The Canada Greener Homes Grant
Overview
The Canada Greener Homes Grant
The Canada Greener Home grant is no longer accepting new applicants in all provinces, effective February 12, 2024, 5pm EST.
Homeowners who are already participating are encouraged to proceed in a timely manner with their retrofits and will continue to be eligible for funding and support through the Canada Greener Homes portal. The Canada Greener Homes Loan and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program remain open.
Contact us to get more information about existing provincial programs.
Federal Program for Homeowners to live more Environmentally Friendly
During the process, you will need to complete two EnerGuide evaluations; a pre and post-retrofit evaluation. These evaluations are completed by NRCan registered energy advisors.
When you register, you will search using your postal code and select a service organization, like Homesol, in your area. Once you choose your service organization and request your evaluation, you will be contacted by an energy advisor to set up your pre-retrofit evaluation appointment. You will not be reimbursed for the pre-retrofit evaluation unless you continue through the full Greener Homes Grant process.
The pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation provides you expert advice on what retrofits make the most sense for your home. It will help you understand how to improve the energy performance of your home. You must complete at least one recommended upgrade to receive any rebate (including one for the energy evaluations).
When the pre-retrofit evaluation is complete, the energy advisor will provide you with:
- An EnerGuide home rating and a label
- A Homeowner Information Sheet that outlines the house as it is
- A Renovation Upgrade Report with recommendations for improving your home’s energy performance
The post-retrofit evaluation, which you will receive after the work is complete, provides a measure of energy saved and greenhouse gas emissions reduced as a result of the retrofits.
You could receive a total reimbursement of up to $5,000 for retrofits and a contribution to the cost of the pre-and post-retrofit evaluations of up to a maximum of $600.
FAQs
How Do You Register?
In order to register, you will be asked to provide your:
- Name
- Phone number
- Type of house
- Address of your primary residence
- Proof of ownership with your property tax bill number (this number can be found on your municipal property documents)
- Proof of residence through either a driver's license or government-issued ID (with address)
Apply Online: Call: 1-855-438-1102, TTY 1-855-438-1103
Who Is Eligible?
All homeowners in Canada. Only one homeowner per home can register. The home must have been built at least 6 months prior. You will be required to:
- provide proof of ownership with your property tax bill number (found on your municipal property documents
- property is your primary residence with proof of driver's licence or government-issued ID (with address)
Eligible property types: three storeys or less; and footprint of 600 m² (6458 sq. ft) or less:
- Single and semi-detached houses
- Row housing
- Townhomes
- All-season cottages
- Mobile homes on a permanent foundation
- Permanently-moored floating homes
- Mixed-use buildings (residential portion only)
Small multi-unit residential building (three storeys or less with a footprint of 600m² or less)
Which Retrofits Should You Undertake?
Only retrofits recommended by your Energy Advisor are eligible for reimbursement. Your recommended retrofits will be listed in your Renovation Upgrade Report and in the online portal. Considerations for recommended retrofits are:
- Your potential energy savings
- The life expectancy of your home’s components
- The interactions among the components in your home
- Your potential renovation plans
- The cost
This is where the conversation with an experienced Energy Advisor is crucial.
They will help you determine which retrofits are appropriate for your home and which retrofits are eligible for reimbursement.
We look at your home as a system. All of its elements – the walls, the roof, ventilation, heating and cooling systems, the external environment, and even the activities of the occupants – affect one another. How these elements interact determines your home’s overall performance.
What do you gain from a retrofit? Improved comfort, saving on energy bills, helping the environment, or all of the above? Let’s discover what retrofits will help you achieve your goals. After your pre-retrofit evaluation, we can review your Renovation Upgrade Report to better understand the potential improvements and energy savings. Lastly, the potential resale value of your home.
What Are The Requirements?
You must:
- Complete a pre-and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation (residents of Quebec and Nova Scotia need to apply directly through their provincial programs to book their EnerGuide evaluation)
- Complete at least one retrofit that is both eligible and recommended by your energy advisor in their report. Only homeowners who conduct at least one retrofit will be reimbursed.
Provide and keep copies of all of your invoices until March 31, 2028.
***All products must be purchased in Canada***
Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor located in Canada.
How Do I Plan For My Retrofit?
It is always recommended that you have a licensed and trained professional work on your home. But here’s when it’s required:
Retrofits requiring a licensed and trained professional:
- Heat pumps
- Heat pump water heater
- Renewable energy
- Furnaces (eligible for Northern residents only)
- Boilers (eligible for Northern residents only)
Retrofits recommended to be done by professionals:
- Air sealing
- Home insulation
- Windows and doors
- Thermostats
- Resiliency measures
In A Nutshell
Energy Evaluations
Application
Rebates
Eligible Upgrades
Air Sealing
Reducing the volume of conditioned air leaking out of your house is the single most important retrofit to improve energy efficiency and should be a primary consideration in conjunction with all other retrofit strategies.
- Meet the target in your Renovation Upgrade Report (RUR): $550
- Reach 10% better than the air leakage target in your RUR (0.9 x target value): $810
- Reach 20% better than air leakage target in your RUR (0.8 x target value): $1,000
While considering the Air-tightness of your home you should also consider mechanical ventilation. Enthalpy/Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV’s) and Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV’s) are like the lungs of the house. You can also think of them as fresh air machines or automatic windows with filters!
If your house feels stuffy, has lingering smells, or has relatively high humidity levels in the fall and winter, your home does not receive adequate ventilation. If any occupants have respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, or chronic colds, getting fresh air is even more important.
As your air-tightness improves below 4 ACH (Air Changes per Hour) or 0.35 Natural ACH, and/or you are planning on reducing this further towards 0 ACH, it is extremely important to install a ventilation system with heat recovery. These systems are now mandatory in the Ontario Building Code for new homes.
Mechanical ventilation gives the homeowner control of the quality of household indoor air rather than having the weather dictate the ACH rate in various parts of the house. It increases heating efficiency and comfort while improving indoor air quality.
Attic / Celling Insulation
Insulate a minimum of 20% of the total area of your attic or ceiling. Grant is affected by the percentage of your attic improved.
Increase 100% of your attic to R-50
- From R-12 and less: $1800
- From R-12 to R-25: $600
- From R-25 to R-35: $250
Increase 100% of your flat or cathedral roof to R-28
- From R-12 and less: $600
- From R-12 to R-25: $250
Increase 100% of your flat or cathedral roof to R-20 from nothing: $600
Exterior Wall Insulation
Insulate a minimum of 20% of your exterior wall area. Excluding foundation walls.
- Grant is affected by the percentage of your wall area improved
- Increase 100% of your wall area by R-7.5 to R-12: $3300
- Increase 100% of your wall area by R-12 to R-20: $3800
- Increase 100% of your wall area by > R-20: $5000
Exposed Floor
Insulate the entire exposed floor area (minimum of 11 m2 or 120 ft).
- Increase insulation by R-20: $350
Basement / Foundation Insulation
Insulate a minimum of 20% of the wall area of the foundation, including basement and crawlspace walls.
- Grant is affected by the percentage of your well area improved.
- Basement and crawlspace combined have a maximum of $1,500
- Seal and insulate at least 80% of the entire basement header to increase by a minimum of R-20: $240
- Seal and insulate at least 50% of your entire basement slab by a minimum of R-3.5: $400
- Increase 100% of your wall area by R-7.5 to R-22: $1050
- Increase 100% of your wall area by > R-22: $1500
Crawlspace
Basement and crawlspace combined have a maximum of $1,500
- Increase 100% of your wall and header area by R-10 to R-22: $1040
- Increase 100% of your wall and header area by > R-22: $1300
- Increase 100% of your ceiling area by > R-24: $800
Windows & Doors
The equipment must be on an NRCan eligibility list here. This list should be consulted with your window manufacturer or supplier. Here are the lists for the windows, sliding glass doors, hinged doors, sidelites and transoms.
- Maintain the ENERGY STAR labels on your windows and doors until after your post-retrofit evaluation.
- A maximum of $250 per rough opening* up to a cap of $5000.
- *A rough opening is the structural framing in a wall separating a heated from unheated space that creates an opening for the installation of a window or door. For example, a bay window with three window units installed into one rough opening is eligible for only one grant.
- $125 per window or sliding glass door requires:
- U-Value of 1.22 W/m²K or less or Energy Rating ≥ 34
- $250 per window or sliding glass door requires:
- U-Factor of 1.05 W/m²K or less or Energy Rating ≥ 40
- $125 per door, with or without sidelites or transoms:
- U-Factor ≤ 1.22 W/m²K or Energy Rating ≥ 34
Ground Source Heat Pumps
All system’s capacity must be ≤ 40kW.
Install a Ground Source Heat Pump – full system: $5,000
Open Systems
- Heating COPh ≥ 3.6 with 10°C entering water
- Cooling COPc ≥ 4.75 with 15°C entering water
Closed Loop Systems
- Heating COPh ≥ 3.1 with 0°C entering water
- Cooling COPc ≥ 3.93 with 25°C entering water
Product eligibility list
- Heat pump must be listed here: ground source heat pump–full system
Replace a Ground Source Heat Pump – pump unit only: $3,000
Open Systems
- Heating COPh ≥ 3.6 with 10°C entering water
- Cooling COPc ≥ 4.75 with 15°C entering water
Closed Loop Systems
- Heating COPh ≥ 3.1 with 0°C entering water
Cooling COPc ≥ 3.93 with 25°C entering water
Product eligibility list
Heat pump must be listed here: ground source heat pump–pump equipment
Important to Note:
Upgrades must be on the NRCan eligible list of products in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
IMPORTANT FOR HEAT PUMPS: Licensed and trained professionals are needed to design systems that will distribute heat to the entire home (not just some rooms or additions). The heating system requirement does “not necessarily need to be based on peak-load heating” or “100% of the peak heating load”.
The specific system needs to be determined in consultation with the mechanical contractor and a sizing guide tool, such as the one offered by Natural Resources Canada. The design should account for the anticipated heat requirements based on planned energy efficiency upgrades to the building envelope (such as insulation, windows, or air sealing upgrades) in order to avoid oversizing the unit as they can have a significant impact on the heating load requirements of the house.
Air Source Heat Pumps & Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumpss
New or replacement ‘Ductless with 2 indoor heads’ Air source heat pump (ASHP) or Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps (ccASHP): $2,500
The newly installed system must meet the following criteria:
- Minimum total rated heating capacity at 8.3°C of 3.52kW (12,000 Btu/h)
- HSPF (AHRI Climate Region Zone IV) ≥ 10
Two indoor heads ductless unit - Your new pump must be on the list of eligible products
- Quebec and Nova Scotia residents: Your new pump must be on this list of eligible products
In addition, the cold climate air source heat pump (ccASHP) system must also meet the following criteria:
- Compressor must be variable capacity with three or more distinct operating speeds or continuously variable speed
- COP of ≥ 1.8 at -15°C (5°F) (at maximum capacity operation);
- Capacity Maintenance (Max -15°C (5°F)/Rated 8.3°C (47°F)) ≥ 70%
New or replacement ‘Central Ducted or Ductless with ≥ 3 heads’ Air source heat pump (ASHP): $4,000
The newly installed system must meet the following criteria:
- Minimum total rated heating capacity at 8.3°C of 3.52kW (12,000 Btu/h)
- HSPF (AHRI Climate Region Zone IV) ≥ 10
- Central ducted system or a minimum of three indoor heads for ductless units
- Your new pump must be on this list of eligible products (not available for Quebec or Nova Scotia residents)
Note: For central ducted systems, if part of the cold climate air source heat pump listed systems, the furnace or air handler must always be the specified matching unit.
New or replacement ‘Central Ducted or Ductless with ≥ 3 heads’ Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps (ccASHP): $5,000
The newly installed system must meet the following criteria:
- Compressor must be variable capacity with three or more distinct operating speeds or continuously variable speed
- Minimum total rated heating capacity at 8.3°C of 3.52kW (12,000 BTU/h)
- HSPF (AHRI Climate Region Zone IV) ≥ 10
- Central system or a minimum of three indoor heads for ductless
- COP of ≥ 1.8 at -15°C (5°F) (at maximum capacity operation);
- Capacity Maintenance (Max -15°C (5°F)/Rated 8.3°C (47°F)) ≥ 70%
- Your new pump must be on the list of eligible products
- Quebec and Nova Scotia residents: Your new pump must be on this list of eligible products
Note: For central ducted systems, if part of the cold climate air source heat pump listed systems, the furnace or air handler must always be the specified matching unit.
Important to Note:
Upgrades must be on the NRCan eligible list of products in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
IMPORTANT FOR HEAT PUMPS: Licensed and trained professionals are needed to design systems that will distribute heat to the entire home (not just some rooms or additions). The heating system requirement does “not necessarily need to be based on peak-load heating” or “100% of the peak heating load”.
The specific system needs to be determined in consultation with the mechanical contractor and a sizing guide tool, such as the one offered by Natural Resources Canada. The design should account for the anticipated heat requirements based on planned energy efficiency upgrades to the building envelope (such as insulation, windows or air sealing upgrades) in order to avoid oversizing the unit as they can have a significant impact on the heating load requirements of the house.
Domestic Hot Water Equipment
Your new water heater must be on the list of eligible products
Replace your domestic water heater with an ENERGY STAR certified domestic heat pump water heater: $1,000
Energy efficiency performance and installation
- Capacity ≤ 55 gal
EF ≥ 2.00 with FHR ≥ 50 gallons per hour or UEF ≥ 2.00 FHR ≥ 45 gallons per hour - Capacity > 55 gal
EF ≥ 2.20 FHR ≥ 50 gallons per hour or UEF ≥ 2.20 FHR ≥ 45 gallons per hour
Important to Note:
Upgrades must be on the NRCan eligible list of products in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
IMPORTANT FOR HEAT PUMPS: Licensed and trained professionals are needed to design systems that will distribute heat to the entire home (not just some rooms or additions). The heating system requirement does “not necessarily need to be based on peak-load heating” or “100% of the peak heating load”.
The specific system needs to be determined in consultation with the mechanical contractor and a sizing guide tool, such as the one offered by Natural Resources Canada. The design should account for the anticipated heat requirements based on planned energy efficiency upgrades to the building envelope (such as insulation, windows or air sealing upgrades) in order to avoid oversizing the unit as they can have a significant impact on the heating load requirements of the house.
Renewable Energy Systems
The system must be composed of photovoltaic (PV) panel and inverter certified to CSA Standards
- The rated PV panel must have a peak power capacity higher than or equal to 1.0 kW
- Install solar panels (photovoltaic (PV) system) ≥ 1.0 kW
- $1,000 per kW (up to a maximum of $5,000)
COMPLEMENTARY REBATES
Thermostate
- Must be combined with other retrofit measures from the Canada Greener Homes Grant (Excluding Space Heating).
- All equipment must be purchased in Canada.
- Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor in Canada.
- Replace a manual (single setting) thermostat with a programmable or smart/adaptive thermostat: $50
Reiliency Measures
| Type of Measure | Amount $ |
|---|---|
| Batteries connected to Photovoltaic systems to provide standby power for home | $1,000 |
| Roofing Membrane – self-adhering roofing underlayment applied to the entire roof | $150 |
| Foundation water-proofing | $875 |
| Moisture proofing crawl space floor, walls and headers (100%) | $600 |
MURBS
Homeowners living in a small MURB must ensure they meet all eligibility requirements for the Canada Greener Homes Grant in addition to the following requirements:
- A single EnerGuide evaluation must be undertaken of the entire structure (or address) and not on a unit by unit basis. Homeowners within the MURB need to organize themselves (by way of condo board) in such a way that all homeowners are aware that evaluation has taken place.
- Retrofits in a small MURB must be agreed to by the person or persons able to make decisions about the renovations to the building.
- For small MURBs that are owned by one person and the remaining units are rented, the owner must live within the building as their primary residence. The maximum amount of incentive that can be given in this case is $5,000.
- The small MURB must have 50% of its total area, including the basement, as a residential living space.
- The building must be habitable all year
The maximum amount that a MURB and its Homeowners can receive is $20,000.
Calculating incentives
The maximum amount that a MURB and its Homeowners can receive is $20,000.
The maximum allowable amount for building envelope measures – adding insulation and/or air sealing – in small MURBs will be calculated based on the number of units within the building. The table below provides the multiplier amount.
| Number of units in MURB | 2-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 | 13-16 | 17+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MURB Multiplier | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
For example, a MURB having 9 units claiming amounts for both air sealing and exposed floor insulation would be calculated as follows:
(Air-sealing Maximum $1,000 x 2.0 = $2,000) + (Exposed floor $350 x 2.0 = $700) = $2,700
Reimbursements for building envelope measures must be claimed by one MURB homeowner only and cannot be split.
If the airtightness test cannot be performed during the energy evaluation of the building, small MURBs are not eligible.
MURBS can apply the multiplier to:
- Home insulation
- Air sealing
- Windows and doors
- Renewable energy
- Resiliency measures
MURBS are not eligible for:
- Heat pumps or domestic water heaters (including in northern and off-grid communities) as the equipment on the eligible products list are not suitable for space heating in larger buildings
- Thermostats are not eligible for the multiplier
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