The Canada Greener Home Grant is a Government of Canada-funded program that helps homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient, save money, and fight climate change in the process. Qualified households can access up to $5,600 (including upgrades + evaluations) under the initiative. The Government of Canada is so confident in the program that it has guaranteed that participation will result in home energy savings.
The initial success and popularity of the grant have created an urgency, however, as it has been reported that the program will no longer be accepting new applicants starting in March 2024. If you find this article before then, you have time to act. How can Central and Northern AB area homeowners take advantage of the program before it’s too late? Read ahead for a simple step-by-step guide on how to proceed.
How Alberta Homeowners Can Capitalize on the Canada Greener Home Grant Before it Closes on March 2024
Book Your EnerGuide Energy Efficiency Home Evaluation
The first step is to book an EnerGuide energy efficiency home evaluation which gets the process started for the grant and loan. The evaluation will help you understand how your home currently uses energy – and will identify what types of retrofits, like Solar PV, will improve your home’s energy efficiency. We work with a few energy advisors whom we recommend to clients as they work as hard as we do to get the job completed. The energy advisor will assess your home from basement to attic and provide an EnerGuide rating for your home along with an energy efficiency report to help you make decisions about upgrades. Following the evaluation, you will receive the following:
- Homeowner information sheet.
- EnerGuide label with your home’s current energy efficiency rating.
- Renovation upgrade report detailing which retrofits will improve your home’s energy efficiency and resilience.
Ultimately, this process will determine your home’s eligibility for the Canada Greener Home Grant and Loan.
The cost of these evaluations varies from province to province, but BLDG Electric is happy to provide Edmonton homeowners with references to upstanding evaluators. Call us at (780) 328-6491 or email sales@bldgelectric.com to inquire.
Even if you don’t make the March 2024 deadline for the Canada Greener Home Grant, the EnerGuide energy efficiency home evaluation will provide you with valuable information that you can use to upgrade your home. With or without the grant, you will save money in the long term by making the energy efficiency upgrades.
Define Your Budget and Get a Quote
Armed with the information above, you can now make a confident decision to move forward with retrofits by defining your budget. There is a maximum amount allowed for each type of retrofit, but if you’re reading this, then you’re likely looking for the Solar PV grant, which is $5,000 plus another up to $600 for the energy evaluation.
To install Solar PV, homeowners must choose to work with a residential electrical contractor that has been registered with Solar Alberta. In Edmonton and the Northern AB area, that company is BLDG Electric (view more about us). We service Edmonton North, all the way East to Lloydminster and West to Jasper!
It’s also important to note that to remain eligible for the grant, all purchased materials must come from a Canadian distributor and from the Canada Greener Home Grant list of eligible products. To limit the guesswork and homework required of Alberta homeowners, BLDG Electric will ensure that you only consider eligible solar products and materials. The latter is of particular importance as the program also stipulates that most of the defined upgrades are installed by an approved professional.
Do You Need a Loan?
After running the calculations and getting quotes for the Solar PV upgrades, you may realize that you require a loan to take full advantage of the program. Instead of going to traditional banks and alternative private lenders, you can attain a zero-interest loan of up to $40,000 that is payable over 10-years from this federal program. The full amount of the Canada Greener Homes Loan is provided to homeowners after the contractor has completed all of the work and a post-upgrade evaluation has been completed.
If you decide upon a loan, you can submit your application online. Access the application and view more about the Canada Greener Homes Loan here.
Project Completion
Once the Solar PV and any other upgrades are complete, the homeowner schedules the post-upgrade evaluation. The energy assessor will return and perform another series of tests to give you the final report. This will provide you with some information as to how your new upgrades are expected to perform and reduce your bills and consumption. You’ll be provided with an updated EnerGuide label with a summary of your improvements.
CALL: (780) 328-6491
EMAIL: sales@bldgelectric.com