Helping a homeowner navigate energy retrofit programs is one of the most valuable services a trades contractor can offer, because the programs are confusing, fast-moving, and full of disqualifying small print. Your job is not to memorise the dollar amounts (they change too often for that to be safe), it is to know how the programs are structured, what order the steps come in, and the rules that void a rebate if missed. Get the process right and the homeowner gets their money and recommends you. Quote a stale figure or start work before approval, and the homeowner loses the rebate and blames you. This guide is about the process, not the prices.
Why this guide names no dollar amounts
Energy retrofit programs are the single most high-churn area in the trade. Budgets exhaust, rates get cut, streams pause, and provinces change rules without much notice. A figure that was correct last quarter can be wrong today, and an old blog post can still show a program that has closed. Quoting a number that the homeowner then does not receive is the fastest way to a complaint. So the rule is absolute: programs and amounts change frequently, so check the current offer at the program's own page before you tell a homeowner anything about money. Treat every amount, cap and deadline as something to verify at source, every time.
The federal programs, in outline
- The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program (OHPA) is the most significant federal program still open for contractor-driven residential work. It provides an upfront payment to eligible homeowners switching from oil heat to an electric heat pump. There is no mandatory home energy evaluation: the installer signs an attestation. The home must be on an integrated electricity grid, the equipment must appear on NRCan's eligible heat-pump list, and amounts and deadlines differ by province and whether the province co-delivers. Some provinces have already used up their share. Confirm the current deadline, amount and your province's status at the program page.
- The Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (CGHAP) is the successor to the old Greener Homes Grant, but it works differently: it is a no-cost, direct-install model for lower-income households, the federal government does not take applications directly, and it is delivered through each participating province or territory.
- The original Canada Greener Homes Grant closed to new applicants in February 2024 and wound up at the end of 2025; the interest-free Greener Homes Loan closed in January 2026. Do not refer homeowners to either as if it were still open.
The federal home page for all of these is natural-resources.canada.ca.
The provincial programs, in outline
Most of the money sits in provincial programs, usually run by the electric utility or a provincial efficiency agency. Rather than quote figures that will date, here is what to point a homeowner to:
- Ontario: the Home Renovation Savings Program (homerenovationsavings.ca), delivered with Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy. Pre-approval before installation is mandatory.
- British Columbia: CleanBC Better Homes and the income-qualified Energy Savings Program (betterhomesbc.ca), plus BC Hydro and FortisBC add-ons. Pre-registration is mandatory.
- Quebec: its own stack (LogisVert through Hydro-Quebec, the Renoclimat audit gateway, and the Chauffez Vert oil-switch program), all requiring an RBQ-licensed contractor and applications through the Hydro-Quebec portal.
- Atlantic Canada: Efficiency Nova Scotia, NB Power, efficiencyPEI and takeCHARGE, among the most generous because of high oil-heat use, but with several streams paused or wound down.
- Prairies: Efficiency Manitoba, SaskPower and SaskEnergy, and Alberta's mostly municipal and federal options.
In every case the amount, the deadline and whether the stream is still open change often. Check the program's own page before you tell a homeowner anything.
The process, step by step
The single most useful thing you can do is walk the homeowner through the order of operations, because doing the steps out of sequence is what voids rebates:
- Confirm the program is open and funded on the day you talk to them, not from an old note.
- Check eligibility (income tests on some programs, oil-heat requirement on OHPA, home type and occupancy rules).
- Get the energy evaluation where required. Many provincial programs need a Registered Energy Advisor (REA, or a Renoclimat advisor in Quebec) to do a pre-retrofit assessment and recommend the equipment before any work. OHPA is the exception, with no evaluation required.
- Get pre-approval in writing. Several programs (Ontario, BC, PEI and others) automatically disqualify any work begun before written approval. This is the most common way homeowners lose the money.
- Confirm the equipment model is on the eligible-product list before ordering. An unlisted model voids the rebate.
- Install with a registered contractor. Most programs only pay when the installer is on their approved list.
- Submit the rebate application with the approval, the invoice and any post-retrofit evaluation.
Stacking, honestly
Homeowners often ask whether they can combine programs. In many jurisdictions federal and provincial programs can be stacked, especially OHPA with a provincial oil-switch program, which is why oil-to-heat-pump conversions can attract substantial total funding. But stacking rules vary, some programs cannot be combined for the same item, and the totals you see quoted online are illustrative and often out of date. Never promise a combined figure. Tell the homeowner the programs may stack, then confirm the exact rules and current amounts at each program's page before anyone commits.
Common mistakes
- Quoting a dollar amount. The most common and costly error. Direct the homeowner to the live page instead.
- Starting work before pre-approval. Automatically disqualifies the rebate on many programs.
- Skipping the energy evaluation where it is required. On programs that need an REA recommendation first, installing before the assessment voids the claim.
- Promising a stacked total. Stacking rules and amounts change; confirm each program separately.
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