On May 27, 2021, the government of Canada launched a new program that will provide grants of up to $5,000 to help Canadians pay for energy saving upgrades to their homes.
The Canada Greener Homes Grant Program sees approximately $2.6 billion allocated over the next seven years to help homeowners perform energy efficiency retrofits to their homes to help reduce the country’s carbon emissions. The retrofits can include upgrades such as new energy efficient heaters, replacing doors and windows and installing solar panels if applicable.
- Improving the insulation in homes
- Thermostats & air sealing
- Energy efficient heating & cooling systems
- Energy efficient windows & doors
- Solar panels
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan unveiled the new $5,000 dollar energy-saving grant on Thursday. Trudeau described the objective of the grant, “As a country, every effort counts to keep our air clean and our environment healthy. We know these retrofits can sometimes be out of reach, so our government is now making them more affordable for Canadians.”
The grants will be applicable to the primary residence of Canadian homeowners, including the up to $5,000 amount going towards energy efficient retrofits and a further $600 to help with home energy evaluation costs. The total amount available through the grant is $5,600.
The grant aims to help over 700,000 homeowners in the country lower their energy bills and make their houses more energy efficient for the environment.
What does the Canada Greener Homes Grant provide?
- Up to 700,000 new grants of up to $5,000 to help Canadian homeowners make energy efficient upgrades to their homes.
- EnerGuide home evaluations to provide expert advice and recommendations to help homeowners plan their upgrades.
- Creation of new jobs across Canada as recruitment and training of EnerGuide energy advisors begins.
Canadians can start applying after May 26th, 2021 via the Canada Greener Home Grant landing page online. The application process begins with a home energy evaluation with a certified advisor. The advisor will visit the home to determine any energy-saving retrofits that would qualify for reimbursement. The homeowner will have the choice to proceed, upon which a licensed contractor would be hired to complete the retrofits. Once the work is completed, another inspection will be required before the homeowner receives a reimbursement.
Who is eligible for the Canada Greener Homes Grant?
In order to register for the grant, Canadians will need to meet certain eligibility criteria before claiming expenses and receiving reimbursements. Eligible homeowners across Canada are able to participate and registration is limited to one homeowner per home.
Homeowners will be required to:
- Provide proof of ownership by supplying their property tax bill number (found on municipal property documents)
- Demonstrate that the property being registered is the primary place of residence (drivers license or other government issued ID, or a recent utility bill)
These groups are also eligible to register for the initiative:
- Indigenous governments & organizations (band councils, land claim organizations)
- Housing management bodies and their representatives, or Indigenous service delivery organizations that are formal partners with Indigenous governments or organizations
These applicants may be entitled to register multiple homes, including those which are not the registrants primary residence. The home must however be owned by the applicant and currently occupied by an Indigenous household.
Applicants living in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut, or in off grid communities may also be eligible. Follow this link for more details on the grant for your locality.
Property types that are eligible for the Canada Greener Homes Grant
- Single & semi-detached houses
- Townhomes
- Row housing
- All-season cottages
- Mobile homes affixed to a permanent foundation
- Floating homes with permanent mooring
- Residential portions of mixed use buildings
- Small size multi-unit residential housing buildings (3 storeys or less with a maximum footprint of 600 square metres)
New homes are not eligible for this grant.
What is required to receive a reimbursement?
Registrants must provide the following to receive reimbursements:
- Completed pre and post retrofit EnerGuide evaluations
- Proof of completion for at least one eligible retrofit as recommended in the home’s EnerGuide evaluation
- Receipts of the pre and post retrofit EnerGuide evaluations, all receipts and invoices for products purchased, and labour paid for installation
- It is recommended that registrants are able to provide attestation forms that confirm all electrical and mechanical systems have been installed by a licensed professional, any geothermal systems were installed in accordance with CSA standards and that an installed heat pump is correctly sized to your entire house
- Keep all documents until March 31, 2028
- All products used in the retrofits must be purchased in Canada.
Property location considerations
Where the home is located matters. Quebec and Nova Scotia residents will need to apply and book their EnerGuide evaluations directly through their provincial programs. It is also recommended that New Brunswick residents apply through their provincial programs.
NRCan will directly contact homeowners who have completed at least one retrofit recommended in the EnerGuide evaluation for the Canada Greener Homes Grant about additional grants.
What if homeowners have already completed evaluations or retrofits?
- During the registration process, applicants will have the option to select that pre-retrofit evaluations have already been completed.
- Applicants who completed their EnerGuide evaluation before April 01, 2020 will require a new evaluation.
- Energuide evaluations completed between April 01, 2020 and November 30, 2020 will be valid for the program but are not eligible for a reimbursement of the evaluation cost. Only EnerGuide evaluations completed after December 01, 2020 are eligible for reimbursement of the evaluation cost.
- For completed home retrofits to be eligible for reimbursement under the Canada Greener Homes Grant, they must have been completed on or after December 01, 2020 and be eligible and recommended in their EnerGuide evaluation report.
- A newly built home is not eligible for this grant. Newly built homes are homes that are six months old or less (as of the date of application for the grant), determined by the date of occupancy of the first homeowner.
- New owners of an old home may be eligible for retrofit under the program. However if the previous owner of the home had completed an EnerGuide evaluation, a new evaluation will be required.
The grant has been created because research shows that private homes and buildings account for approximately 18 percent of Canadian carbon emissions, making them one of the largest contributors to the problem. The program is aimed at helping all Canadians make their homes more energy efficient, including those living in Northern or remote communities and those with internet access limitations.
Alongside energy and cost savings, the Canada Greener Home Grant will create jobs in Canada for energy advisors, help domestic green supply chains grow and continue the fight against climate change.
Follow the link to submit a proposal for the Energy advisor recruitment, training and mentorship project.
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