schedule identifies what will actually be installed.
• Scope and pricing: included work, exclusions, and charges are understandable.
• Cost per heat-pump system: a multi-system project does not hide every system inside one unexplained total.
• Matching AHRI support: the packet includes either the matching AHRI certificate or its reference number.
• Totals reconcile: the system costs, shared work, adjustments, and contract total add up.
• Revision is controlled: the signed version matches the equipment schedule and AHRI record the office submits.

The first seven checks map to Mass Save’s published requirements. The final two are office safeguards that help prevent a correct field from being attached to the wrong revision. Download the current guide again when preparing a real packet; program documents change.

Check	What the official source says	What your office should verify
Signed letterhead proposal	The live financing page asks for a signed contractor proposal on official letterhead.	Business identity, customer, project address, proposal date or version, and signature belong to the same final document.
Participating heat-pump installer	The HEAT Loan guide requires the proposal and work to come from a contractor participating in HPIN.	Confirm the contracting entity used on the proposal matches the participating business.
Manufacturer and model	The heat-pump documentation checklist calls for manufacturer and equipment model number.	Copy model identifiers from the locked equipment schedule; avoid shortening a model in a way that makes the match ambiguous.
Scope and pricing	The proposal must describe the work and its price.	State what is included, excluded, optional, or completed by others. Separate ineligible work when the guide directs you to do so.
Cost per system	The guide asks for total cost per heat-pump system installed.	Give each system a distinct cost line, then reconcile those lines with shared work and the project total.
AHRI certificate or reference	The application packet calls for a matching certificate or reference number.	Confirm the number opens the intended equipment combination; attach or record it with the same revision as the proposal.

Customer name, installation address, proposal version, and clear cost reconciliation are sensible controls, but the short heat-pump checklist does not label each one as a separate required field. Keep the distinction honest: program requirement and good proposal practice are not always the same thing.

“Total cost per heat pump system installed” becomes important when a project has two outdoor units, several indoor units, or shared electrical and distribution work. A single contract total does not show a reviewer how the proposed systems relate to the price.

Use a repeatable block for each system:

1. System A: outdoor-unit model, matching indoor-unit or coil model(s), areas served, AHRI reference, and installed system cost.
2. System B: the same fields, kept separate from System A.
3. Shared project work: clearly described electrical, controls, duct, permit, removal, or other work that is not silently counted twice.
4. Project reconciliation: System A + System B + shared eligible work + separately identified ineligible work = contract total.

The official guide requires per-system cost but does not publish an allocation formula for every kind of shared labor or electrical work. Use a consistent method, make it visible, and ask the HEAT Loan Program Administrator when a real project does not fit the form cleanly. Do not invent a split merely to make the packet look complete.

The HEAT Loan guide says the AHRI certificate can be found through the AHRI Directory using the equipment model number. For the packet, it permits the matching certificate or AHRI reference number. That makes the reference number useful—but only if it points to the equipment combination in the signed proposal.

Run this check before the proposal goes out:

• Compare the proposed outdoor and indoor equipment identifiers with the AHRI record.
• Resolve suffixes, substituted components, and copied model numbers instead of assuming they are close enough.
• Confirm the same combination against the current Mass Save Heat Pump Qualified Product List when pursuing a rebate.
• Re-run the check after any substitution and issue a new proposal revision.

AHRI certification and Mass Save rebate eligibility are related checks, not synonyms. The current Mass Save air-source heat-pump page separately requires qualifying equipment on its list and specifies ENERGY STAR Cold Climate criteria. An AHRI number alone is not a promise that the project qualifies for a particular rebate path.

A complete proposal is one input to the financing process. The current Mass Save steps put the documents in this order:

1. Confirm program eligibility and complete a Home Energy Assessment when the proposed measure requires one. The page currently lists an assessment as mandatory for whole-home heat pumps and partial-home heat pumps pursuing bonus incentives.
2. Select a participating contractor and obtain the signed letterhead proposal.
3. Submit the loan application with the proposal and any additional required documentation.
4. If the work is program-eligible, receive an Authorization Form.
5. Take that form to a participating lender; financing remains subject to the lender’s approval.
6. Complete the authorized work, handle payment according to the program and contract, and apply separately for any available rebate.
7. Complete the required verification step.

Mass Save’s HEAT Loan FAQ says already-installed work cannot be financed through a new application. Build an office hold point around the Authorization Form rather than treating a signed proposal as permission to install.

We intentionally do not repeat a maximum loan amount here. Official Mass Save materials reviewed on September 24, 2026 display conflicting ceilings. Confirm the current amount directly with Mass Save and the participating lender before putting it in a homeowner proposal.

The fastest review starts before the PDF is created. Keep one approved equipment schedule for the job, with the manufacturer, model identifiers, AHRI reference, proposed areas served, and system labels. Let the proposal pull from that record instead of asking sales and office staff to retype it independently.

Then assign one person who did not build the quote to compare four things side by side: the signed proposal, equipment schedule, AHRI support, and cost reconciliation. Their review should answer: Is this the same customer, same job, same equipment, same price, and same revision?

Stop and revise when you see any of these red flags:

• “TBD” model numbers on a document the homeowner is expected to sign.
• An AHRI reference carried over from a different equipment combination.
• One price for multiple systems with no per-system explanation.
• Optional or ineligible work blended into an unexplained total.
• A model substitution made after signature with no new revision.
• Language implying the loan or rebate has already been approved.

Keep the dated source or downloaded program guide used for the review with the project file. That gives the team a defensible starting point when requirements change.

Quote Studio is HomeWise’s proposal capability for home energy contractors. It keeps project details, selected equipment, pricing, and program information together so the team can review a clear homeowner presentation.

It does not determine program eligibility, submit the homeowner’s loan application, or replace lender review. Your team remains responsible for equipment selection, technical design, current program checks, and final quote approval.

Use the checklist above as a release gate, then see how HomeWise helps your team prepare and review proposals.

Can I submit an AHRI reference number instead of the certificate?

The Mass Save HEAT Loan guide says the required supporting documentation can be a matching AHRI certificate or AHRI reference number. Confirm that the reference returns the equipment combination on the signed proposal.

Does the proposal need official letterhead and a signature?

Yes. The live Mass Save financing page tells applicants to obtain a signed proposal from the contractor on official letterhead. Make sure the signed document is the final revision used in the application.

What does “total cost per heat pump system installed” mean?

The guide requires a total cost for each installed heat-pump system, but it does not prescribe a universal allocation method for every shared project cost. Separate the systems, explain shared work, make the totals reconcile, and ask the Program Administrator about an ambiguous project.

Does this checklist guarantee a HEAT Loan or rebate?

No. It helps make the packet reviewable. Program eligibility, issuance of an Authorization Form, rebate approval, and lender credit approval are separate decisions.

Can installation start as soon as the homeowner signs?

Not if the homeowner expects to finance that work through a new HEAT Loan application. Mass Save says work installed before receipt of an Authorization Form cannot be financed through that application.