In an announcement released February 5th, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, remarked that the Federal government acknowledged that based on the success of the existing Canada Greener Homes Grant program, they will prepare for the transition of the CGHI and they will stop accepting new applications for the previous Canada Greener Homes Grant program. Those who have already applied for the CGHG will continue to be processed and the hundreds of thousands of energy evaluations will continue.
Since launching the Canada Greener Homes Grant three years ago, the program has helped more than 165,000 Canadians upgrade their homes and save energy. The highest number of applicants have come from Ontario and 82,000 households have purchased heat pumps. Demand for heat pumps has significantly outperformed all other retrofits available through the grant program. The government expects another half million Canadians will be able to upgrade their homes under the continuing initiative. Over the next few years, the government expects to help 250,000 Canadians purchase and install a heat pump through the grant program.
The next phase of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative will complement the ongoing Canada Greener Homes Loans, which continues to provide interest-free loans of up to $40,000, and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) program, which provides grants to oil-heated households who want to make the switch from heating oil to a heat pump. While details have not yet been spelled out, the new version of the program will have a revised approach. As currently delivered, the Greener Homes Grant program is open to Canadian households of all income levels, and while many have had the means to access both the Grant and Loan programs to complete their retrofits, this option still isn’t financially accessible for all Canadians. The next phase of the CGHI will ensure those who may not have the financial means to access it, can do so.
