ecoENERGY Program Expanded

You might have thought the federal government was done trying to encourage you to work around the house. Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, announced that grants under the ecoENERGY–Retrofit Homes program will increase by 25 per cent.

As regular readers of this site know, the ecoENERGY program involves an energy assessment of your home, which then makes you eligible for grants through the Ministry of Natural Resources for energy-efficient upgrades. The maximum grant available to a household is $5,000.

Now, the maximum grant isn’t changing, but the $300 million going into the program is supposed to get 200,000 homeowners participating in ecoENERGY over the next two years.

Credit: m.gifford/Flickr

The plan is also to generate $2.4 billion in economic activity: producing financial green for Canadians as they go eco-green. While the maximum grant stays the same, there will still be more money available to eligible applicants, or as the MNR explains on its site:

With the 25 percent increase in grants, the program will cover a larger share of the cost incurred by homeowners who carry out retrofits that improve energy efficiency. For example, the eligible grant for a high-efficiency gas furnace will increase to $625 from $500.; Remember, the ecoENERGY program can be combined with the new Home Renovation Tax Credit for further rebates. And don’t delay. With classic infomercial-speak, the ministry says this is a “limited-time offer.”

To qualify, homeowners must first have a pre-retrofit energy evaluation by a certified evaluator and a post evaluation following the renovations. Funds are available for a limited time (to March 31, 2011) and are subject to availability. Homeowners are encouraged to apply early.
For more information, visit the ecoENERGY website.

There you have it. What are you waiting for?


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