CPS Energy, the municipally owned utility serving San Antonio, pays a per-ton rebate to replace an aging air conditioner or heat pump with a qualifying high-efficiency system — generally $100 to $275 per ton of cooling capacity, scaled to the efficiency of the equipment. Because it is paid per ton, a typical 3-ton replacement lands in the few-hundred-dollar range and larger or higher-efficiency systems earn more.
The program offers two paths, which is unusual and worth understanding. A burnout rebate applies when you are replacing a system that has already failed; an early-retirement rebate applies when you proactively replace a working but inefficient older unit. Either way, the existing central system has to be under 25 years old (under 20 for heat pumps), the new equipment must meet the program's efficiency minimum, and the application is due within 30 days of completion. The current program year runs February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027.
For a San Antonio homeowner this changes the replace-versus-repair math: the early-retirement path means you don't have to wait for a system to die to get help paying for an efficient one. Confirm the current per-ton amount for your equipment's SEER2 tier, and make sure your contractor installs an AHRI-matched system — the rebate, the rated efficiency, and the warranty all depend on it.