Home Efficiency Rebate Plus FAQ

All Canadian homeowners are eligible for the Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG) program as long as they own and reside in their home.

All Ontario residents are eligible for the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program regardless of fuel type. Additional rebates from Enbridge Gas are available to Enbridge Gas space heated homes, this includes rebates to Enbridge homeowners who own residential properties that are not their primary residence. Rebate levels vary based on eligibility criteria.

Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program, including the co-delivery of the Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG), is planned to run until 2027.

Please reach out to your Registered Energy Advisor for any questions regarding assessments or what rebates you qualify for. If you don’t have one yet -please fill out our pre-screening questionnaire to find a Registered Energy Advisor in your area.

If you applied for the Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG), please reach out to the CGHG customer care line, for more information on your rebate.
Email: canadagreenerhomesgrant-subventionmaisonsvertes@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Phone: 1-833-674-8282
TTY: 1-800-465-7735

If you applied for either the current Home Efficiency Rebate (HER) program or are planning to apply for the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program please contact your licensed service organization again or try another one from our licensed service organization list in your area.

In order to be eligible, homeowners MUST meet the following criteria:

• All homeowners in Ontario qualify for the Home Efficiency Plus (HER+) program except,
  • Homes not space-heated by Enbridge Gas, where the owner is not the primary resident (rental units).
  • The homeowner has already started work on the upgrades before they conduct their pre-retrofit energy assessment.
  • The home was built less than 6 months ago.
  • The home is a multi-unit residential building (MURB) with more than 3 storeys or a footprint bigger than 600 m².
  • Less than 50 percent of the building is residential living space.
  • Homeowners who have already gone through the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) or Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG) programs and maxed out their incentive at $10,000 for Enbridge Gas space heated customers, and $5,000 for non-Enbridge Gas customers.
• For the enhanced Enbridge Gas rebates funded by Enbridge Gas,
  • The home must be space heated by Enbridge Gas, and the homeowner resides or owns the property at the time of the pre-retrofit energy assessment,
  • Or the home is converting their space heating to Enbridge Gas natural gas.
• You must,
  • Use a Natural Resources Canada approved Registered (NRCan) Energy Advisor.
  • Complete a pre- and post-energy assessment, it is recommended that you use the same Service Organization for both assessments.
  • Complete at least one qualifying upgrade recommended by the Registered Energy Advisor. If you install a thermostat or any of the resiliency measures, you must complete another measure beyond these.
  • Follow the specific measure requirements that are provided
  • All participants must provide a copy of their invoices, proof of address and property tax bill before the Registered Energy Advisor can submit the file for payment.
    
    

Yes, if you are an Enbridge Gas customer that has their home space heated with natural gas at the time of your pre-retrofit energy assessment, or you are in the process of converting your space heating to Enbridge natural gas, you can participate in the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program, regardless of if your home is your primary residence.

If you own a home that is your primary residence, the HER+ rebates will be co-funded by Enbridge Gas and Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG). However, if you own a home that is not your primary residence (including rental units), the HER+ rebates will be funded only by Enbridge Gas exclusively. These customers are not eligible for the solar PV panels, the resiliency measures (moisture proofing, roofing membrane, batteries), and since these homes are not the owner’s primary residence, they do not qualify for the CGHG Loan.

Non-Enbridge Gas participants are only entitled to the Canada Greener Homes Grant if they own their home and live there as the primary resident.

The Canada Greener Homes Grant program, delivered through Home Efficiency Rebate Plus, is open to all Ontario homeowners who are primary residents of the home for which they are applying, regardless of their provider. This will include those using natural gas, oil, propane, electricity, or wood as their primary heating fuel regardless of whether they are a customer of Enbridge Gas or not.

Enbridge Gas space heated homes are eligible for additional rebates provided exclusively by Enbridge Gas.

These are the eligible types of homes under Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) including:

• Single and semi-detached homes
• Row housing
• Townhomes
• Mobile homes on a permanent foundation
• Permanently moored floating homes
• Mixed-use residential buildings (must be at least 50% residential)
• Low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) (three storeys or less with a footprint pf 600 m2 or less). For more information on MURB qualifications please read through the next FAQ.

Yes, certain MURBs do qualify for this new program. A MURB is defined by Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada as having three or fewer storeys in building height above ground and having a building area not exceeding 600 m sq. MURBs must either be stacked (up/down) or have a common area. Side-by-side attached units/houses are considered row houses and are not MURBs. Retirement homes or co-operatives are not eligible.

Two-unit MURBs, including houses with secondary suites, are entitled to all the same rebates as attached and detached houses (e.g., eligible for heat pumps and heat pump water heaters).

MURBs (excluding two-unit MURBs and houses with secondary suites) are not eligible for rebates related to the following:

• Heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
• Thermostats.
• Furnaces and boilers (in northern and off-grid communities).

To qualify the building must have at least 50 percent of its total area, including the basement, as residential living space, be habitable all year and have a single pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation performed on the entire structure (including all units and common areas) and not on a unit-by-unit basis. Homeowners within the MURB need to organize themselves (e.g., by way of a condo board) in a way that all homeowners are aware that an evaluation will be taking place and all retrofits in a MURB must be agreed upon by the persons able to make decisions for the home. For MURBs with multiple homeowners, up to four individual homeowners within the MURB can apply for rebates of up to $10,000 each based on the MURBs multiplier table (see calculating incentives below). All applications must be based on the pre- and post-retrofit energy assessment for the entire structure.

Calculating rebates

The maximum allowable rebate amount for MURBs will be calculated based on the number of units within the building. The table below provides the multiplier amount.

The role of the multiplier factor is to account for larger areas to insulate or renovate when comparing an MURB to a single dwelling. Eligibility criteria for respective insulation measures remain the same as described in the list of incentive measures (for example, insulating a minimum of 20 percent of the total area of the attic/ceiling). As for regular homes, MURBS cannot receive a rebate for more than 100 percent of the costs of the renovation.

For HER+, Enbridge Gas has eliminated all time requirements.

Homeowners that want to participate in Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) will be required to contact a licensed Service Organization to schedule a pre-retrofit energy assessment. You will receive an email with the full list of incentives and Registered Energy Advisors in your area by filling out this quick questionnaire and filling in your email and address.

Grant funding through the CGHG is being offered across the country to all eligible Canadians. The co-delivery of this program through the HER+ in Ontario allows eligible homeowners to access the benefits of both programs through a single application. This minimizes the amount of work required by homeowners and their Registered Energy Advisors and allows homeowners to access all grant funding available to them through both the federal and Enbridge Gas programs.

No, this program is designed to provide custom advice and recommendations on your upgrades, so you must complete a pre-retrofit energy assessment before starting any renovation work. Any upgrades that have been completed prior to the pre-retrofit energy assessment are not eligible to apply for Home Efficiency Rebate Plus or the Canada Greener Homes Grant.

The new Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program uses Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) licensed Service Organizations across Ontario to deliver this program. These organizations conduct the home energy assessments through their professionally trained Registered Energy Advisors who are there to answer your questions as they lead you through every step of the program.

Enbridge Gas’ Service Organization list has expanded, and you can now choose any of NRCan’s licensed Service Organizations in your area, and they will send out one of their Registered Energy Advisors to perform an energy audit on your home.

To learn more about the incentives you qualify for and find a Registered Energy Advisor in your area, fill out our quick questionaire.

Some upgrades, such as air sealing, can be done quickly and easily with a little research and guidance. Hiring a contractor to complete upgrades is not mandatory. However, larger upgrades, such as installing a heat pump must be done by a professional. Be sure to ask for credentials, check reviews and get multiple quotes before choosing a contractor.

While homeowners are responsible for covering the upfront cost of the pre-retrofit and post-retrofit energy assessments, these costs will be off-set by a single rebate of up to $600, once you complete the program. You must complete at least one recommended and eligible retrofit to receive the rebate for the assessment costs.

You should receive your rebate cheque approximately 20-24 weeks after your Registered Energy Advisor submits your application. This is a temporary delay because of an abundance of applications. We are working to process these applications as quickly as possible. Make sure you’ve provided your Registered Energy Advisor with the best address to send your cheque to, so it arrives as soon as possible.

No, the loan program is a separate application compared to Home Efficiency Rebate Plus.

Ontario homeowners will have access to this loan application through the Canada Greener Homes Loan Portal. See more information on this program through their website. Or you can contact them,

Phone: 1-866-292-9517
Email: Questions@cghli.ca
Email_FR : Questions@icpmv.ca

If you have already applied for the loan and do not intend to switch to the HER+ program, you can continue to access the loan through the NRCan grant portal. If you have already started a CGH Loan application and would like to participate in the HER+ program, you must first contact the CGH Loan team to validate your eligibility to switch. The CGH Loan team will validate your eligibility and also provide guidance on next steps.

Any new applications will be subject to the wait times at the time of submission.

Contact CGH Loan team:
Phone: 1-866-292-9517
Email: Questions@cghli.ca

You can start a new loan by filling out an application on the Canada Greener Homes Loan Portal (cghli.ca)

To find out what you qualify for, please complete our pre-screening questionnaire.

Home Efficiency Rebate Plus has transitioned to providing rebates for heat pumps and providing enhanced rebates for insulation to help reduce a home’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

No, we recommend following your Registered Energy Advisor’s advice on which upgrades will benefit the efficiency and comfort of your home, but with Home Efficiency Rebate Plus only one eligible upgrade is required to participate.

Yes, if you replace a manual thermostat and are an Enbridge HER+, then you can get both rebates ($75 + $50 = $125). If you replace a manual thermostat with a programmable thermostat between your pre- and post-energy assessments, you would only be eligible for the $50 HER+ rebate.

The Home Efficiency Rebate Plus rebate is only for customers who purchased and installed devices between their pre- and post-energy assessments.

Since that is part of the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus program, it will be included in the cheque you receive once you have completed both energy assessments. If you have additional questions on the thermostat, please reach out to your Registered Energy Advisor.

A Heat pump is a highly efficient piece of equipment that can provide both heating and cooling. These units can be used for heating a home’s domestic hot water or, more commonly with this program, for space heating and cooling. The HER+ program provides financial rebates for, Heat Pump Water Heaters, Air Source and Ground Source Heat Pumps. Air Source heat pumps are powered by electricity, whereas Ground Source Heat Pumps provide their heating or cooling by using the relatively constant temperature of the earth.

More recently, air-source heat pumps that are better adapted to operating in the cold Canadian climate have been introduced to the market. These systems, often called cold climate heat pumps, combine variable capacity compressors with improved heat exchanger designs and controls to maximize heating capacity at colder air temperatures, while maintaining high efficiencies during milder conditions.

Weatherproofing or resiliency measures are additional retrofits that could help protect both your home and your family from environmental damages. As of Jan. 2023, we have added the same measures the federal government currently offers;

• Solar batteries connected to photovoltaic systems (to provide standby power for home).
• Roofing membrane—self-adhering roofing underlayment applied to entire roof.
• Foundation waterproofing – waterproof the exterior side of the below-grade basement wall with rubberized or polymer membranes.
• Moisture proofing of 100 percent of crawlspace floor, walls, and headers.

Note: In order to qualify for the rebate these measures will need to be combined with additional Home Efficiency Rebate Plus measures. Not all homeowners will qualify for these rebates. You must be the owner occupying your home to qualify.

Neither Enbridge Gas nor Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) solicits participation in the HER+ program through telephone calls or door-to-door visits.

Registered Energy Advisors will only come to your door when an appointment has been initiated and booked by you for an energy assessment for the HER+ program. The Government of Canada, NRCan and its family of brands (ENERGY STAR, EnerGuide) never solicit over the telephone or go door-to-door asking to enter Canadians’ homes to inspect, sell, or rent heating and cooling products. EnerGuide home energy evaluations are performed by licensed service organizations only at the request of homeowners.

For more information on Enbridge Gas’ consumer protection.

For more information from NRCan to recognize energy scams.

• A1 NRGwise Consulting
• Acacia Engineering Ltd.
• All Season Inspection Inc
• AmeriSpec of Canada
• Baergs (Green Communities Canada)
• BEST Energy and Sustainability Inc
• Buildingexpert
• Canada Energy Audit Ltd
• Clean Energy Solutions Inc.
• CoEfficient Building Science
• Eco Advantage Energy Advisors Inc
• ecoGEO Energy Inc.
• EcoLogic Energy Advisors
• ecoPlus Services
• EcoStep Energy Services
• EcoSuperior (Green Communities Canada)
• Enercare Home and Commercial Services
• Energuy Holdings Ltd
• Energy Werx Corp
• ENERGYIE3R
• Enerhome Consulting Ltd.
• EnerQuality Corporation
• EnerSolution Inc.
• EnerTest Corporation
• Engreen Home Ltd.
• EnviroCentre
• EnviroCentre (reThink Green)
• Environment Network (Green Communities Canada)
• ER Energy Solutions Inc
• F2 Energy
• GETS Energy
• Green Canada Home Advisors Inc.
• Green Think Inc
• Green Venture (Green Communities Canada)
• Greenbrain Inc.
• Habite-Co 2000
• Homesol Building Solutions Inc.
• London Environmental Network (A1 NRGwise Consulting)
• MAP Energy Inc
• Method Engineering
• Peterborough Green Up (Green Communities Canada)
• Pro Home Building Inspections Inc
• Reep Green Solutions (Green Communities Canada)
• Rideau Env Action League (Green Communities Canada)
• Ridge Energy Consultants
• Sustainable Kingston (Green Communities Canada)
• The Home Inspectors Group Inc
• Verdatech Energy Management and Consulting Inc
• Windfall Ecology Centre (Green Communities Canada)