What is on offer
No home energy assessment required:
| Upgrade | Rebate |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps | Up to $12,000 |
| Solar panels and battery storage | Up to $10,000 |
| Attic insulation | $1,250 |
| Smart thermostat | $125 |
| Appliances | Up to $200 |
Home energy assessment required:
| Upgrade | Rebate |
|---|---|
| Insulation — attic, wall, foundation, exposed floor | Up to $7,700 |
| Windows and doors | $100 per rough opening |
| Heat pump water heater | $500 |
| Air sealing | Up to $250 |
The program’s own description is that you can take one or more upgrades from the no-assessment group without an evaluation, while two or more from the assessment group require one. The practical reading: if insulation beyond the attic, windows or air sealing are anywhere in your plan, book the assessment first.
What the split actually means for you
Attic insulation appears on both lists, and that is not an error. Taken alone as a straightforward attic top-up it sits in the simple stream at $1,250. As part of a wider insulation project — walls, foundation, exposed floors — it moves into the assessed stream where the ceiling is $7,700.
So the sequence matters more than the shopping. Decide the whole plan first, then find out which stream it falls into, then book anything that has to happen before work starts. Homeowners lose this money by doing the work in the order that felt natural.
What about the City of Toronto?
Separate programs, separate money. Toronto’s Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy pays up to $6,650 per property — up to 80% of the invoice — for backwater valves, sump pumps, severance and capping, and a plumbing assessment. It has its own conditions, including a City-licensed contractor and an inspection before a backwater valve is enclosed. Our waterproofing guide covers it in detail.
Other Ontario municipalities run their own basement flooding and water conservation programs under different names. Ask your own city rather than assuming there is nothing.
Two honest caveats
No published end date. The program pages do not state when this closes. Any deadline a contractor gives you is their assumption, not a published fact. Check the official page on the day you decide.
Amounts move. Figures on the program’s own pages have differed from one page to another, and rebate programs are revised regularly. Every number here was read on 18 September 2026 from the official sites. Treat them as a starting point and confirm before you buy equipment.
There is also a reason to go to the official page rather than a search result: the program operators themselves warn about fake rebate websites. Type the address rather than clicking an ad.
Red flags when a contractor talks about rebates
| What you hear | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “The rebate is guaranteed” | Eligibility has conditions and no contractor can approve your application | Read the official program page before paying a deposit |
| “The deadline is next month” | No end date is published; urgency is a sales technique here | Check the official page for any stated deadline |
| Assessment not mentioned for insulation or windows | Those upgrades sit in the assessed stream; doing work first can forfeit the rebate | Confirm which stream your plan falls into before work starts |
| “We’ll handle the paperwork, just sign here” | The application is in your name and your money | Ask to see what is being submitted on your behalf |
| Rebate deducted from the invoice up front | You are now carrying the risk if the claim is refused | Prefer to pay and claim yourself, or get the arrangement in writing |
| A rebate website reached through an ad | The program operators warn that fake rebate sites exist | Type the official address directly |
Frequently asked questions
For upgrades that require a home energy assessment, the assessment has to happen before the work. Doing that work first generally forfeits the rebate, which is the most common way homeowners lose it.
Yes. Toronto pays up to $6,650 per property for basement flooding protection devices, and other Ontario municipalities run their own programs. These are separate from the provincial program and have their own conditions.
No end date is published on the program pages. Treat any deadline quoted by a contractor as an assumption and check the official site before making a decision based on it.
For some upgrades. Insulation beyond a simple attic job, windows and doors, heat pump water heaters and air sealing sit in the assessed stream. Heat pumps, solar, attic insulation, thermostats and appliances do not require one.
Gas furnaces are not listed among the eligible upgrades. The money in this program is pointed at heat pumps, insulation and solar rather than conventional heating replacement.
The Home Renovation Savings program pays up to $12,000 for heat pumps, up to $10,000 for solar and battery storage, up to $7,700 for insulation, $1,250 for attic insulation alone, $100 per rough opening for windows and doors, $500 for a heat pump water heater, up to $250 for air sealing and $125 for a smart thermostat.
Sources
- Home Renovation Savings, official program site — homerenovationsavings.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- Save on Energy, Home Renovation Savings — saveonenergy.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program — toronto.ca, checked 18 September 2026
Rebate amounts and conditions change. Everything here was read from official sources on 18 September 2026 — confirm before you buy.
More Carpenter Bee guides
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