Manufacturers often offer longer warranties and hefty rebates as a way to entice homeowners to purchase more expensive HVAC systems. Rebates and tax credits are also sometimes offered by federal, state, and local governments and utilities as a way to encourage consumers to reduce their energy use by purchasing newer, more efficient equipment.
Whether it’s a manufacturer or a utility, these incentives are typically reserved for high-efficiency systems, which are substantially more expensive than minimum-efficiency units. So, do longer warranties and higher rebates encourage homeowners to purchase more expensive, highly efficient equipment? The surprising answer is sometimes, but not always.