Grants and Funding

The province and Canada have different funding available for energy efficiency retrofits.

We recommend getting an EnerGuide evaluation done as a first step - bring an energy advisor into your house to give it a pre-reno rating and recommend priority energy efficiency upgrades. Not only is this evaluation informative, and itself reimbursable (!), but it is the key to accessing grants for things like insulation, air sealing, windows, heat pumps and renewables.

For our project, we’ve been directed to the Canada Greener Homes Initiative (up to $5K in funding) by multiple professionals. This grant program focuses on energy efficiency improvements for primary residences. The way to demonstrate that the home is your primary residence is to live in it for at least 6 months. If you are renovating before moving in (like we are), you are ineligible. This seems crazy to me, but I’ve contacted the grant team about this and there is zero wiggle room. Because we are renting while renovating (prior to moving in), our home is considered to be a secondary residence.

Fortunately, #CleanBC also offers a Home Renovation Rebate Program that we are eligible for. The key is to work with licensed contractors, track all invoices, and submit rebate applications within 6 months of the rebate date. Clean BC covers roughly the same energy efficiency categories as the Canada Greener Homes grant with the exception of solar PV (no rebates available). There are also municipal top-ups which, in the District of North Van, include electric service upgrades and electric heat pumps. All in all we may be eligible for something like ~$20K in rebates – if we can stay on top of the paperwork!

Lastly, some banks will offer preferential loan conditions and rates for energy efficient renovations. Kudos to @vancitycu for their Planet-wise program 👏👏

#netzero #netzerohome #renovation #greenbuilding #sustainability #energyefficiency #grants #cleanbc