ecoENERGY

ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes

Quick Links Program information Four easy steps to a retrofit grant Grant Table Contact an energy advisor Questions and answers Publications Provincial programs ENERGY STAR® Qualified Products

What's New February 3, 2009 Health Canada issued a notice today informing consumers that RetroFoam of Canada Incorporated imported and illegally sold RetroFoam insulation in Canada. RetroFoam is a urea formaldehyde-based thermal insulation (UFFI). Health Canada will be communicating directly with homeowners who had Retrofoam installed to provide further details. Additional information is available on the Department's Website and via a toll-free number: 1-800-443-0395.

As part of the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program has been expanded to help 200,000 more homeowners cover the cost of making energy-efficiency retrofits to their homes. The expanded time-limited program includes a $300-million increase in funding over two years.

ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes provides home and property owners with grants up to $5,000 per unit to offset the cost of making energy efficiency improvements. Small mixed-use buildings are also eligible as long as they meet the size requirements and 50% or more of the floor space is used as permanent residences.

Only homes that have undergone a residential energy efficiency assessment by an energy advisor certified by Natural Resources Canada will be eligible for grants.

Detached homes, row housing, duplexes, triplexes and mobile homes on permanent foundations and some small apartment buildings of three storeys or less may qualify for ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homes grants.

The ecoENERGY Retrofit grant is based on the type and number of energy improvements that have been made, and how much the efficiency of the home has been improved. The grant is based on how effective that upgrade is in saving energy, not on the cost of the upgrade.

The maximum grant one can receive per home or multi-unit residential building is $5,000; whereas the total grant amount available to one individual or entity for eligible properties over the life of the program is $500,000.  The average grant is expected to be more than $1,000 and will yield an average 25 percent reduction in energy use and costs.

In addition, most provinces and territories have complementary programs offering financial assistance based on the results of your ecoENERGY Retrofit evaluation. When your energy advisor submits your ecoENERGY Retrofit grant application to the Government of Canada, it will also be forwarded to the collaborating provincial and territorial retrofit program.

Homeowners participating in the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program are eligible to receive the temporary Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) in addition to the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes grant for some of the improvements made. More information on the HRTC is available by viewing the questions and answers on the Canada Revenue Tax Agency site.