Money back
Canadian renovation rebates and incentives
Canadian renovation rebates reward energy efficiency, not new finishes. The programs are real and sometimes large, but nearly all of them have to be applied for before the work starts.
Programs in Ontario
8 programs shown, of which 3 are specific to Ontario.
Home Renovation Savings Program
Save on Energy (IESO) and Enbridge Gas
Ontario's main energy-efficiency renovation rebate. It pays you back on specific upgrades after they are installed by a participating contractor.
Assessment-bundle post-retrofit evaluations must be scheduled by November 30, 2026 and completed by December 31, 2026. Attic insulation without an assessment must be installed by November 30, 2026, and smart thermostats by December 31, 2026. The heat pump stream has no published end date, and continuation into 2027 has not been confirmed.
Confirmed amounts
- $100 per rough opening for eligible windows and doors
- $600 after you install at least two upgrades recommended by a program home energy assessment, which offsets the assessment cost
- Heat pump, insulation, and water heater amounts vary by measure and by how your home is currently heated, with the largest amounts going to homes heated by electricity, propane, oil, or wood
What it covers
- Air source and ground source heat pumps
- Insulation: attic, wall, foundation, and exposed floor
- Energy-efficient windows and doors
- Smart thermostats and water heaters
- Rooftop solar and battery storage
- Home energy assessments
Watch out
You generally have to apply and use a participating contractor before the work starts. Paying for the job first and applying afterwards is the most common way homeowners lose this money. Eligible home types are owned single detached, semi-detached, row and town homes, and mobile homes on a permanent foundation. These cut-offs come from the published program terms; confirm them on the program site before you book work.Last verified
National Heat Pump Rebate
Environment and Climate Change Canada
A new federal grant for switching to an electric heat pump, with no energy audit required before or after installation. It was announced in October 2026, and the online application portal opens in early 2027.
Details due November 1, 2026. Application portal opens in early 2027.
Confirmed amounts
- $2,000 for most eligible households
- Up to $10,000 for low- to median-income households
- Eligible heat pumps installed from November 1, 2026 can be claimed once the portal opens
What it covers
- Eligible electric heat pumps
Watch out
Full rules, eligible equipment, and how to apply are due on November 1, 2026. Until then, do not count this money in a budget. If you install after November 1, keep the invoice and the equipment model numbers so you can apply when the portal opens, and be wary of anyone offering to apply for you for a fee.Last verified
Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program
Natural Resources Canada
Helps households currently heating with oil switch to an electric heat pump. It is income-tested and paid as an upfront amount, not a guarantee that the whole retrofit is covered.
Federal intake closed in Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, and Saskatchewan: July 31, 2026 was the last day to apply, and final receipts are due January 31, 2027. Other provinces deliver it through provincial partners.
Confirmed amounts
- Up to $10,000 upfront, income-tested, for households at or below the median after-tax income
What it covers
- Replacing an oil heating system with an eligible electric heat pump
Watch out
Your home has to be at least six months old and you must currently heat primarily with oil. Outside the five closed regions, the route and the amount depend on your province's partner program, so check the official page before you plan around it. NRCan says the program is moving to Environment and Climate Change Canada.Last verified
Canada Greener Homes Initiative
Natural Resources Canada
The federal umbrella for home energy retrofit support. Its live stream is the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, which provinces deliver to low- to median-income households.
Grant closed. Loan closed October 1, 2025. The live federal stream is the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program.
Amounts depend on your home and the measures you choose. We link to the official page rather than quoting a figure we cannot confirm.
What it covers
- Home energy assessments
- Insulation, air sealing, windows and doors
- Heat pumps and other heating upgrades
Watch out
The Greener Homes Grant is closed: new applications stopped in 2024, and December 31, 2025 was the last day to submit documents. The Greener Homes Loan stopped taking applications on October 1, 2025, once its funding was fully committed. Approved loans already issued are not affected. Oil to Heat Pump Affordability is closed to new federal applicants in Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. NRCan says the initiative is moving to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Confirm on the official page before you treat any of this as money in a budget.Last verified
Ontario enhanced new housing rebate
Canada Revenue Agency and Government of Ontario
A temporary top-up that refunds the 8 percent provincial part of the HST on a new or substantially renovated home. Relevant if your project is large enough to count as a substantial renovation.
Builder purchases between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.
Confirmed amounts
- Combined with the existing Ontario new housing rebate, up to $80,000 of the 8 percent provincial part of the HST on a home valued up to $1,850,000
What it covers
- Purchasing a new home from a builder
- Owner-built new homes
- Substantially renovated homes
Watch out
Applies to homes purchased from a builder between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, and to owner-built homes where construction begins in that window. “Substantial renovation” is a specific tax test, not a description of how big the job feels. Confirm with an accountant before assuming your project qualifies.Last verified
Ontario New Home Affordability Payment
Government of Ontario
A top-up that relieves the 5 percent federal part of the HST on a new or substantially renovated home. It is paid on top of the Ontario enhanced new housing rebate.
Eligibility depends on the Ontario enhanced new housing rebate, so it follows the same window: builder purchases between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.
Confirmed amounts
- Full relief of the 5 percent federal part of the HST, up to $50,000, on a home valued at $1 million or less
- A flat $50,000 between $1 million and $1.5 million, partial relief up to $1.85 million, and nothing at $1.85 million or more
What it covers
- Substantially renovated homes
- New homes purchased from a builder
- Owner-built new homes
Watch out
You must first qualify for and receive the Ontario enhanced new housing rebate. There is no separate Ontario application: consent on the CRA rebate form shares your details with Ontario. The payment is reduced by any federal HST rebate you claim, including the first-time home buyers' rebate. Substantial renovation is a tax test, so confirm with an accountant.Last verified
GST/HST new housing rebate for substantial renovations
Canada Revenue Agency
Recovers part of the GST or HST paid on a substantial renovation of your primary residence, or on a major addition.
Amounts depend on your home and the measures you choose. We link to the official page rather than quoting a figure we cannot confirm.
What it covers
- Substantial renovation of a primary place of residence
- Major additions that create what is effectively a new home
- Conversion of a non-residential building into a home
Watch out
The bar is high: broadly, most of the interior of the existing home has to be removed or replaced. Keep every invoice with the tax shown separately, because the claim depends on documented tax paid.Last verified
Utility and municipal programs
Your electric or gas utility, and your municipality
Many utilities and cities run their own top-ups: free energy-saving kits, income-qualified retrofits, basement flooding prevention subsidies, and tree or lot grading grants.
Amounts depend on your home and the measures you choose. We link to the official page rather than quoting a figure we cannot confirm.
What it covers
- Income-qualified home upgrades and free heat pump programs
- Basement flooding and backwater valve subsidies
- Water efficiency and stormwater credits
Watch out
These stack with provincial and federal programs surprisingly often, and almost nobody checks. Search your utility's name plus “rebate” and your city's name plus “home improvement subsidy” before you start.Last verified
The order to do this in
Sequencing matters more than knowing every program.
Check what is available before you get quotes
Rebate rules often dictate which equipment qualifies and which contractors can install it. Finding out afterwards is how the money gets left on the table.
Book the energy assessment first if one is required
Programs that require a pre-retrofit assessment will not pay for work done before it. The assessment also tells you which upgrades actually pay back in your house.
Confirm your contractor is a participating installer
Several programs only pay out when the work is done by a contractor registered with the program. Ask directly and get it in writing.
Apply or pre-approve before work starts
Treat pre-approval as a hard gate. Do not let a contractor talk you into starting early on the promise that it will be fine.
Keep every invoice with the tax shown separately
Tax rebates and program claims both depend on documented amounts. Photograph invoices as you go rather than hunting for them a year later.
Do not count rebate money in your renovation budget
Rebates arrive after you have already paid, sometimes months after. Budget the full cost, and treat the rebate as a refund rather than as funding.
Common questions
- Can I get a rebate for a kitchen or bathroom renovation?
- Not for the renovation itself. Canadian renovation rebates are almost entirely tied to energy efficiency, so they reward insulation, windows and doors, heat pumps, water heaters, and solar rather than cabinets, tile, or layout changes. The exception is tax relief on a substantial renovation, which is a specific tax test rather than a description of a large project. If your kitchen or bathroom work happens to include new exterior windows or added insulation in exterior walls, those components may qualify on their own.
- What is the most common way homeowners lose a rebate?
- Starting the work before applying. Most programs require pre-approval, a pre-retrofit energy assessment, or the use of a contractor registered with the program. Once the work is done, there is usually no way to apply retroactively. The second most common mistake is assuming a contractor has handled the application when nobody actually submitted it.
- Do federal and provincial rebates stack?
- Often, yes, and utility and municipal programs can stack on top of both. There are limits and some programs reduce their amount if you claim elsewhere for the same measure, so read the terms for each. It is worth the hour: stacking is where the meaningful money is, and very few homeowners check all three levels.
- Should I count rebate money in my renovation budget?
- No. Rebates arrive after you have already paid, sometimes several months after, and approval is never certain until it is granted. Budget the full cost of the work including contingency, and treat any rebate as a refund that arrives later. Our contingency calculator assumes you have not spent the rebate in advance.
- Does renoco.ca process rebate applications?
- No. We do not apply on your behalf, take a percentage, or collect your details. Every program here links directly to the body that administers it, and you apply with them.