With the cost of heating and cooling our homes unlikely to go anywhere but up in the coming years and climate change quickening, residential energy efficiency is more critical than ever.
Fortunately, government programs can help defray the cost of reducing our homes’ energy consumption and our bills. Here are some to consider:
Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program, introduced earlier this year and part of the provincial government’s 12-year, $11-billion energy efficiency plan, offers homeowners rebates of up to 30 per cent for an array of upgrades. The program is open to all households rather than being restricted to those heating with electricity as an earlier program was.
Rebates range from $75 for smart thermostats and $100 for a new window or door to as much as $7,500 for insulation, $10,000 for solar power and $12,000 for heat pumps. Some rebates require a home energy assessment, but there are rebates for that as well.
Energy efficient appliances are slated to be added to the program later this year.
The federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program provides up to $10,000 for low- and median-income households switching from oil heating to a heat pump system. The money applies to both the purchase and installation of a heat pump, and the funding can be combined with additional financial assistance from other existing federal, provincial and utility programs.
CMHC Eco Improvement offers a partial premium refund of 25 per cent if you’re Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation-insured and working on energy efficient renovations to your recently purchased home.
While the popular Canada Greener Homes Grant program, which issued more than $1 billion in retrofit grants, has been closed, homeowners can still take advantage of the Canada Greener Home Loan. It provides loans up to $40,000 for homeowners to improve residential energy efficiency and comfort. The loans are interest-free and repayable over 10 years.
Up to 15 per cent of the loan is deliverable upfront to cover the deposit on a retrofit.
Ontario’s Energy Affordability Program offers free support to income-eligible electricity consumers by helping them to better manage their monthly electricity costs and improve the comfort of their homes. Support services range from energy needs assessments to energy-efficient appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners and more. Homes heated by electricity may be eligible for an insulation upgrade or an air-source heat pump.
Eligibility is fairly broad, ranging from pre-tax household income ($66,595 for two people) to those receiving the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement or enrolled in the Ontario Disability Support Program and others.
The City of Ottawa also supports home retrofits through its Better Homes Ottawa – Loan Program. The program provides loans up to $125,000, repayable over 20 years, for energy efficiency retrofits and climate adaptation renovations.
Ottawa’s loans can be combined with other energy efficiency rebate, incentive and financing programs such as the Canada Greener Homes Loan.
Other financial assistance programs for energy efficiency retrofits may be available now or in the future at the local, provincial and national level. Check Natural Resources Canada’s Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs for Homes to stay up to date.
