Cancellation of Retrofit Incentive Program
On May 13, 2006 the Canadian federal government cancelled the EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive program designed to encourage homeowners to retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient.
If you had a pre-retrofit evaluation done before May 13, 2006 you can still qualify for a home energy efficiency retrofit grant until March 31, 2007, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.
The government advises you to have your upgrades finished well ahead of the deadline, and by February 28, 2007 at the latest to give time for the follow-up evaluation and application submission.
The EnerGuide for Low-Income Households program was discontinued at the same time and applications for assistance under the program are no longer being processed. Applicants who received confirmation of funding under the EnerGuide for Low-Income Households program should receive their funding.
EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Grants
Grants are given to eligible homeowners who improve the energy efficiency of their homes using ratings from EnerGuide for Houses evaluations. The amount of a grant depends on the difference between the energy efficiency rating of a home before energy efficiency retrofits and after. Not all retrofits generate the same energy savings. The money you can expect to save in future energy bills should be a prime consideration in your retrofit decisions.
Requirements for Retrofit Grants
The basic requirements to receive an energy efficiency retrofit grant are:
- you must own and live in the home for which a grant is requested
- you must have had an EnerGuide for Houses evaluation done before May 13, 2006 by an EnerGuide energy advisor.
- you must have some or all of the energy efficiency retrofits recommended during the evaluation done.
- you must get a follow-up energy efficiency rating under the EnerGuide for Houses program showing that the house meets or exceeds the improvement levels for receiving a grant
- you must then give permission to the qualified EnerGuide energy advisor to submit the file to Natural Resources Canada.
