Key Takeaways
The Home Renovation Savings Program is the provincial rebate programme most Ontario homeowners are now being pointed at, and most of the confusion about it comes from one design detail nobody explains properly.
- It is run by Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas, supported by the Ontario government. It is not a federal grant, and it is not the Canada Greener Homes Grant, which closed to new applicants in 2024.
- There are two separate paths through it, and you pick one before you start. One needs a home energy assessment, the other does not.
- The same upgrade can pay a different amount depending on which path you are on. Attic insulation is $1,250 on the no-assessment path. Insulation on the assessment path goes up to $7,700.
- It covers far more than heat pumps: insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, water heaters, thermostats, solar and battery storage, and some appliances.
- Choosing the wrong path is the most expensive mistake available here, and it is made before a single tool comes out of the van.
What the Home Renovation Savings Program Actually Is
The Home Renovation Savings Program is Ontario’s current home energy rebate programme. It launched on 28 January 2025 and is delivered by Save on Energy together with Enbridge Gas, with support from the provincial government.
That combination is worth understanding, because it explains a lot of the confusion. Save on Energy is the electricity-side administrator. Enbridge Gas is the natural-gas-side one. Between them they cover essentially every Ontario home, which is why you can qualify whether your house runs on gas, electricity, oil, propane or wood.
It replaced an older set of programmes that homeowners still ask us about. The Canada Greener Homes Grant stopped taking new applications in 2024, and Enbridge’s Home Efficiency Rebate Plus closed at the same time. If you read an article telling you to apply for either one, that article is out of date, and there are a lot of them still ranking.
You do not apply to a government office and wait. The work is done by an HVAC or renovation contractor, and the rebate application is tied to that work.
The Two Paths, and Why That Choice Matters More Than People Realise
This is the part that decides how much money you end up with, and it is the part almost every summary skips.
The programme runs on two separate tracks. You are on one or the other, and which one you are on changes both what you can claim and how much each item pays.
Without an Assessment: One Upgrade, No Paperwork Gate
On this path you can do a single upgrade and claim its rebate. No home energy assessment is required, which removes a scheduling step and a cost from the front of the project.
This is the path most heat pump installations run on. It is also where solar, battery storage, smart thermostats, attic insulation and some appliances sit.
For the heat pump amounts specifically, and who qualifies for which tier, see our Ontario heat pump rebate page. That is where the per-ton figures and the heating-source rules live, and we keep them current there rather than repeating them across the site.
With an Assessment: Two or More Upgrades, Bigger Totals
On this path you commit to at least two qualifying upgrades, and you book a home energy assessment before the work and another after it.
The assessment is not free, but it is itself rebated at $600, which covers most or all of a typical assessment cost. In exchange, the amounts on several items go up substantially.
This path covers insulation, windows and doors, air sealing and heat pump water heaters.
The Same Upgrade Can Pay Differently Depending on the Path
Here is the detail that costs people real money.
Attic insulation on the no-assessment path is $1,250. Insulation on the assessment path goes up to $7,700.
If your house needs serious insulation work and you take the quick single-upgrade route because it seemed simpler, you can leave several thousand dollars behind. Equally, if you only ever intended to put in a heat pump, booking two assessments to chase a bundle you are not going to complete is wasted effort.
The right question is not “which path is better.” It is “how much work is this house actually going to have done in the next year.”
What the Programme Covers Beyond Heat Pumps
Most coverage of this programme is written by HVAC companies, so most coverage is about heat pumps. The programme is considerably wider than that.
Figures below are as published by Save on Energy and homerenovationsavings.ca, checked on 27 September 2026. Amounts and eligibility rules change, so treat them as a guide and confirm the current figure before committing to work.
A note on those numbers. Several third-party guides currently list a $75 smart thermostat rebate and separate $5,000 amounts for solar and battery storage. The official pages say $100 to $125 and up to $10,000 combined. Where a rebate article disagrees with Save on Energy, believe Save on Energy.
What the Home Energy Assessment Actually Involves
An assessment is a qualified energy advisor walking through your house and measuring how it loses heat. They look at insulation levels, air leakage, windows, and the heating and cooling equipment you already have.
You get a report showing where the house is losing energy and what fixing each item would be worth. The second assessment, after the work, confirms what actually changed.
It is genuinely useful even setting the rebate aside. Most homeowners are surprised by which item comes out worst, and it is rarely the one they were about to spend money on.
The trade-off is time. Two appointments and a report add weeks to a project, which is exactly why the single-upgrade path exists for people replacing one failing system.
How the Money Reaches You
The rebate is not taken off your invoice at the counter. You pay for the work, the application goes in, and the money comes back to you afterwards.
That matters for budgeting. If you are counting on a $7,500 heat pump rebate to afford the heat pump, be aware that you are financing the full amount first and being reimbursed later.
It also matters for sequencing. Approval has to be in place before the work happens on the heat pump side. Doing the work first and applying afterwards does not work, and it is the single most common way people disqualify themselves.
What We See Homeowners Get Wrong
After a year and a half of this programme, the same few mistakes come up.
Reading a 2023 article. The closed federal and Enbridge programmes still dominate search results. People arrive expecting a grant that no longer exists, or a rebate amount that was never part of this programme.
Starting the work first. Enthusiasm is not an application. Equipment ordered and installed before approval is equipment you paid full price for.
Taking the fast path on a slow project. If the house is getting insulation, windows and a water heater over the next twelve months, the assessment path is almost certainly worth the two appointments.
Assuming gas homes are excluded. They are not. Natural gas homes qualify, at different amounts to homes heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood.
Trusting the amount in a blog post over the amount on the programme site. Including this one, honestly. We date every figure we publish for exactly that reason.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs the Home Renovation Savings Program?
It is delivered by Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas, with support from the Government of Ontario. Save on Energy administers the electricity side and Enbridge Gas the natural-gas side, which together cover effectively every Ontario home regardless of how it is heated.
Do I need a home energy assessment?
Only on the bundled path. If you are doing two or more upgrades from the insulation, windows and doors, air sealing and heat pump water heater group, you need an assessment before and after the work. Single upgrades such as a heat pump, solar or a smart thermostat do not require one.
Is the Home Renovation Savings Program the same as the Canada Greener Homes Grant?
No. The Canada Greener Homes Grant was a federal programme and it closed to new applicants in 2024. Home Renovation Savings is provincial, currently open, and administered by Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas.
How long is the programme available?
Save on Energy does not publish an end date on its programme pages. Third-party guides widely report a funding window running to 30 November 2026, and programme terms generally allow funding to close earlier if it runs out. Confirm current availability before committing to work rather than relying on a date in an article.
Can I combine it with other rebates?
Sometimes, depending on the upgrade and who else is offering money. Municipal and utility programmes occasionally stack. This is worth asking about specifically rather than assuming, because the answer varies by item.
Does it cover renovations generally?
No, despite the name. It covers energy-efficiency upgrades. A new kitchen does not qualify. Insulation behind the new kitchen wall might.
Where to Start
If you already know the upgrade you want, and it is one thing, the no-assessment path is straightforward and the application rides along with the installation.
If your house needs several things, book the assessment first and find out what it is actually losing energy through. The report frequently changes the order people do the work in, and on the bundled path it unlocks the larger insulation amounts.
For heat pumps specifically, our Ontario heat pump rebate page has the current amounts by heating source and the steps we handle for you. If you would rather just ask someone, call us on (289) 409-9929 and we will tell you which path your house belongs on before you spend anything.
1st Heat Home Comfort Inc. is an independent HVAC contractor serving Southern Ontario. We are not Save on Energy, Enbridge Gas or a government body, and this page is not an official programme website. Figures were checked on 27 September 2026 against Save on Energy and homerenovationsavings.ca. All rebates remain subject to programme eligibility, approval and current terms and conditions.
