Canada Greener Homes Grant
Tags: Renovations, Home Energy Efficiency, Rebates
With inflation and the rising cost of homeownership, including utility bills, saving money and reducing costs are top of mind for Canadians. That's why we're excited to share how you can receive up to $10,000 cash back, and up to a $40,000 interest-free loan for making your home more energy efficient.
Canadian households consumed 24.3 percent of Canada’s total energy use last year and contributed to around 19.1 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. To promote more sustainable homes, the Canadian government established the Canada Greener Homes Grant.
This is could be a great opportunity if you are already planning on updating or renovating your home. It can help to offset the costs of your renovations and help you save on your utility bills, all while being kinder to the environment.
As of January 4th, 2023, this grant is being co-delivered by Natural Resources Canada and Enbridge Gas in Ontario under the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus program.
Grant amounts range from $125 - $5,000 from Natural Resources Canada, plus up to an additional $5,000 from Enbridge Gas in Ontario. These grants are used to cover a portion of your costs for home retrofits such as new windows and doors, space and water heating, insulation, solar panels and more. This includes up to $600 for the energy assessment.
There is also a 10-year interest-free loan program for eligible homeowners. This loan could provide up to $40,000 to help you complete some of these retrofits recommended by your Registered Energy Adviser.
We personally went through the process and created a 5-minute video
Ok, so how does it all work? Well, we are going to break it down for you in 5 easy steps:
Step 1
Schedule an initial home energy assessment with a licensed Registered Energy Advisor. The cost for the assessment is approximately $650+HST. You can begin the process by visiting this website.
Here you'll find a short questionnaire that once completed, provides a list of qualifying rebates and a list of Registered Energy Advisors in your area. See the full list of available updates that qualify for rebates by clicking here.
Step 2
Once the advisor has assessed your home, they will provide a custom report with recommended upgrades.
This report includes:
• a list of recommended upgrades and energy-saving results
• a breakdown of your energy usage
• before and after charts showing heat loss by building component
your EnerGuide home rating, before and after recommended upgrades
• customized comments from your energy advisor
• tips for saving energy
It is at this point that you would have the option to apply for an interest-free loan.
You can find out what to expect and how to prepare for the assessment by visiting this website.
Step 3
Complete at least one eligible upgrade.
Step 4
Schedule a follow-up home energy assessment. This will involve submitting photos of any retrofits along with supporting documentation
Step 5
Receive your rebate cheque, including up to $600 for the cost of the assessment.
We went through the process personally last year, and feel this is a great initiative. We were already planning on upgrading a few items in our home, so receiving cash back, while making our home more energy efficient was a no-brainer. The assessment and feedback also made us more aware of how to become more energy efficient.
The focus isn’t only on reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions—it’s also about giving the economy a boost. The ultimate goal of the Greener Homes Grant is to work towards reducing your home’s energy use while encouraging sustainable practices.
You can find the program’s terms and conditions here.
Would you like to know more? Have questions? Contact us, we are here to help!
