Ener Guide Grant Program

User Manual:

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Natural Resources

Canada Ressources naturelles

Canada

EnerGuide for Houses

Grants for

Homeowners

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EnerGuide for Houses has been developed

by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural

Resources Canada (NRCan) to help home-

owners like you make home retrofit choices

that improve the comfort and energy

efficiency of your home.

Call in the energy experts

Advisors will show you

how to improve the

comfort of your home

and cut heating and

cooling costs.

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Independent energy advisors are available

to visit your home to identify how your

home uses energy and where it is being

wasted. Advisors will show you how to

improve the comfort of your home and cut

heating and cooling costs while ensuring

adequate ventilation for a healthy indoor

environment for your family.

NRCan has contracted with organizations

across Canada to make the EnerGuide for

Houses service widely available. By partially

subsidizing the delivery of the service, NRCan

has succeeded in keeping the cost to the home-

owner well below market value. The price of

the service varies because local governments

and private sector partners in some regions also

contribute toward the service’s delivery.

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The Government of Canada now provides

grants to homeowners who complete energy

efficiency retrofits based on EnerGuide for

Houses advisors’ recommendations.

The grant amount will depend on a compa-

rison of the pre-retrofit and post-retrofit

EnerGuide for Houses rating of the home.

Only homes that have been evaluated using

the EnerGuide for Houses service will be

eligible for grants.

You can

make a difference

Today, 17 percent of all energy use in Canada goes toward running our

homes. Every time we use energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and

gas we produce greenhouse gas emissions. By using less energy in

our homes, we help reduce the production of the greenhouses gas

emissions that contribute to climate change and harm our environment.

Nowadays, homes that are more than 25 years old have the potential to

save an average of 35 percent of their energy use. Homes that are more

than 50 years old could achieve even greater savings – an average of 38

percent. So far, more than 130 000 homeowners have used EnerGuide for

Houses to help identify and solve home comfort problems and plan their

energy efficiency retrofits. Natural Resources Canada data shows that if these

homeowners undertook all the retrofits recommended, they would reduce their

greenhouse gas emissions by almost 4.6 tonnes per year, per house. They

would also have a head start in meeting Canada’s One-Tonne Challenge –

a challenge proposed to all Canadians to reduce their greenhouse gas

emissions by one tonne per year (see page 14 for the Web site address).

Grants available for

energy efficiency retrofits

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To be eligible for a grant, you must have a pre-

retrofit evaluation done by an EnerGuide for

Houses advisor before starting any renovations, and

you must call your advisor to have a post-retrofit

evaluation done after most or all of the retrofits

have been completed.

How does EnerGuide

for Houses work?

The EnerGuide for Houses service includes

• a detailed energy evaluation of your home

carried out by a specially trained advisor

• a “blower door” test to find air leaks

• a printed report that shows where your energy

dollars are being spent and what you can do to

improve your home’s energy efficiency

• an EnerGuide for Houses rating label that

shows you how energy efficient your home is

compared with others

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Visit the EnerGuide

for Houses Web site or

call our toll-free line

to locate authorized

energy advisors.

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Your advisor will

review your report with

you, explain the details

and answer your

questions.

Your advisor will review your report with you,

explain the details and answer your questions.

EnerGuide for Houses is available across Canada

through a network of licensed organizations.

Simply call to make an appointment. Visit the

EnerGuide for Houses Web site or call our toll-

free line, both noted at the end of this booklet,

to locate authorized energy advisors that serve

your area.

EnerGuide for Houses is not a pre-purchase

home inspection – it deals specifically with

energy efficiency. If you are concerned about

the general condition of your home,

EnerGuide for Houses advisors will recom-

mend that you call a home inspector.

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When should you use

EnerGuide for Houses?

Does your home have comfort problems such as drafts, cold

spots

and frosted windows?

Find the source of these problems and get information about repairing them.

Renovating or retrofitting?

EnerGuide for Houses advisors use state-of-the-art evaluation practices

and can advise on the best modern techniques and types of products.

Upgrading your heating and cooling system?

Energy efficiency improvements can make a difference to the size of

heating and cooling system that your home needs.

Selling your house?

After you’ve made energy efficiency upgrades and comfort improvements

to your home, the revised EnerGuide for Houses label shows potential

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The benefits of

EnerGuide for Houses

Peace of mind

Our energy advisors provide unbiased advice

on how to improve your home’s energy use.

The service is also quality-assured by the

Government of Canada.

Understanding your options

The EnerGuide for Houses service provides

a thorough basement-to-attic assessment of

your home’s energy use. The energy advisor’s

written report will help you to plan retrofits

and estimate the cost of professional

renovations.

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Proof of upgrades

After you have completed energy upgrades,

our experts will provide a second evaluation

and an EnerGuide for Houses rating label that

proves your home’s improved energy use.

Grants toward your retrofit

expenses

Only homes that have had pre- and post-

retrofit evaluations from EnerGuide for

Houses are eligible for grants.

Taking action to prevent

climate change

The use of energy from fossil fuels is a major

cause of greenhouse gas emissions that con-

tribute to climate change. Canadians are

being asked to reduce their greenhouse gas

emissions by one tonne per year through the

One-Tonne Challenge. By using less energy,

you can make your contribution to help

protect our environment.

The energy advisor’s

written report will help

you to plan retrofits and

estimate the cost of pro-

fessional renovations.

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Who is eligible

for grants?

For full details on eligibility, consult your local

EnerGuide for Houses service organization.

You can request a copy of complete eligibility

criteria from NRCan’s toll-free publications

line, or you can view them on-line by visiting

our Web site (see page 14). Here are the main

criteria:

•You can apply for a grant only for a

home that you own, provided it is your

primary residence. This includes detached,

semi-detached and row houses as well as

mobile homes on a permanent foundation.

•Grants are available for work done within

a specific time frame, so it is important to

talk to your local service organization about

the eligibility of your house as soon as you

are ready to plan and undertake your energy

efficiency retrofits.

•Only houses that have pre- and post-

retrofit EnerGuide for Houses ratings will

be eligible, and you will be able to apply

only once per house. To find the name of

an authorized EnerGuide for Houses service

organization in your region, contact NRCan

or visit the EnerGuide for Houses Web site.

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It is you – the

homeowner – who

decides what retrofits

recommended by your

EnerGuide advisor

you wish to under-

take.

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•Eligible homes must meet a certain level of

improvement in order to qualify for a grant.

EnerGuide for Houses advisors will be able

to tell you which retrofits will have the greatest

effect on your home’s efficiency. The greater

the improvement in your home’s energy

efficiency, the more your grant will be.

It is you – the homeowner – who decides what

retrofits recommended by your EnerGuide advi-

sor you wish to undertake. You are responsible

for choosing a contractor and for ensuring that

the work is performed properly. It is important

that you get a detailed written contract between

you and your contractor in order to prevent

problems later on. The EnerGuide for Houses

service does not assess the quality of the work

performed – it evaluates only the retrofit’s

impact on the energy efficiency rating of

your home.

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How do I apply

for a grant?

It’s easy. Your EnerGuide for Houses advisor

will apply for the grant on your behalf after

you have completed energy efficiency retro-

fits and your home has been re-assessed. Your

advisor will prepare the paperwork for you

to sign and will be able to assess exactly how

much you can expect to receive. Your energy

advisor will then forward your application to

NRCan.

Grants will range from about $116 to as much

as $3,348, depending on how much work has

been done. For example, the average Canadian

home rates at 62 on the EnerGuide for Houses

scale and has the potential to improve to a rating

of 73. Improving a house’s energy efficiency by

this amount would result in a grant of approxi-

mately $619. After you have had your initial

evaluation done, you can calculate the amount

of your potential grant by using the grant cal-

culator on our Web site.

You can expect to receive your cheque

within 90 days of your follow-up evaluation.

Your EnerGuide for

Houses advisor will

apply for the grant

on your behalf.

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EnerGuide is more than a name

– it’s a way of life

EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada mark that rates the energy

consumption of products for the home, at work and on the road. Look for the

EnerGuide label on major household appliances, gas fireplaces and room air

conditioners. You can also find EnerGuide ratings printed on the back of

manufacturers’ brochures for furnaces, heat pumps and central air condition-

ers. Many older houses, some new homes and all new vehicles now carry

the EnerGuide label. A good rating is your proof of more efficient energy per-

formance. Read the EnerGuide label and make the energy-efficient choice.

CMHC Refund on Mortgage

Loan Insurance Premiums

Effective November 18, 2004, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

(CMHC) is offering a 10 percent refund on its

mortgage loan insurance premium to homeowners

who borrow money to complete the energy

retrofits recommended in their EnerGuide for

Houses report. Starting January 1, 2005, you

could also extend the time required to repay your

mortgage – from 25 years to a maximum of

35 years. For you to qualify for this refund and

extension, the home’s energy efficiency must be

rated using the EnerGuide for Houses system or

be R-2000 certified and meet certain minimum

requirements. Visit CMHC’s Web site at

www.cmhc.ca or call 1 800 668-2642 for more

information. Your lender will also have details on

this new initiative.

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Schedule your

evaluation today!

EnerGuide for Houses is offered in cooperation with professional

residential energy efficiency organizations across Canada. Call the

EnerGuide for Houses service organization in your area today to find

out the cost of the evaluation and schedule an appointment. For the

name of a service organization in your region, visit our Web site or

call our toll-free publications line.

Web site:

energuideforhouses.gc.ca

One-Tonne Challenge:

climatechange.gc.ca

Publications line:

1 800 387-2000 (toll-free)

995-2943 (National Capital Region)

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ISBN 0-662-34977-6

Cat. No. M144-13/2003E

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2004

Publication date: November 2004

Aussi disponible en français sous le titre :

ÉnerGuide pour les maisons

Subventions aux propriétaires de maison

Learn more

To obtain additional copies of this

or other free publications on energy

efficiency, please contact

Energy Publications

Office of Energy Efficiency

Natural Resources Canada

c/o S.J.D.S.

1770 Pink Road

Gatineau QC J9J 3N7

Tel.: 1 800 387-2000 (toll-free)

995-2943 (National Capital Region)

Fax: (819) 779-2833

Web site: oee.nrcan.gc.ca/infosource

Recycled

paper

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Leading Canadians to Energy Efficiency at Home, at Work and on the Road

The Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada

strengthens and expands Canada’s commitment to energy efficiency

in order to help address the challenges of climate change.

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