Everything You Need to Know About the New Canadian Green Homes Grant

Everything You Need to Know About the New Canadian Green Homes Grant

Green-retrofit renovations are currently very popular with homeowners, and rightly so. In fact, there is a growing awareness among consumers of the need for them to reduce their energy footprint.

 

Good news! There is a new federal grant to increase the attractiveness and affordability of green home upgrades for homeowners who want to do more for the planet! If you’re curious and want to learn more, read on.

What This Grant Covers

The Canada Greener Homes Grant does more than support homeowners who would like to make their homes more environmentally friendly, it likewise aims to create new jobs, grow the supply chain, and fight climate change.

Concretely, for homeowners wanting to improve their residence’s energy efficiency, the grant can provide up to $5,600 from two distinct programs: one for the actual work and the other for consultation with an expert. An applicant must meet the criteria of both programs to obtain the maximum reimbursement:

1.    Up to $5,000 for energy retrofits

2.    Up to $600 for expert assistance in planning and evaluating the renovation work

Don’t Wait

The government will award a total of 700,000 grants on a first come, first serve basis. So, homeowners who don’t want to miss out should apply as soon as possible.

Moreover, if you live in a remote or northern region, you could be eligible for further financial support. The federal government wishes to give these homeowners extra grants to help them cover the additional material and labour costs living far from major centres entails.

This year (2021), the federal government is also offering homeowners an interest-free loan of up to $40,000 towards the completion of larger-scale energy efficiency retrofits. This support will help even more homeowners carry out their projects.

How to Apply

To get the process started, homeowners simply need to follow these steps:

1.    Go to Natural Resources Canada’s website and click on the link to open the grant requests section: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant.

2.    Create an account.

3.    Choose a program-affiliated company that will contact the homeowner to start the application review process. 

Eligibility Conditions

To be considered for the grant, homeowners must:  

·      Prove that they own the property and that it is their principal residence (with the deed, for example).

·      Apply online on the website. Quebec residents must submit their application on the Energy Transition website: https://transitionenergetique.gouv.qc.ca/en/residential/programs/renoclimat.

·      Complete pre-renovation and post-renovation evaluations (up to $600 of the total amount reimbursed).

·      Complete at least one of the qualifying renovations recommended in the pre-renovation assessment.

Qualifying Renovations

To promote buying local, the government has made purchasing Canadian-made products mandatory. Furthermore, the work must be carried out by a certified expert, except when having a thermostat installed.

Many energy efficiency retrofits qualify, such as:

·      Home insulation

·      Air sealing

·      New doors and windows

·      Smart thermostat

·      New water heater

·      Home heating and cooling systems

·      Resilience measures, i.e. modifications to protect the home from environmental damage, like flooding   

Such renovation projects may not be as flashy as a new kitchen, but they will improve the comfort level of your home for years to come. Another advantage is that energy-efficient properties are sought after by lots of buyers because they correspond to their environmental values and help save on energy costs throughout the year.

RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

A leader in the real estate industry since 1982, the RE/MAX network brings together the most efficient brokers.