Do I get an energy credit for a new central air system?

[m-efowler]

old zircon system to much newer one

[LindaA]

Possibly. Your central air conditioner or HVAC system may qualify for an energy credit of up to $300 if it meets the energy efficiency requirements. 

To enter your energy-efficient air conditioner in TurboTax:

• Continue your return in TurboTax Online. (If your return isn't open, you'll need to sign in and click Take me to my return.)
• Click My Account (top right of your screen).
• Select Tools.
• In the pop-up window, select Topic Search.
• In the search bar, type 5695.
• In the results box, highlight 5695, residential energy credit, then click GO.
• Follow the onscreen instructions to complete this section. You'll enter the air conditioner as an Energy-Efficient Building Property. (Click the screenshot below for reference.) Be sure to click the Learn more link if you have any questions. 
• After you enter the cost of your air conditioner and answer the corresponding questions, TurboTax will determine if you qualify for an energy credit.  

Note: If using the TurboTax CD/Download software, you'll use the Find function (instead of "My Account") to search for the topic.

The Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit has a lifetime total combined limit of $500, so if you have claimed the credit in a prior year your 2016 deduction may be reduced. See IRS Instructions for Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits for more information.

[chandragelli]

I got Carrier HVAC system installed in Dec 2021. When filing my 2021 tax returns, I got $150 tax credit for furnace, but didn't claim any credit for air conditioner.  Can I claim $300 air conditioner rebate when I file 2022 taxes next year?

[SweetieJean]

No. It must be claimed for the year placed in service.

[Opus 17]

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@chandragelli wrote:

I got Carrier HVAC system installed in Dec 2021. When filing my 2021 tax returns, I got $150 tax credit for furnace, but didn't claim any credit for air conditioner.  Can I claim $300 air conditioner rebate when I file 2022 taxes next year?

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The credit can be up to $500, if you can separate the furnace ($150), the air conditioner ($300), and an advanced min circulating fan ($50), since these credits are separate.

However, if the system was placed in service (installed and turned on) in 2020, that is the year you claim the credit, even if you are still paying it off.  Here are the instructions to amend a 2020 return

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/amending/help/how-do-i-amend-my-return/00/27439

Also, if audited, you will need some kind of proof of the separate price of each part of the installation.  Just because the system was $5000 or more will not be proof for the IRS that each separate part of the system qualified for the maximum credit.  For example, if the system was $4000, you might have paid $2000 for the furnace and $2000 for the A/C, which would be a maximum credit for the A/C of $200, not $300.   If you can't prove the separate price of each part of the system, the IRS might deny the credit.