The Greener Homes Program has been available to Canadian homeowners for nearly a year now. With over 182,400 homeowners approved and well over a million dollars in reimbursements provided, the initiative has been largely successful in helping Canadians revitalize their homes and save them money on their energy bills.
If you are just starting to look into purchasing energy efficient windows and doors, this is a fantastic place to start! Outlined below are answers to frequently asked questions about the Greener Homes program as well as an extensive update on how the program has been improved and further implemented over the last year. We here at TriCity Windows and Doors are ready to assist you in every way possible in making your dream home a reality while saving you a few hard-earned dollars along the way!
What is the Greener Homes Grant?
Back in May of 2021, the Canadian government introduced a new program to incentivize the replacement of older windows and doors to make homes more energy-efficient. The Greener Homes program allows homeowners to revitalize their homes with modern windows and doors, making homes more comfortable, energy efficient and affordable to maintain while also supporting the Canadian government's environmental objectives. This initiative offers a free in-home energy evaluation as well as a grant of up to $5000.00 to cover the cost of the energy-efficiency upgrades. It also aids in creating new jobs across Canada for energy advisors, grows Canada’s domestic green supply chains and ultimately fights climate change. Most importantly, it saves you money in the long run!
Am I eligible for the Grant?
All homeowners in Canada regardless of where they live are eligible to participate in the Greener Homes Initiative. Only one homeowner per home can register and it must be their primary residence however.
The eligible property types include:
● Single and Semi-Detached Homes
● Row Housing
● Townhomes
● All-season cottages
● Mobile Homes on permanent foundations
● Permanently-moored floating home
● Mixed use building (residential only)
● Small multi-unit residential buildings
What's in it for me?
Participants of the Greener Homes Grant are eligible to receive up to $5000 in reimbursements for upgrading energy inefficient windows and doors in their homes with an additional reimbursement of $600.00 for the audit process. Once customers have qualified, ordered the correct products, have had the installation completed, and the post-install evaluation completed, can earn a maximum of $250 per rough opening up to the provided $5000 reimbursement limit with an additional $600 reimbursed for the audit itself.
How do I register for the Program?
Signing up for and claiming the Greener Homes Grant is done in three easy steps, and not all at once either! Here is how:
Step 1: Get an EnerGuide energy evaluation
The first step to qualify for the Greener Homes program is to have an EnerGuide certified energy advisor do an energy audit of your home to diagnose the areas needed for improvements that will benefit your utility bills and your overall home comfort. The evaluation will include a thorough, room by room examination of your home. This must be done prior to any installation of new windows or doors.
Step 2: Work with your Sales Representative
The next step is to work closely with a sales representative to implement the measures identified by the energy auditor in the home energy evaluation to ensure your desired windows meet the requirements set out by the government of Canada.
Lastly, homeowners must have an EnerGuide certified energy advisor conduct a post installation evaluation on their home to calculate the improved energy efficiency.
Quick Tips for those who apply
Here are three essential tips for new applicants that can make this process a little easier for you!
Select a GCKey username and password that is easy to remember. Write it down somewhere safe!
Check that your government-issued ID is valid and the name and address shown matches the name and address on your Greener Homes application before you upload it.
Once the installation process has finished and you are ready to request your grant, make sure to submit all your invoices and receipts and that they are marked paid in full.
Getting approved has never been easier or faster!
Canadian homeowners are more eager than ever to make their homes more energy efficient and save on increasing utility bills while improving their home’s resale value. Since its inception, the Greener Homes Program has received applications for over 25% of the allocated grants in the first seven months of the seven-year lifespan of the initiative. With exponentially increasing demand, NRCan has streamlined the program to more efficiently process applications, reallocating resources, hiring additional staff, and targeting key areas of support. By doing so, NRCan has cleared a backlog of more than 70,000 pending applications from the system! As such, new applicants can now expect a response from NRCan within four weeks, reducing the wait substantially. As of January 24th, there are only approximately 2800 applications in the system yet to be processed yet new applicants begin to receive responses within two weeks.
Back in your pocket
Recognizing the substantial investments made to homeowners’ energy efficiency in their homes, the Greener Homes initiative has been streamlined to further expedite the reimbursement process so you can pocket your savings faster than ever before! Homeowners will receive their grant when all steps of the installation process is finished and a pre-install and post-install assessment is completed. Within 40 business days of the homeowner submitting final receipts and required documentation, NRCan staff will review the claim and determine the grant amount the homeowner will receive, depending on the energy efficiency of the homeowner’s windows purchased. Once approved, the payment should be issued by mail within the next 30 days. Applicants can check the status of their file using the Greener Homes portal.
An Energy Auditor Everywhere
Through extensive demographic research, NRCan has sought to improve its outreach to those in rural towns and smaller communities farther away from main population density centers by partnering with private sector companies to alleviate immediate pressure felt by energy advisors.
They have done so by:
Deploying energy advisors to underserved populations in remote areas
Piloting remote home audits to connect advisors to homeowners across different regions
Matching energy advisor supply to demand across Canada
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding the Greener Homes Initiative or would like to schedule a free in-home or over the phone consultation with one of our experts, contact TriCity Windows and Doors at (519) 721-2924 or click here to fill out the contact us form. We would be happy to provide you with honest and affordable recommendations on types and styles of windows and doors that will make your dream home a reality!