British Columbia Residential Financial Incentives for Insulation
BC Hydro Home Renovation Rebates for Insulation
| UPGRADE | REBATE AVAILABLE |
|---|---|
| Attic insulation $0.02 x R-value added x sq ft | Maximum $900 |
| Basement/crawlspace insulation $0.09 x R-value added x sq ft | Maximum $1,200 |
| Exterior wall cavity insulation $0.09 x R-value added x sq ft | Maximum $1,200 |
| Exterior wall sheathing insulation $0.09 x R-value added x sq ft | Maximum $1,200 |
| Other insulation $0.07 x R-value added x sq ft | Maximum $1,000 |
Bundle your upgrades to get $300-$2000 bonus
If you complete two or more eligible upgrades, you may qualify for bonus offers of up to $2,000.
| OFFER | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Two Upgrade Bonus | Install any two eligible upgrades within 18 months and receive a $300 bonus. |
| Home Energy Improvement Bonus |
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| EnerGuide Home Evaluation Rebate |
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Clean BC Energy Savings Program
Rebate Amount:
Up to $44,900
Who Can Apply:
B.C. citizens who live in an eligible home, meet income qualification requirements, and have residential utility accounts with BC Hydro, FortisBC, or municipal utility
Deadline:
The application and supporting documentation must be submitted by the program registered contractor within six (6) months of the invoice date
Qualifying Products:
For assistance with this program, contact an Energy Saving Program Energy Coach by email at betterhomesESP@clearesult.com or by phone at 1-833-856-0333.
Rebate Amount
| Upgrade | Available rebates | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
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You may be eligible to receive enhanced rebates that cover up to 100% of your home upgrade costs. Free energy coaching, virtual energy assessments, and support in multiple languages can help identify the home upgrades and rebates that are best for you. |
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Heat pumps |
Up to $19,000 |
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Heat pump water heater |
Up to $3,500 |
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Electric service upgrade |
Up to $5,000 |
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Insulation |
Up to $5,500 |
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Windows and doors |
Up to $9,500 |
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Ventilation |
Up to $1,600 |
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Health and safety |
Up to $800 |
Insulation rebates – income qualified
Income-qualified customers who upgrade their insulation may be eligible for up to $2,000 (per area) in rebates on eligible upgrades. Providing income-qualified customers with enhanced rebates on high-efficiency upgrades is one of the ways we support all customers in their efforts to reduce energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Rebate details
| Upgrade location | Rebate | Details1 |
|---|---|---|
| Attic – flat and cathedral ceiling | Up to $2,000 |
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| Exterior wall cavities | Up to $2,000 |
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| Exterior wall sheathing | Up to $2,000 |
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| Basement/crawlspace2 walls | Up to $2,000 |
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| Other – exposed floor, floor over crawlspace, basement or crawlspace header | Up to $2,000 |
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| Two-upgrade bonus | Install insulation in two or more eligible areas, each with a minimum rebate value of $500, or make an additional eligible home renovation upgrade and you could qualify for our $350 two-upgrade bonus. |
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BC 5% Tax Credit
A new tax credit will make energy retrofits for multi-unit residential and commercial buildings more affordable, saving owners 5% on retrofits to help reduce their energy use.
Buildings eligible for the Clean Buildings Tax Credit include residential buildings, commercial spaces and warehouses in the private sector. Examples include office spaces, food retail and purpose-built rentals.
The credit supports work involving building systems, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning and building envelopes.
To be eligible for the credit, building owners must work with a certified professional to determine that the energy use-intensity of their building has been reduced and is meeting made-in-B.C. targets through a qualifying retrofit before applying for certification with the Ministry of Finance. Qualified professionals include architects, a qualified energy adviser certified by Natural Resource Canada, and engineers.
CleanBC Better Homes & Home Renovation Rebate Program
Overview
Rebate Amount:
Up to $14,000
Who Can Apply:
B.C. citizens who live in an eligible home and have residential utility accounts with BC Hydro, FortisBC, or Municipal utilities
Deadline:
Application must be submitted within 6 months
of the invoice date
Funding Provided By:
The Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro, FortisBC
| Building envelope upgrades | Upgrade | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal top-ups are not available | ||
| Insulation | up to $5,500 | |
| Windows and Doors | up to $2,000 |
| Bonus and special offers | Upgrade | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| Participants can receive either the Two Upgrade Bonus or the Home Energy Improvement Bonus, but not both. | ||
| Two Upgrade Bonus | $300 | |
| Home Energy Improvement Bonus | up to $2,000 |
East Kootenay District: Kimberley Energy Efficient Building Incentive Program
Eligibility for the Energy Efficient Building Incentive
- Applicants for new buildings must submit a EEBIP Application (see program website) and a copy of the pre-construction energy modelling and performance assessment report, completed by certified Energy Advisor, along with the building permit application package. A $500 discount will be applied to the Building Permit fee upon receipt of report confirming the building has been designed to comply with Energy Step Code requirements. A building permit will not be issued until a report confirming compliance has been submitted.
- A mid-construction air-tightness test must be completed to ensure that the construction is on track to meet the energy efficiency standard before air and vapour barriers are covered. This test will allow builders to identify and address any problem areas for air sealing prior to drywall installation. A $400 rebate will be issued after a report, completed by certified Energy Advisor, confirming compliance with the requirements of the Energy Step Code is submitted to the Building Official.
- After construction is completed, the actual energy use and efficiency of the building must be tested by the certified Energy Advisor to confirm the final energy performance rating. The post-construction assessment report must be submitted to the Building Official prior to request for final inspection and occupancy certificate.
- A building energy label containing information about the buildings’ energy use, efficiency rating, how the rating was calculated and where energy is consumed in the building must be posted in the building prior to issuance of occupancy certificate.
BC Home Energy Planner
The BC Home Energy Planner is a free online service that helps you understand and improve the energy efficiency of your home.
The Planner uses public data and information you provide to assess how well your home uses energy. You’ll learn:
- Your home’s energy score (measured in gigajoules per year or GJ/yr)
- What kinds of home energy upgrades will have the biggest impact for your home
- How home energy upgrades can help you prepare for extreme weather events
- Next steps to help you upgrade your home
See The Heat Program
This program enables you to sign out a thermal imaging camera that connects to your smartphone to learn about the heat loss inside your home. The thermal imaging camera will allow you to see how well your home is insulated, how well doors and windows are sealed, what plug in’s and outlets are leaky and the effect of leaving chimney flues open when not in use.
This program is free to all Library card holders.
Indigenous Communities Conservation Program
Indigenous communities (Bands) can get training, free energy-saving products and rebates to implement home energy upgrades for their community members.
Building envelope (air sealing, insulation, windows and doors) Incentives:
| Attic insulation and draftproofing | $0.05 per R-value added/sq foot (Minimum R12 added) | Maximum $1,800 |
| Basement/crawlspace insulation and draftproofing | $0.20 per R-value added per square foot (Minimum R10 added) | Maximum $2,000 |
| Exterior wall cavity insulation | $0.20 per R-value added per square foot (Minimum R12 added) | Maximum $2,000 |
| Exterior wall sheathing insulation | $0.20 per R-value added per square foot (Minimum R3.8 added) | Maximum $2,000 |
| Other insulation | $0.125 per R-value added per square foot (Minimum R20 added) | Maximum $1,500 |
Fortis BC Insulation Rebates
| Upgrade location | Rebate | Minimum R-value added1 |
|---|---|---|
| Attic – flat and cathedral ceiling | $0.02 x square feet x R-value, up to $900 | R12 |
| Exterior wall cavities | $0.09 x square feet x R-value, up to $1,200 | R12 |
| Exterior wall sheathing | $0.09 x square feet x R-value, up to $1,200 | R3.8 |
| Basement/crawlspace walls | $0.09 x square feet x R-value, up to $1,200 | R10 |
| Other – exposed floor or floor over basement/crawlspace | $0.07 x square feet x R-value, up to $1,000 | R20 |
How to Apply
1. Apply online within six months of completing your installations with the following information:
- your FortisBC natural gas and/or electricity account number, or municipal electricity account number from Grand Forks, Penticton, Summerland or Nelson Hydro
- your email
- scanned copies of all paid invoices showing details of all work performed, including the purchase date, make, model and installation permit numbers (if applicable). Invoices for insulation rebate applications should indicate the location(s) of installation, type of insulation (batt, loose fill, board or spray foam), the R-value of new insulation added and the total amount of insulation added in square feet.
2. If you’re not the utility account holder (e.g. property is a rental), have the account holder complete the consent form.
3. Applications may take up to 90 days to process.
Fortis BC Energy Conservation Assistance Program (ECAP)
A program for lower-income earners.
- Free home energy evaluation
- Free installation of energy saving products (including insulation in attics, walls, and crawlspaces)
- Free energy efficiency advice
Clean BC
Rebates are calculated based on the R-value of new insulation added and not the total combined final R-value of the new and pre-existing insulation, including in cases where the pre-existing insulation is removed.
| Location Installed | Rebate Amount | Minimum R-value Added | Maximum Rebate |
| Attic – flat and cathedral ceiling | $0.02 x R-value x square feet | R12 | $900 |
| Exterior wall cavities | $0.09 x R-value x square feet | R12 | $1,200 |
| Exterior wall sheathing | $0.09 x R-value x square feet | R3.8 | $1,200 |
| Basement/crawlspace walls | $0.09 x R-value x square feet | R10 | $1,200 |
| Other (exposed floor, floor over crawlspace*, basement header) | $0.07 x R-value x square feet | R20 | $1,000 |
*Rebate available for crawlspace walls OR floor over crawlspace, but not both.
Nanaimo and Lantzville District Home Energy Assessment
The Regional District of Nanaimo offers the following incentives to its residents:
- $150 rebate for an initial home energy assessment resulting in an EnerGuide (EG) rating;
- $10 per EG rating point improvement ($200 maximum).
Regional Energy Efficiency Program (Formerly Ecosave)
The City of Nelson and Nelson Hydro have partnered up to offer homeowners the following for retrofit upgrades:
- Free post-energy assessment (value $150);
- 3.5% on-bill financing, amortized 5-10 years with a one-time dispersal fee of $100.
Energy Save New West Existing Homes
The City of New Westminster is offering homeowners a limited number of pre-upgrade energy assessments for $60 (total savings of $240). The assessments help identify available incentives and rebates for energy upgrades through BC Hydro and FortisBC.
Insulation rebates up to $5500 available through the program for existing homes.
Energy Save New West New Builds
Build a home more energy efficient than the minimum BC Building Code requirements and you can qualify for a home performance rebate up to $15,000 from CleanBC or $10,000 from FortisBC.
ACCESS UP TO
$15,000 in CleanBC Better Homes rebates when building a high-performance electric home.
ACCESS UP TO
$10,000 in FortisBC rebates when building to various Energy Step Code performance levels.
FortisBC New Home Program
Rebate details
Subject to terms and conditions, there are various rebates available for eligible builders and developers:
Whole home rebates
| Home performance | Rebate |
|---|---|
| Step 4 | Homes built to Step 4 may qualify for a rebate of $15,000 |
| Step 5 | Homes built to Step 5 may qualify for a rebate of $20,000 |
| Energy advisor support | Rebate |
|---|---|
| You must have hired a program-qualified energy advisor to qualify for home performance rebates. The advisor will help maximize the efficiency of your project and the rebate will help you lower your costs. |
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| Equipment and appliance rebates | Rebate |
|---|---|
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$250 for properties where a FortisBC energy source is supplying domestic hot water |
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$100 for properties where a FortisBC energy source is supplying space heating |
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Up to $100 for FortisBC electricity customers |
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Up to $100 for FortisBC electricity customers |
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Up to $250 for FortisBC electricity customers |
Design offer rebates
Rebates for integrated design process focused on improved building envelopes and installing high efficiency equipment:
| Design offer | Rebate |
|---|---|
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Integrated design process |
$1,000 |
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Building envelope design |
Up to $3,000 |
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Mechanical design |
Up to $3,000 |
Nanaimo Sustainable Development Checklist Rebate
| Level 1 | $500 |
| Level 2 | $750 |
| Level 3 | $1,000 |
Rebates are administered based on which minimum score your home must achieve in order to qualify for the incentive. The minimum score is based on the square footage of the home, and how many bedrooms the home has.
Your score is calculated as:
- EnerGuide Rating + Bonus Points = Total Score
Bonus Points are points acquired with the Sustainable Development Checklist. Homeowners and owner-builders can pursue additional points through two different options to achieve a higher Checklist score:
- Option A: Shortcut. The project has achieved an eligible building standard, including LEED or ENERGY STAR®.
- Option B: Step-by-step. The project receives points for including energy efficiency upgrades in the project.
Vancouver
Heritage Energy Retrofit (Pilot Program)
The Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant program is currently at capacity.
The Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant is designed to encourage and enable deep energy retrofits and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions while respecting the heritage fabric and character-defining elements of participating homes in Vancouver. Retrofits can improve the comfort of your older home, reduce your energy bills and reduce impact on the environment.
A maximum of $12,000 is available per home towards qualifying retrofits or a maximum of $18,000 per home if fuel switching from gas or oil to an electric air source heat pump is included with other retrofits. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions while respecting the heritage fabric and character-defining elements of participating homes in Vancouver. Retrofits can improve the comfort of your older home, reduce your energy bills and reduce impact on the environment.