Better Homes Ottawa - Loan Program

Better Homes Ottawa – Loan Program

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Ottawa, Ontario

The City of Ottawa is piloting a loan program for up to three years for home energy efficiency retrofits, to support local residents to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Zero-interest loan rates are expected to be available for 1-2 years while resources are available.

The program offers zero-interest, 20-year loans of up to $125,000 (or 10 percent of the current value assessment of the home, whichever is less) to cover the cost of home energy improvements like thermal envelope upgrades (basement/attic/exterior wall insulation, window/door replacements), mechanical systems (thermostats and controllers, air/ground source heat pumps, solar hot water systems), renewable energy (solar photovoltaic systems), EV chargers (Level 2), and the addition of rental suites (up to a maximum of 30% of the value of the loan).

With zero-interest, 20-year loans that are tied to the property, not the individual, the Better Homes Ottawa – Loan Program makes it easier and more affordable for homeowners to pay for these home improvements over time.

Application Process

  • Complete a pre-retrofit EnerGuide assessment. This assessment provides an NRCan EnerGuide rating for the home and recommends improvements that are customized for the home. Apply here.
  • Complete the Better Homes Loan Program Application Form.
  • If the homeowner’s Better Homes Loan Program Application Form meets all requirements of the program, the homeowner is issued a Notice to Proceed. Here, the homeowner receives a Better Homes Loan Program File Reference Number.
  • The homeowner can apply to any rebate programs they may be eligible for and get estimates from the contractor(s). Eligible costs are those that are incurred after the Notice to Proceed is issued.
  • Submit your Funding Request Form. At this stage of the process, a homeowner can choose to request 30% of funds upfront to cover deposits.
  • Complete a post-retrofit EnerGuide assessment after the retrofit projects. This assessment provides an updated EnerGuide rating for the home. Apply here.
  • Sign the Property Owner Agreement and submit a Project Completion Report.
  • The City of Ottawa provides the balance of the loan to the homeowner that they can use to pay the contractor(s).
  • The homeowner repays the loan over time via their property tax bill. A homeowner can choose to pay off the loan in a lump sum at any point without penalty.

Apply Today!

Newfoundland

Homesol now Services Newfoundland & Labrador

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Newfoundland & Labrador

Homesol Building Solutions now has Energy Advisors in Newfoundland and Labrador! Newfoundland is the latest province Homesol has expanded to, and now our services cover all the Atlantic provinces.

Homesol’s Canada Expansion

Starting in Ottawa in 1999, since then we have expanded to cover all of Ontario, then New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and now Newfoundland and Labrador. As the demand for Energy Advisors surges across the country, Homesol will soon be a coast-to-coast proud Canadian business!

If you are interested in having an Energy Assessment completed for your home to make energy-efficient and environmentally upgrades, contact us today!

watercolor westport

Homesol at Watercolour Westport

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Watercolour Westport

Over the Labour Day Weekend in 2021, the Homesol Building Solutions team was at the grand unveiling of Canada’s first Net-Zero community in Westport, Ontario. The community is called Watercolour Westport being built by Landark Homes. We have been working closely with Landark since even before ground broke on this first-of-its-kind community in Canada.

Homesol’s Contribution

Homesol is Landark’s net-zero energy advisor. We’ve been helping Landark since the inception of this community. We’ve been consulting with them on the performance aspects and the building science aspects of designing the house from insulation levels to airtightness details to mechanical specs.

We also performed the airtightness testing of the homes, and we do that in a couple of stages. We do that first at mid-construction, and when the house is being built and the air barriers complete. We’ll come in and do an air test just to make sure that the airtightness target is being met before it gets covered up. If it’s not being met, then we help find the leaks and suggest ways of sealing them.

Then we come back in at the final stage to do the final inspection to verify that all the mechanicals that were supposed to be installed are installed. And then we do another final air test. And that’s what we put into the energy model for the label.

RND Farmside

RND Construction’s Farmside Green Development

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Carlington, Ontario

Right near the Experimental Farm in Carlington, is Ottawa’s first Net-Zero home development project by RND Construction. In this new development, nine homes were built (3 singles, 6 semis) above and beyond the code for homes in Canada, making them extremely energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and Net-Zero ready. The addition of solar panels will make them true Net-Zero.

Environmentally Friendly

Not only are these homes built far more efficiently than traditional homes, but they were also constructed with the environmental impact in mind. Before these homes were built, nothing sat here but an empty lot, when construction began only a handful of dead trees were cut down for the homes to be built, the rest were saved and maintained, providing some very nice shading for these new homes in the front and backyards.

The grand opening of this development was joined by Mayor Jim Watson speaking about how this kind of development will not be the last, and that there are several more on the way in Ottawa, and that the need for solar and Net-Zero homes in Ottawa is more important now more than ever.

Homesol was RND’s Net-Zero Energy Advisors for this project. Homesol consulted RND throughout the construction process making sure that efficiency targets were being met for the labels and certifications.

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