Guides
Canada Greener Homes and provincial heat pump rebates: how they stack
This heat-pump guide explains how the Canada Greener Homes grant and loan stack with BC, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia rebates, and the paperwork each one needs.
What to take away
- A heat-pump guide to stacking starts with one rule: the federal Canada Greener Homes grant and the Canada Greener Homes loan are two separate applications, and only the loan is still open to new applicants.
- Provincial money usually stacks on top of the federal loan, because the loan is repaid and counts as financing rather than a grant.
- BC Hydro and FortisBC run separate offers in British Columbia, and a home on gas can sometimes claim both.
- Efficiency Nova Scotia pays the most per tonne of carbon in the country, and its oil-to-heat-pump path is the clearest stack available.
- Ontario's Home Energy Rebate and Enbridge Gas rebates overlap in places, so you file the provincial piece first.
- Hydro-Québec's dual-energy rate is not a rebate at all. It is a cheaper electricity price in exchange for keeping a backup heating source.
How the federal Canada Greener Homes grant and loan differ in what they cover
The Canada Greener Homes grant was a non-repayable payment for eligible retrofits, capped per homeowner and tied to an EnerGuide evaluation before and after the work. It closed to new applicants, and homeowners who completed work under it should keep their file number.
Federal guidance on home energy efficiency still describes the same evaluation-first sequence that the grant used.
The Canada Greener Homes loan is the piece that still matters for a heat pump. It is an interest-free loan repaid over a set term, and it covers a larger share of a project than the grant ever did. It requires a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation, a quote from a licensed contractor, and a post-retrofit evaluation before funds release.
The two were never the same money. A grant reduced your cost. A loan moves your cost. That distinction decides how provinces treat each one when they assess your application.
Natural Resources Canada frames the whole programme around measured savings rather than equipment sales, which is why the EnerGuide report sits at the centre of both. The federal retrofit and rebate messaging is consistent on that point.
One practical consequence: because the loan is repaid, most provincial administrators do not count it as double-dipping. You can hold a federal loan and a provincial rebate on the same heat pump in most provinces.
Which provincial programs stack with the federal grant, province by province
Stacking rules are provincial, not federal. Ottawa does not police whether you also took money from Victoria, Halifax, Toronto or Quebec City.
| Province | Main program | Stacks with federal loan | Typical condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | BC Hydro and FortisBC offers | Yes | Licensed contractor, post-install invoice |
| Nova Scotia | Efficiency Nova Scotia | Yes | Often requires an energy assessment |
| Ontario | Ontario Home Energy Rebate and Enbridge Gas | Partly | One rebate per measure in some cases |
| Quebec | Hydro-Québec dual-energy rate | Different mechanism | Rate, not a rebate |
| Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick | Utility and provincial offers that change often | Varies | Confirm current terms before signing |
The pattern across the country is that the federal loan sits underneath and provincial money sits on top. Where provinces do refuse to stack, it is usually because two programs pay for the same measure from the same pot.
Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick run smaller or intermittent offers. Check the current terms before you sign a contract, because a rebate that existed at quote time may be gone at invoice time.
Keep the federal loan application moving regardless of which province you live in. It is the one piece of funding that does not depend on where the house sits or who supplies the power.
BC Hydro and FortisBC: how the two BC rebates combine with NRCan paperwork
British Columbia is the only province with two large utility rebate streams for the same house. BC Hydro and FortisBC split that market: BC Hydro serves most electrically heated homes, while FortisBC serves homes on natural gas and aims its offer at switching those homes off gas.
A home that heats with gas and adds a cold-climate heat pump can often claim the FortisBC rebate, because the program exists to reduce gas use. A home already on electric baseboards claims through BC Hydro instead. Very few homes qualify for both on the same measure.
The NRCan paperwork is the same either way: a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation, a contractor quote, installation, then a post-retrofit evaluation. BC Hydro and FortisBC both accept that report as evidence.
Provincial incentive administration in British Columbia runs alongside the tax system, so keep every invoice and the EnerGuide file number together in one folder. The BC provincial rebate and incentive context explains how those incentives are administered.
One BC-specific trap: a dual-fuel setup, where a heat pump handles most of the year and a furnace handles the coldest weeks, can satisfy the utility but complicate the federal loan file. Declare the backup system on both applications.
Efficiency Nova Scotia and the oil-to-heat-pump path to stacking
Nova Scotia has the highest home heating costs in the country and the most generous per-home support. Efficiency Nova Scotia administers the rebates, and its oil-to-heat-pump path is designed for homes burning furnace oil.
That path usually starts with a free or low-cost energy assessment. The assessor confirms the heating system, insulation levels and the size of heat pump the house actually needs. Skipping this step is the most common reason an application stalls.
Once the assessment is on file, the heat pump installation is rebated at a rate that reflects the fuel being displaced. Displacing oil pays better than displacing electric baseboards, because the carbon and cost savings are larger.
The Canada Greener Homes Loan stacks on top, and because Nova Scotia's rebate is paid after installation, the loan is what carries you through the upfront cost. The Nova Scotia programs and services hub is the place to confirm which offers are open.
Watch the sequencing. If you install before the assessment, you may lose the rebate entirely. Book the assessment, get the report, then sign with a contractor.
Ontario Home Energy Rebate and Enbridge Gas: what can and cannot be doubled up
Ontario stacks in a narrower band than BC or Nova Scotia. The Ontario Home Energy Rebate covers a set of eligible measures, and Enbridge Gas runs its own rebates for homes on its distribution system.
The overlap is the problem. Where both programs list the same measure, you generally claim one, not both. Where they list different measures, such as a heat pump and attic insulation, you can usually claim each from its own program.
Enbridge money is tied to being a gas customer, which creates an odd situation: taking a rebate from the gas utility while reducing gas use. That is allowed, and it is how the program is designed.
Ontario homeowners should read the Canada Greener Homes Loan guidance for Ontario before filing, because the loan conditions and the provincial rebate conditions have to be satisfied on the same installation.
Keep the two applications separate in your records. One invoice can support both claims, but each administrator wants its own copy with its own form.
If you are still deciding what to do first, ranking electrification projects by urgency and payback keeps the rebate question from driving the whole plan.
Hydro-Québec dual-energy rate as an alternative to a rebate stack
Quebec works differently. Instead of a large upfront rebate, Hydro-Québec offers a dual-energy rate: a lower electricity price for homes that keep a backup heating system, usually a furnace or a dual-energy setup, for the coldest days.
The trade is explicit. You accept a second heating source, and in return you pay less per kilowatt-hour for the electricity your heat pump uses. Over a winter, that discount can be worth more than a one-time rebate.
It is not a grant and it does not stack like one. You are choosing a rate structure, not claiming a payment. That changes the maths entirely, because the benefit continues every year rather than arriving once.
The Quebec dual-energy rate article compares it directly with baseboard heating in Montreal, where the calculation is most favourable.
The Quebec finance and tax pages are the reference point for how rate changes and any related credits are administered. Quebec homeowners should compare the rate against any available rebate before committing, because you cannot usually have both in full.
The paperwork each program demands, and the order to file it in
Every stack fails for the same reason: the wrong document at the wrong time. Here is the order that works across provinces.
- Book a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation and keep the report number.
- Apply for the Canada Greener Homes loan before you sign a contractor quote.
- Confirm your provincial or utility rebate in writing, in the same week.
- Install the heat pump using a licensed contractor who will itemise the invoice.
- Book the post-retrofit evaluation and submit it to every program at once.
Use this checklist before you sign anything:
- EnerGuide pre-retrofit report in hand
- Federal loan application submitted
- Provincial or utility rebate confirmed in writing
- Contractor licensed and insured, with an itemised quote
- Backup heating source declared on every form
- Post-retrofit evaluation booked before installation day
- All invoices stored in one folder with file numbers
If the sequence feels like too much to hold in your head, planning electrification projects phase by phase sets out the same order with the decision points marked.
Why the same heat pump totals differently in Ontario, Quebec, BC and Nova Scotia
A 3-tonne cold-climate heat pump costs roughly the same hardware everywhere in Canada. What changes is everything around it.
Climate drives sizing. A heat pump that meets full load in Victoria is undersized for Halifax, and the difference shows up in the quote, the backup requirement and the rebate tier.
Electricity and gas prices drive the payback. Quebec's low rates and Nova Scotia's high oil prices pull in opposite directions, and both change how much a rebate is worth to you.
Program design drives the paperwork. BC and Nova Scotia pay after an assessment. Ontario splits measures between two administrators. Quebec pays through the rate instead of a cheque.
Federal money is the constant. The Canada Greener Homes loan is available across all four provinces on the same terms, which is why it is the piece to secure first.
Common questions
Can I get the Canada Greener Homes grant and the loan at the same time? The grant is closed to new applicants, so most homeowners now apply only for the loan. If you completed work under the grant, keep that file number for provincial applications.
Does a provincial rebate reduce my federal loan amount? Usually not. Because the loan is repaid, most provinces treat it as financing rather than a grant, so a rebate on top does not disqualify you.
Can I claim both BC Hydro and FortisBC for one heat pump? Rarely. The two programs target different heating systems, so a home normally qualifies for one or the other, not both.
Is the Hydro-Québec dual-energy rate better than a rebate? It depends on how much electricity you use and how long you stay in the home. The rate pays every year, while a rebate pays once.
What happens if I install before the assessment? You can lose the rebate. In Nova Scotia and under the federal loan, the pre-retrofit evaluation has to exist before the work starts.
Do I need a licensed contractor for every program? Yes. Every federal and provincial program reviewed here requires a licensed, insured installer and an itemised invoice.
