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Spring Greening with ecoENERGY

Improve your home's energy efficiency with an ecoENERGY Retrofit!

You know that spring is just around the corner when real estate signs begin popping up in neighbourhoods across the country.

Many people choose to purchase an older home for a variety of reasons, including character, established neighbourhoods, or shorter commutes. And while older homes do have their charms, they can also be inefficient and cost you more in energy and heating costs.

In the past, homeowners were on their own to find ways to make their homes more energy efficient. But now, thanks to Government of Canada's ecoENERGY Retrofit - Homes program homeowners can retrofit their homes to improve energy efficiency and help the environment - and their wallets - at the same time.

Who is Eligible for the Program?

The purpose of the ecoENERGY Retrofit - Homes program is to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Canada's existing housing sector. You are eligible for the program if you currently own the home you live in, be it a bungalow, detached, semi-detached or low-rise condo home.

While there is no age limit determining program eligibility for existing houses, those houses built before 1985 will benefit the most, as these homes provide more opportunities to improve energy efficiency than newer models.

New homes and houses under construction are not eligible for grants because they should already be constructed to be quite efficient.

How to Get Started

To start the process, homeowners must first have an energy evaluation done by a Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) licensed energy advisor. The advisor will conduct a series of tests to find out what you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Once the assessment has been completed, you will receive a personalized report that outlines a list of recommended improvements that will improve the energy efficiency of your home. You will also receive an EnerGuide rating that shows the energy efficiency of your home in comparison to other homes in Canada.

What kinds of retrofits are eligible for grants?

There are a wide variety of retrofits that are eligible for grants under the ecoENERGY program. Air sealing, installing low-flow toilets, and replacing old heating and cooling systems with new energy efficient models, are just a few examples of the retrofits that homeowners can choose from to improve the efficiency of their home.

In addition to the grants available under ecoENERGY Retrofit - Homes, selected provincial, territorial and municipal organizations also offer grants and incentives for energy saving upgrades.

How Much Does It Cost? How Much Can I Save?

Costs will include the energy evaluation fee of $450, as well as the cost of the retrofits themselves. In some provinces, the assessment cost is offset by a subsidy at the time of the assessment, or a rebate which will be received after your application is received. Retrofit costs will vary from homeowner to homeowner and will depend on the type of improvement being done.

The maximum grant you can receive for a home is $5,000. Only homes that have been evaluated using NRCan's residential energy assessment service will be eligible for a grant.

The average grant is expected to yield reductions in energy use of approximately 30 percent and greenhouse gas emission reductions of approximately 4 tonnes per house.

By implementing the energy retrofit recommendations, a typical homeowner could save $700 a year on a $2,000 annual heating bill.

How do I receive the grant money?

Grants are available for work done within 18 months of the date of your initial energy evaluation. Once your upgrades are finished, your energy advisor will return to the home and complete a post-retrofit assessment. The advisor then completes all the paperwork on behalf of the homeowner, gets the homeowner's signature and submits the forms to NRCan. The homeowner should receive a cheque in the mail within 60 days of NRCan receiving the completed application form.

Only homes that have undergone a pre- and post-retrofit energy assessment are eligible for grants.

Just a click away

A year after being launched, the ecoENERGY Retrofit program has seen thousands of Canadians already take part in pre-retrofit assessments. Do your part to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change by making your home more energy efficient today. Additional details about the program are available on the ecoENERGY website.

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