The Government’s Greener Homes Initiative Offers $5000 Worth Grant
July 15, 2022
Undeniably, inflation is on the rise in the world at this very moment. With the scary steep
The struggle is inevitable, and the only workable remedy is saving in any form for the time being.
Fortunately, the federal government has once again renewed its Greener Homes initiative and has invited countrywide applications for its unique grant and interest-free loans. The government understands that in the current situation, minimizing costs is one of the biggest concerns for every home and business owner. Since a considerable amount of a family’s income is spent on energy bills, the government sought out cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions to the problem.
As Saskatchewan’s reputed and highly rated solar power contractors, we believe it is our duty to help the local community make the most of this grant opportunity. For this reason, today’s blog post will discuss the federal government’s greener home initiative, relevant grants and reliefs, and their eligibility criteria.
Read Also: Rebates, Grants & Incentives Available For Solar In Canada
About Canada’s Greener Homes Program
In light of the rising energy costs and the detrimental consequences of fuel-driven heating and cooling products to the environment, the Canadian government has sought out a unique solution. Launched in May 2021, this seven-year program aimed to reduce the country’s carbon footprint to around zero percent by 2050.
Since buildings (including residences) make up for 18% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the idea is to encourage energy-efficient home upgrades, which ultimately will result in massive savings on energy bills.
In numbers, the program structure is as follows:
- A seven-year program duration
- Total program value of $2.6 billion
- Creation of 110 000 direct and indirect jobs in the relevant sectors
- 700 000 total grants
As of January 2022, the total applications received for the grants amounted to about 183,000, and $1 Million has already been disbursed to various eligible homeowners. In light of the extremely positive response from the public, the government has streamlined its processes even further to make it easier for the public to apply for the loan.
Some broad enhancement initiatives include:
- Recruitment of more staff for faster application processing.
- Reduction of response time to four weeks.
- Speedier disbursement of grants.
- Making underserved, remote, rural, and hard-to-reach areas more accessible to energy advisors.
- Increasing the overall number of energy advisors.
Eligible Retrofits And Grant Values
Broadly, this program provides the following perks:
- For all eligible retrofits, including the installation of solar panels, home insulations, new windows, thermostats, heating systems, etc, a grant between $125 to $5000 is available.
- You can expect a cost contribution of up to $600 for retrofit EnerGuide home evaluations.
- An interest-free loan with an easy ten-year term and principal amount of $5000 to $40 000 is also available to assist you in major home retrofits.
For detailed information regarding the eligible retrofits, click here.
The Grant Process
Based on the public’s feedback and the enhancements, the government has further streamlined the grant process for your ease. The application and administration process has been divided into five easy steps as follows:
1. Check Your Eligibility
As expected, the first step is to evaluate your eligibility and the requirements of the program. If you are a first-time applicant, click here to check your eligibility . Contrarily, existing applicants simply need to log in through their grant portal.
2. Register For The Retrofit Pre-Retrofit EnerGuide Evaluation
In this step, you will first register on Canada Greener Homes Grant Portal and then undergo a mandatory pre-retrofit evaluation. An NRCan registered energy advisor will perform this evaluation.
3. Prepare The Necessary Documentation And Implement The Retrofit
Based on the evaluation and the recommendations, you will work out the retrofits that best suit your budget and implement them.
4. Undergo A Post-Retrofit EnerGuide Evaluation And Apply For The Grant
After the implementation of the recommendations, a post-retrofit evaluation of your home will be necessary to analyze how energy-efficient your home has become.
5. Receive The Grant
Lastly, you will be requested to confirm your grant amount, and the cheque will be released to you in the mail.
About Sundawg Solar
For years we have been tirelessly working toward making Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole a better living place through the provision of energy-efficient and eco-friendly solutions. Learn more about Sundawg Solar and our unique solar services.
Want to save on your energy bills? Contact us now.