Grants for Residential Property Owners

EnerGuide for Houses

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Call in the energy experts

EnerGuide for Houses has been developed by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to help property owners make home retrofit choices that improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home.

Advisors will show you how to improve the comfort of your home and cut heating and cooling costs.

Independent energy advisors are available to visit your home to identify how your home uses energy and where it is being wasted. Advisors will show you how to improve the comfort of your home and cut heating and cooling costs while ensuring adequate ventilation for a healthy indoor environment for your family.

NRCan has contracted with organizations across Canada to make the EnerGuide for Houses service widely available. By partially subsidizing the delivery of the service, NRCan has succeeded in keeping the cost to the property owner well below market value. The price of the service varies because local governments and private sector partners in some regions also contribute toward the service's delivery.

Grants available for energy efficiency retrofits

The Government of Canada now provides grants to property owners who complete energy efficiency retrofits based on EnerGuide for Houses advisors' recommendations. Since June 23, 2005, owners of low-rise residential rental properties may also qualify for a grant.

The grant amount will depend on a comparison of the pre-retrofit and post-retrofit EnerGuide for Houses rating of the home.

You can make a difference

Today, 17 percent of all energy used in Canada goes toward running our homes. Every time we use energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas we produce greenhouse gas emissions. By using less energy in our homes, we help reduce the production of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and harm our environment.

Nowadays, homes that are more than 25 years old have the potential to save an average of 35 percent of their energy use. Homes that are more than 50 years old could achieve even greater savings – an average of 38 percent. So far, more than 185 000 property owners have used EnerGuide for Houses to help identify and solve home comfort problems and plan their energy efficiency retrofits. Natural Resources Canada data shows that if these property owners undertook all the retrofits recommended, they would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by almost 4.6 tonnes per year, per house. They would also have a head start in meeting Canada's One-Tonne Challenge – a challenge to all Canadians to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by one tonne per year.

Only homes that have been evaluated using the EnerGuide for Houses service will be eligible for grants.

How does EnerGuide for Houses work?

The EnerGuide for Houses service includes

• a detailed energy evaluation of your home carried out by a specially trained advisor
• a "blower door" test to find air leaks
• a printed report that shows where your energy dollars are being spent and what you can do to improve your home's energy efficiency
• an EnerGuide for Houses rating label that shows you how energy efficient your home is compared with others

Visit the EnerGuide for Houses Web site or call our toll-free line to locate authorized energy advisors.

Your advisor will review your report with you, explain the details and answer your questions.

EnerGuide for Houses is available across Canada through a network of licensed organizations. Simply call to make an appointment. Visit the EnerGuide for Houses Web site or call our tollfree line, both noted at the end of this booklet, to locate authorized energy advisors that serve your area.

EnerGuide for Houses is not a pre-purchase home inspection – it deals specifically with energy efficiency. If you are concerned about the general condition of your home, EnerGuide for Houses advisors will recommend that you call a home inspector.

When should you use EnerGuide for Houses?

Does your home have comfort problems such as drafts, cold spots and frosted windows?

Find the source of these problems and get information about repairing them.

Renovating or retrofitting?

EnerGuide for Houses advisors use state-of-the-art evaluation practices and can advise on the best modern techniques and types of products.

Upgrading your heating and cooling system?

Energy efficiency improvements can make a difference to the size of heating and cooling system that your home needs.

Selling your house?

After you've made energy efficiency upgrades and comfort improvements to your home, the revised EnerGuide for Houses label shows potential buyers how much you've improved your home's energy efficiency.

The benefits of EnerGuide for Houses

Peace of mind

Our energy advisors provide unbiased advice on how to improve your home's energy use. The service is also quality-assured by the Government of Canada.

Understanding your options

The EnerGuide for Houses service provides a thorough basement-to-attic assessment of your home's energy use. The energy advisor's written report will help you to plan retrofits and estimate the cost of professional renovations.

Proof of upgrades

The energy advisor's written report will help you to plan retrofits and estimate the cost of professional renovations.

After you have completed energy upgrades, our experts will provide a second evaluation and an EnerGuide for Houses rating label that proves your home's improved energy use.

Grants toward your retrofit expenses

Only homes that have had pre- and post-retrofit evaluations from EnerGuide for Houses are eligible for grants. The grant amount is based on the improvement in your EnerGuide rating and is not based on the cost of your retrofits. For instance, the installation of new windows does not usually increase your home's energy rating by much and may not result in much of an increase in the grant (if any). Your energy advisor can advise you on which retrofits are your best options.

Taking action to prevent climate change

The use of energy from fossil fuels is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Canadians are being asked to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by one tonne per year through the One-Tonne Challenge. By using less energy, you can make your contribution to help protect our environment.

Who is eligible for grants?

For full details on eligibility, consult your local EnerGuide for Houses service organization. You can request a copy of complete eligibility criteria from NRCan's toll-free publications line, or you can view them on-line by visiting our Web site. Here are the main criteria:

• You can apply for a grant for a property that you own and live in or rent out. This includes detached, semi-detached and row houses that are no more than 3 1/2 storeys high and that have a footprint of no more than 600 square metres as well as mobile homes on a permanent foundation.
  
  
• Grants are available for work done within a specific time frame, so it is important to talk to your local service organization about the eligibility of your house as soon as you are ready to plan and undertake your energy efficiency retrofits. You have 18 months from the date of your pre-retrofit evaluation to complete the work and qualify for a grant.
  
  
• Only houses that have pre- and postretrofit EnerGuide for Houses ratings will be eligible, and you will be able to apply only once per house. To find the name of an authorized EnerGuide for Houses service organization in your region, contact NRCan or visit the EnerGuide for Houses Web site.
  
  

  It is you – the homeowner – who decides what retrofits recommended by your EnerGuide advisor you wish to undertake.

  
  
  
• Eligible homes must meet a certain level of improvement in order to qualify for a grant. EnerGuide for Houses advisors will be able to tell you which retrofits will have the greatest effect on your home's efficiency. The greater the improvement in your home's energy efficiency, the more your grant will be.

It is you – the property owner – who decides what retrofits recommended by your EnerGuide advisor you wish to undertake. You are responsible for choosing a contractor and for ensuring that the work is performed properly. It is important that you get a detailed written contract between you and your contractor in order to prevent problems later on. The EnerGuide for Houses service does not assess the quality of the work performed – it evaluates only the retrofit's impact on the energy efficiency rating of your home.

How do I apply for a grant?

Your EnerGuide for Houses advisor will apply for the grant on your behalf.

It's easy. Your EnerGuide for Houses advisor will apply for the grant on your behalf after you have completed energy efficiency retrofits and your home has been re-assessed. Your advisor will prepare the paperwork for you to sign and will be able to assess exactly how much you can expect to receive. Your energy advisor will then forward your application to NRCan.

The grant amount you will receive is determined by comparing the improvement in your energy efficiency rating after you have done your energy retrofits. For example, the average Canadian home rates at 62 on the EnerGuide for Houses scale and has the potential to improve to a rating of 73. Improving a house's energy efficiency by this amount would result in a grant of approximately $719. NRCan statistics show that the average amount being paid is $780.

You can expect to receive your cheque within 90 days of your follow-up evaluation.

EnerGuide is more than a name – it's a way of life

EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada mark that rates the energy consumption of products for the home, at work and on the road. Look for the EnerGuide label on major household appliances, gas fireplaces and room air conditioners. You can also find EnerGuide ratings printed on the back of manufacturers' brochures for furnaces, heat pumps and central air conditioners. Many older houses, some new homes and all new vehicles now carry the EnerGuide label. A good rating is your proof of more efficient energy performance. Read the EnerGuide label and make the energy-efficient choice.

CMHC refund on mortgage loan insurance premiums

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is offering a 10 percent refund on its mortgage loan insurance premium to property owners who borrow money to complete the energy retrofits recommended in their EnerGuide for Houses report. You could also extend the time required to repay your mortgage – from 25 years to a maximum of 35 years. In order to qualify for this refund and extension, the home's energy efficiency must be rated using the EnerGuide for Houses system or be R-2000* certified and meet certain minimum requirements. Visit CMHC's Web site or call 1 800 668-2642 for more information.

*(R-2000 is an official mark of Natural Resources Canada)

Schedule your evaluation today!

EnerGuide for Houses is offered in cooperation with professional residential energy efficiency organizations across Canada. Call the EnerGuide for Houses service organization in your area today to find out the cost of the evaluation and schedule an appointment. For the name of a service organization in your region, visit our Website or call our toll-free publications line.

Web site: energuideforhouses.gc.ca

One-Tonne Challenge: climatechange.gc.ca

Publications line:
1 800 387-2000 (toll-free)
995-2943 (National Capital Region)
(613) 996-4397 (teletype for the hearing-impaired)

Learn more

To obtain additional copies of this or other free publications on energy efficiency, please contact

Energy Publications
Office of Energy Efficiency
Natural Resources Canada
c/o S.J.D.S.
1770 Pink Road Gatineau QC  J9J 3N7
Tel.: 1 800 387-2000 (toll-free)
  995-2943 (National Capital Region)
Fax: (613) 740-3114
TTY: (613) 996-4397 (Teletype for the Learning-impaired)
Web site: energy publications.gc.ca

Leading Canadians to Energy Efficiency at Home, at Work and on the Road

The One-Tonne Challenge asks Canadians to reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by 20% or about one tonne.