Home Renovation Rebate vs Energy Savings Program

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Key facts
Check which one you qualify for
Who each program is for
What each pays
Can you use both?
Honest downsides
Frequently asked questions
Sources

Short answer

Use the Energy Savings Program if your household income is under its limits: it pays more, and covers switching from gas, oil or propane. Otherwise use the Home Renovation Rebate, which pays $4,000 for a whole-home heat pump replacing electric heat. You can't use both for the same upgrade.

Key facts

Home Renovation Rebate Program and CleanBC Energy Savings Program (ground-oriented homes) side by side, from our program database
	HRR	ESP
Status	Open	Open
Run by	BC Hydro and FortisBC, with funding from the Province of B.C. (CleanBC)	Province of B.C. (CleanBC Better Homes), delivered by CLEAResult
How much	Up to $12,500 combined, plus bonuses	Up to $13,000 for a heat pump (up to $16,500 for a combined space and water heat pump)
Heat pump replacing electric heat	$4,000	Level 1 only: up to $5,000
Heat pump replacing gas	Not covered outside northern B.C.	Level 1: up to $13,000 · Level 2: up to $7,000 · Level 3: up to $3,500
Energy assessment first	No	No
Approval before you install	Varies or not stated	Varies or not stated
Income-tested	No	Yes
Lists the other as stackable	No	No
Last verified	October 12, 2026	October 12, 2026

Home Renovation Rebate Program and CleanBC Energy Savings Program (ground-oriented homes) side by side, from our program database

Program data last verified October 12, 2026

Check which one you qualify for

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Who each program is for

The Home Renovation Rebate is open to most homeowners with a residential account at BC Hydro, FortisBC or a listed municipal utility. Its heat pump rebates are for homes heated by electricity (and, in northern B.C., fossil fuels).

The Energy Savings Program is income-tested. Its record lists, for example: Combined pre-tax income of all adults in the home at or below the program limits. Examples: 1 person $51,100 (Level 1) / $63,900 (Level 2) / $102,100 (Level 3); 4 people $94,900 / $118,600 / $189,800; 7 or more $135,100 / $168,900 / $270,200

What each pays

Home Renovation Rebate: heat pump rates
Upgrade	Amount	Good to know
Heat pump, whole-home heating (replacing electric heat)	$4,000	Must meet 100% of the home's heating load at -5°C (or the local design temperature if colder); heat load calculation required. Homes over 1,200 sq ft need a multi-split or central system.
Heat pump, partial-home heating (replacing electric heat)	$1,500	Must meet at least 50% of the home's heating load and serve a main living area.
Heat pump water heater (replacing an electric water heater)	$1,000	Must be Tier 2 or higher on the NEEA qualified product list.
Northern B.C.: heat pump replacing oil, gas or propane heat	Up to $6,000	Homes in 100 Mile House and north on BC Hydro electricity. The fossil-fuel system must be removed. Air-to-water systems also qualify.
Northern B.C.: dual-fuel ducted heat pump	$4,500	For homes heated by Pacific Northern Gas natural gas or propane, or tank propane; the furnace stays as backup.
Northern B.C.: heat pump water heater replacing a fossil-fuel water heater	$1,000

Home Renovation Rebate: heat pump rates. Source: bchydro.com · verified October 12, 2026.

Energy Savings Program: heat pump rates by income level
Upgrade	Amount	Good to know
Heat pump replacing oil heat	Level 1: up to $13,000 · Level 2: up to $7,000 · Level 3: up to $3,500	Central ducted or three-head systems. Single-head mini-split: $7,000 / $5,000 / $3,000; two-head: $11,000 / $5,500 / $3,000. Air-to-water heat pumps get the central ducted amounts.
Heat pump replacing natural gas or propane heat	Level 1: up to $13,000 · Level 2: up to $7,000 · Level 3: up to $3,500	Central ducted or three-head systems. Single-head mini-split: $5,500 / $4,500 / $1,000; two-head: $11,000 / $5,500 / $1,000. The fossil-fuel system must be removed.
Combined space and water heat pump replacing fossil fuel	Level 1: up to $16,500 · Level 2: up to $11,500 · Level 3: up to $7,000	Must be on the program's air-to-water qualified product list.
Dual-fuel ducted heat pump (gas or propane backup)	Tank propane: $12,000 / $5,000 / $3,000 · Pacific Northern Gas: $8,500 / $1,500 / $1,500	Amounts listed for Level 1 / Level 2 / Level 3.
Heat pump replacing electric heat	Level 1 only: up to $5,000	Combined space and water heat pump: up to $8,500. Not available at Levels 2 and 3.
Heat pump replacing wood heat	Level 1: up to $5,000 · Level 2: up to $4,000	Air-to-water: up to $5,000 at both levels; combined space and water: up to $8,500. Not available at Level 3.
Heat pump water heater replacing a gas, propane or oil water heater	Up to $3,500	Same amount at all three levels.
Heat pump water heater replacing an electric water heater	Level 1: up to $3,500 · Level 2: up to $2,800	Not available at Level 3.

Energy Savings Program: heat pump rates by income level. Source: betterhomesbc.ca · verified October 12, 2026.

Can you use both?

Not for the same upgrade. Both records say you can't combine them for the same home or upgrade. Both list the PST exemption on heat pumps and the National Heat Pump Rebate (not open yet) as stackable. Read whether a heat pump is worth it in B.C.

Honest downsides

Home Renovation Rebate: doesn't cover switching from gas outside northern B.C.; condos and strata-account homes are excluded; heat pumps must be installed by a Heat Pump Contractor Network member.
Energy Savings Program: income and home-value limits, and paperwork to prove income. Amounts changed for invoices dated on or after July 6, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Check the Energy Savings Program income limits first. If you're under them, it pays more and covers switching from gas. If not, the Home Renovation Rebate covers heat pumps replacing electric heat, plus insulation and windows.

Outside northern B.C., mainly through the income-qualified Energy Savings Program or FortisBC's income-qualified rebate. The Home Renovation Rebate pays fuel-switching heat pumps only in northern B.C.

Sources

Last updated October 17, 2026. Amounts and rules come from the official program pages below. If something has changed, please tell us.