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Thinking of ways to make your home more energy efficient? Here's what you can do to reduce your energy consumption and receive grants through ecoENERGY Retrofit.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering a new residential energy efficiency assessment service to owners of single family homes, including detached, semi-detached and low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) that are no more than three storeys high. Under the ecoENERGY Retrofit program, property owners can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing their home's impact on the environment.
NRCan-certified energy advisors conduct a detailed on-site assessment of your home's energy use from the attic down to the basement. They then provide you with a personalized report, including a checklist of recommended retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of your home or MURB and, in some cases, to reduce water consumption. The report also shows the grant amounts for each eligible upgrade that you can receive by carrying out these energy-saving improvements.
Below, you will find a list of improvements covered under ecoENERGY Retrofit - Homes and the corresponding grant amounts. The maximum grant you can receive for a home or MURB is $5,000.
The grant is calculated and based on amounts that are in effect at the time of the post-retrofit evaluation (E evaluation).
Effective January 1, 2008
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Eligible Improvements / Retrofits
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Grant Amounts
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Single Family Home
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MURB
(per building)
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for 1st system
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for 2nd system
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Heating System
Replace your heating equipment with:
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• an ENERGY STAR® qualified gas furnace that has a 90.0% annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) or better
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$300
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$150
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Same as single family home
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• an ENERGY STAR® qualified gas furnace that has a 92.0% AFUE or better, and a DC variable-speed motor
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$500
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$250
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• an ENERGY STAR® qualified oil or gas boiler that has an 85.0% AFUE or better
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$600
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$300
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• an ENERGY STAR® qualified oil furnace that has an 83.0% AFUE or better
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$300
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$150
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• an ENERGY STAR® qualified oil furnace that has an 85.0% AFUE or better, and a DC variable-speed motor
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$500
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$250
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•Install a CAN/CSA-C448 compliant earth-energy system (ground or water source).
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$3,500
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N/A
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•Replace the heat pump unit of an existing earth-energy system (ground or water source). The system must be compliant with CAN/CSA-C448.
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$1,400
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N/A
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Install an ENERGY STAR® qualified air-source heat pump. (*per equipment installed)
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$400
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N/A
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* $400
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Install a minimum of 5 electronic thermostats for electric baseboard heaters. Electric baseboards must be the primary system. (**for each set of 5 installed)
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$30
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N/A
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** $30
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Replace your wood-burning appliance with a model that meets either CSA-B415.1-M92 or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wood-burning appliance standards (40 CFR Part 60) or with a wood pellet stove (including stoves that burn corn, grains or cherry pits). (***per equipment replaced)
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$300
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$150
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* $300
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Ventilation System
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Install a heat recovery ventilator that is certified by the Home Ventilating Institute. (See www.hvi.org) (*per equipment installed)
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$300
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N/A
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* $300
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Cooling System [Replacement Only]
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Replace your central air-conditioning system with an ENERGY STAR® qualified SEER 14 system (complete system replacement, including any indoor and outdoor components). See the "Important Notes" section regarding the grant amount.
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$200
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N/A
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$200
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Replace your window air conditioner(s) with an ENERGY STAR® qualified unit(s). (*per unit replaced)
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* $20
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N/A
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* $20
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Domestic Hot Water System
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Install a solar domestic hot water system that meets CAN/CSA Standards.
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$500
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N/A
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$500
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Replace your domestic hot water heater with an instantaneous gas water heater that has an energy factor (EF) of 0.80 or a thermal efficiency of 90 percent or better. (*per equipment installed)
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$250
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N/A
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* $250
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Replace your domestic hot water heater with a condensing water heater that has an EF of 0.80 or better. (*per equipment installed)
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$300
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N/A
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* $300
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Install a drain-water heat recovery (DWHR) system. Grants are based on the efficiency of the pipe installed.
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• efficiency between 30 and 42 percent
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* $75
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N/A
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* $75
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• efficiency between 43 and 54 percent
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* $130
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N/A
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* $130
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(For a multi-unit residential building, the grant is multiplied by the MURB MULTIPLIER shown below.)
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Attic Insulation
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Single Family Home Starting Point
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Grants listed reflect 100 percent of roof area being of one type. When the roof has more than one type (e.g. attic and cathedral), all applicable grants are pro-rated based on area type that is entirely insulated.
The maximum grant for an attic and cathedral/flat ceiling combined is $600.
Increase the insulation value 100 percent of:
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up to R-12
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+R-12 to R-25
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+R-25 to R-35
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your attic to achieve a total minimum insulation value of RSI 7 (R-40)
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$400
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$200
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N/A
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your attic to achieve a total minimum insulation value of RSI 8.8 (R-50)
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$600
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$300
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$100
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your flat roof and/or cathedral ceiling to achieve a total minimum insulation value of RSI 5 (R-28)
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$600
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$200
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N/A
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your uninsulated flat roof and/or cathedral ceiling by a minimum of RSI 1.8 (R-10)
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$400
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Starting Point: Uninsulated
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Exterior Wall Insulation
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Minimum Additional Insulation
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R-3.8 to R-9
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+R-9
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A minimum of 20 percent of total exterior wall surface must be insulated to qualify. The grant is based on the percentage of surface area insulated. In the case of a row or semi-detached house, see the "Important Notes" section regarding the grant amount.
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20%
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$180
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$300
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40%
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$360
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$600
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60%
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$540
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$900
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80%
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$720
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$1,200
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100%
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$900
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$1,500
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Exposed Floor Insulation
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Insulate your exposed floor (minimum of 150
square feet is necessary) and increase all of its
insulation value by a minimum of RSI 3.5 (R-20).
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$150
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Basement Insulation
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Minimum Additional Insulation
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R-10 to R-23
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+R-23
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A minimum of 20 percent of the basement's exterior total wall area must be insulated to qualify.
The grant is based on the percentage of exterior wall area insulated and does not include common walls between individual dwelling units.
(In the case of a row or semi-detached house, see the "Important Notes" section regarding the grant amount.)
The applicable grant for basement and crawl space combined is pro-rated on the type that is entirely insulated. The maximum grant for basement and crawl space combined is $1,000.
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20%
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$100
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$200
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40%
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$200
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$400
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60%
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$300
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$600
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80%
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$400
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$800
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100%
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$500
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$1,000
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Basement Header Insulation
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Single Family Home
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MURB
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Seal all of your basement header area and increase all of its insulation value by a minimum of RSI 3.5 (R-20).
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$100
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see MURB multiplier
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Crawl Space Insulation
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Minimum Additional Insulation
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R-10 to R-23
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+R-23
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100 percent of the crawl space's total wall surface must be insulated to qualify. (In the case of a row or semi-detached house, see the "Important Notes" section regarding the grant amount.) or
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$400
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$800
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Insulate 100 percent of the floor above the crawl space to increase its insulation value by a minimum of RSI 4.2 (R-24) to qualify.
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N/A
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$200
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Air Sealing
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Single Family Home
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MURB
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Perform air sealing to improve the air tightness of the home/building to reach the target as indicated in your energy efficiency evaluation report.
Bonus: You can obtain an additional $150 incentive if you reach 20 percent better than target.
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$150
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see MURB multiplier
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Doors/Windows/Skylights (heated space only)
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Single Family Home
per unit replaced
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MURB
per unit replaced
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Replace windows and skylights with models that are ENERGY STAR® qualified for your climate zone.
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$30
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$30
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Replace your exterior door(s) with an ENERGY STAR® qualified model(s) for your climate zone.
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$30
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$30
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Water Conservation
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Single Family Home
per unit replaced
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MURB
per unit replaced
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Replace your toilet with a low-flush or dual-flush toilet rated at 6 litres per flush or less that meets the Los Angeles Supplementary Purchase Specification (SPS) and with a flush performance of 350 grams or more. A product list is available on the Veritec Consulting Inc. Web site at veritec.ca.
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$50
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$50
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MURB Multipliers (for insulation and air sealing)
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Number of Dwellings
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2-3
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4-6
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7-9
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10+
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Multiplier
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1.0
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1.5
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2.0
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2.5
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Important Notes:
1. All upgrades or renovations must meet local codes and by-laws. Pay special attention to the placement of vapour barriers when adding insulation to the building envelope. Before undertaking upgrades or renovations, find out about the appropriate products and installation techniques to ensure that your home's building envelope and indoor air quality will not be compromised.
2. In replacing any of the equipment listed in this brochure, the new equipment must have a higher efficiency than that of the original equipment.
3. Incentives for attic insulation will vary according to the existing level of insulation. For example, if you increase the insulation from a low RSI value, such as RSI 1.8 (R-10), to a new value of RSI 7 (R-40), you will receive a larger incentive than if you started from RSI 4.2 (R-24) and increased it to RSI 7 (R-40).
4. Insulation value in RSI = R insulation value divided by 5.678.
5. In the case of a semi-detached house or a row house that is an end unit, the grant amount for the insulation of exterior above grade, basement or crawl space walls is 75 percent of the amount shown on the previous page. In the case of a row house that is a middle unit, the grant amount is 50 percent of the amount shown.
6. In the case of multi-unit residential buildings, the total incentive will be calculated for the entire building and not for each dwelling upgraded within.
7. For more information on ENERGY STAR® qualified products, visit energystar.gc.ca. The ENERGY STAR® name and the ENERGY STAR® symbol are registered trademarks of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and are used with permission.
8. Natural Resources Canada reserves the right to update the information contained in this document, including the grant amounts, as required. Refer to the Web site indicated below for the most up-to-date information.
9. Central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps must be ENERGY STAR qualified with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 14 or greater to be eligible for a grant. To meet this requirement, a manufacturer's new ENERGY STAR qualified matched condenser coil (outdoor unit comprised of condenser coil, compressor and cooling fan) and indoor evaporator coil (typically located with the furnace / air handler) must be SEER 14 or greater. Under no circumstance will the replacement of only one of these coils entitle the homeowner to a grant for the cooling system, just as components that are not certified by the manufacturer as being matched will not be accepted.
Currently, many companies match their SEER 13 central air conditioner coil packages with one of their DC variable speed motor equipped furnaces / air handlers (i.e. blower) as a method to reduce the power consumption requirement for ENERGY STAR compliance and labelling. However, NRCan will NOT accept this arrangement under the ecoENERGY program because the outside condenser unit must meet the minimum SEER 14 requirement with its matching inside evaporator coil only and not in combination with an energy-efficient motor from a furnace.
When having your new central air conditioner or air-source heat pump installed, ask the contractor to indicate on your invoice the manufacturer's name (not the model name) of the condenser coil and the model numbers of BOTH the new condenser and new evaporator coils. The energy advisor will request to see this information when performing the post-retrofit evaluation on your home.
To book an appointment with an NRCan-certified energy advisor, visit the Web site at ecoaction.gc.ca and follow the links to ecoENERGY Retrofit or call 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) or TTY: 1-800-926-9105.