Ecoenergy

infobox_software
name = ecoENERGY Program

Country = Canada
Department = Natural Resources Canada
Website = [http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm?attr=4#eligible NRCan] Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's) ecoENERGY Retrofit program provides financial support to homeowners, small and medium-sized businesses, public institutions and industrial facilities to help them implement energy saving projects that reduce energy-related greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollution, thereby contributing to a cleaner environment for all Canadians.

Residential

ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes is available to owners of single family homes including detached, semi-detached and low rise multi-unit residential buildings. Property owners can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, and reducing their home's impact on the environment. The maximum grant one can receive per home or multi-unit residential building is $5,000; whereas the total grant amount available to one individual or entity for eligible properties over the life of the program is $500,000.

While the maximum grant that a residential homeowner can get is $5,000, it depends on the specific renovations that the homeowner does. Specific examples of home improvements, and the amount of grant money available are:

* Upgrading heating system (up to $3,500)
* Upgrade water heater (up to $500)
* Install insulation in exterior walls (up to $1,500)

Currently, six provincial governments offer home improvement grants that complement the federal ecoENERGY Retrofit program. Those provinces are: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. In some cases (such as Ontario), the provincial government matches the federal ecoENERGY grant dollar-for-dollar.

The steps that residential homeowners have to follow to get the ecoENERGY Retrofit grant are as follows:

(1) Have an energy audit done on your home (the Natural Resource Canada website has a list of certified energy auditors, based on location). The energy audit will detail which areas of your home would benefit from energy-efficiency improvements, and will assign a score to your home's energy efficiency. (2) Do the renovations to make your home more energy-efficient.(3) Have a post-renovation energy audit done. This will determine your home's new energy efficiency score. (4) The energy auditor will send the report to Natural Resources Canada. Natural Resources Canada will then send you a cheque. If there is a complementary provincial grant program, Natural Resources Canada will contact the relevant provincial department automatically, and you will be sent a cheque from the provincial government, as well.

Commercial

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency now offers the ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Buildings, the commercial/institutional component of the ecoENERGY Retrofit financial incentives for existing homes, buildings and industrial processes. If you have not yet started a new energy efficiency project, you could receive the lesser of $10 per gigajoule of estimated energy savings or 25 percent of eligible project costs.

Industrial

NRCan will provide a financial incentive of up to 25 percent of project costs to a maximum of $50,000 per application and $250,000 per corporate entity to help small- and medium-sized industrial facilities implement energy-saving projects.

ee also

*EnerGuide for New Houses
*EnerGuide
*EnerGuide for Houses

External links

* [http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/index-eng.cfm ecoENERGY Initiative] - Using Less, Living Better
* [http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm?attr=4#eligible Natural Resources Canada: Home Retrofit Grant Information]
* [http://www.co2re.ca/Default.asp Carbon Dioxide Reduction Edmonton]
* [http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/grants-residential.cfm?attr=4#assessment Natural Resources Canada] : Assessment Ratings
* [http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/retrofit-summary.cfm Natural Resources Canada: Office of Energy Efficiency – ecoENERGY Retrofit]
* [http://ShowMeTheGreen.ca ShowMeTheGreen.ca - Canadian Grants and Rebates for Home Improvements]