With winter upon us, many Canadians live in housing which can be considered substandard or at least less than optimal for our heavy Canadian winters. Today, let’s talk about some government grants homeowners can access to help them through the season.The first option was the Canada Greener Homes Grant. The Government of Canada’s website states that “due to overwhelming demand, funding has been fully committed and the program closed to new applicants in February 2024.” Any participants already enrolled in the program have until the last day of 2025 to finish their applications in order to receive their funding. This program is delivered in collaboration with Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. If you live in these provinces, the Government of Canada recommends you go to your corresponding province’s website for more information. The point of this program, while it existed, was to provide Ontarians with $40,000 of interest free loans and a $5,000 grant to help renovate your home to implement energy efficiency through insulation, windows, heat pumps, and more, according to Custodia. The purpose of this grant was to help Canadians renovate their homes in a way that makes heating become more cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly during the winter season.&nbsp;While the Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed for applications, the Government of Canada lists the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program, the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, and other provincial financial incentives.&nbsp;The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program gives an upfront payment of $10,000 for homeowners to change from oil heating to newer, environmentally friendly heating. According to the Government of Canada’s website, the eligibility criteria include: being a Canadian homeowner, you heat your home with oil, your income does not exceed the median after-tax household income, and you meet the other eligibility requirements such as the technical conditions and an attestation form. The money helps with purchase and installation of a new heat pump system and associated installation costs such as “necessary electrical and mechanical upgrades to your home” for the new system, safe removal of your oil tank, switching other oil household systems like an electric water heater, installation of outdoor piping loops, and more. The payment is provided up front and can be combined with other utility programs.The Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program provides “low to median income homeowners and tenants with no cost home retrofits such as insulation and heat pumps.” This program was set to be delivered in 2025. These applications are to be submitted to the relevant provincial programs. The program uses a “direct install approach” which means “the program will be delivered to participants by selected organizations&nbsp;The Ontario Renovates Program is described by the City of Hamilton’s Housing Supports webpage as offering financial assistance “to low-income households who own and occupy substandard housing to enable them to repair their dwellings to a minimum level of health and safety.” They offer a 10-year forgivable loan of a maximum of $25k to help you renovate your home to promote suitability. The criteria for keeping the loan interest and payment free and to be forgiven after 10 years is to remain in your home as your sole and primary residence for the 10-year forgivable loan period and comply with program requirements for that 10-year span. To be eligible, the value of your home must be below $300,000, your total household gross income must not exceed $60,000, applicants must own and occupy the home as their sole and primary residence, and the property’s mortgage, property taxes, and home insurance must be paid and up to date. The City of Hamilton’s website says eligible repairs include “mandatory repairs relating to the health and safety and to extending the useful life of the property” and that the funding is for basic mandatory repairs. These include leaky roofs, fire safety, electrical defects, replacement of a furnace that is obsolete or beyond practical repair, and accessibility modifications such as permanent ramps, handrails, chair and bath lifts, countertop height adjustments, and other similar accommodations. Please check your local municipality’s rules and regulations to see if there is a similar program in your area.Beyond the assistance of government agencies, many contractors will provide incentives for various projects that will help you to increase your home’s energy efficiency. Windows, doors, insulation, furnaces and heat pumps are all in scope. Competition is always intense and with a slowing economy on the horizon, if not on the door step, contractors are often eager to deal. With interest rates having moderated, financing options are also more affordable. With an early start to winter, and all forecasts indicating that this may be an unusually cold one, perhaps it is time to look at some upgrades.

Stay Warm, Spend Less: Winter 2025 Grants for Homeowners

Government grants and incentives help Canadian homeowners upgrade for winter 2025 with heat pumps, repairs, retrofits, and energy-efficiency programs.

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