The CLEANair Furnace Rebate Program was developed in 2018 to provide consumer rebates on Ultra-Low NOx High Altitude Furnaces, Ultra-Low NOx Weatherized Furnaces, and replacement of a gas-fired furnace with a traditional all-electric heat pump system. The second phase of the program in 2020 focused on zero-emission heat pump incentives, and funding for the program was exhausted in the second quarter of 2023.

Approximately 150,000 natural-gas-fired furnaces are installed each year throughout the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) region. These furnaces emit nitrogen oxides (NOx), an air pollutant that contributes to the formation of smog and particulate matter. Rule 1111 sets emission limits for these furnaces in an effort to reduce the NOx emissions from these devices. For further emission reductions, South Coast AQMD staff is commencing rule development to evaluate the feasibility of requiring zero-emission technologies, to implement the 2022 Air Quality Management Plan control measures for building appliances. 

South Coast AQMD continuously strives to identify various ways to improve the quality of the air you breathe and is currently in the process of developing a new potential rebate program that would provide a rebate to residents who purchase and install a zero-emission appliance. A future rebate program would help reduce emissions and meet the goal of improved air quality within the South Coast AQMD jurisdiction, with a percentage of funding reserved for installations in disadvantaged and low-income areas until those funds are exhausted.