HRSP heat pump rebate by heating fuel: $7,500 vs $2,000

Heat pump rebate by heating fuel: electric, gas, oil and propane

For every HRSP rebate and the program’s status, see Home Renovation Savings Program amounts and eligibility. This guide focuses on the heat pump rebate, which is where the rules surprise people most.

The heat pump rebate depends on how the home is mainly heated today. Homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood get the higher per-ton rates. Homes heated by Enbridge natural gas get lower amounts, and so does heat pump equipment that is rented rather than bought. A landlord who buys the equipment for a rental home gets the full rate.

In practice, a 3-ton cold-climate unit earns $3,750 in an oil-heated home and $1,500 in a gas-heated one. Your installer’s heat load calculation sets the tonnage, and the cap applies to bigger systems.

To qualify at all, the home must be:

• Owned by you (landlords apply for rental units).
• Single-detached, semi-detached, row or townhouse, or a mobile home on a permanent foundation. Stacked townhomes are not eligible.
• Mainly heated by natural gas with an active Enbridge Gas account, or connected to the Ontario grid and heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood.

Cornwall Electric customers are generally excluded. Equipment rules matter too: heat pumps must be on NRCan’s qualified list, and windows, doors and heat pump water heaters must be ENERGY STAR certified.

Other HRSP rebates at a glance

Home Renovation Savings replaced Enbridge’s Home Efficiency Rebate Plus in January 2025. It covers owner-occupied and rental homes (landlords apply; tenants can’t). Some offers end in 2026: attic insulation without an assessment must be installed by November 30, 2026; assessment-track follow-up assessments must be booked by November 30 and completed by December 31, 2026; and the smart thermostat offer ends December 31, 2026. No end date has been announced for the heat pump, solar and appliance rebates.

Single upgrades (no assessment needed)

The smart thermostat rebate is $125, one per home, for a thermostat bought, installed and activated by December 31, 2026. Attic insulation without an assessment is tiered by how much insulation you have now: up to $1,250 if it is R-12 or less, $1,000 above R-12 to R-25 and $800 above R-25 to R-35, each brought to R-50. Cathedral ceilings and flat roofs get up to $750 or $650. The rebate is 50% of the after-tax cost, up to the cap, and the insulation must be installed by November 30, 2026. Some older program pages still show $75 or $100 for the thermostat and $1,000 for the attic; confirm on homerenovationsavings.ca before you sign.

With or without an assessment: which track pays more?

The no-assessment track is the quick route for heat pumps, attic insulation, solar with an optional battery, smart thermostats and ENERGY STAR appliances. You claim each upgrade on its own.

The assessment track is for deeper envelope work. A registered energy advisor does a pre-retrofit assessment, you complete at least two recommended upgrades, then the advisor returns for a follow-up. In exchange you get access to wall, basement, crawlspace and floor insulation, windows and doors, air sealing and heat pump water heater rebates, plus $600 toward the assessments.

Assessment-track rebates are capped at $5,000 for homes heated by Enbridge natural gas and $10,000 for homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood. Book the follow-up assessment by November 30, 2026 and have it done by December 31, 2026, within 180 days of your first assessment.

Two more details are easy to miss. Windows need a minimum of three openings, or one door. And the $500 bonus for three or more upgrades only applies if your post-retrofit assessment is dated January 5, 2026 or later. For what happens during an assessment, see our EnerGuide evaluation guide.

Solar and battery rebates under the program

Rooftop solar earns $1,000 per kW up to $5,000, and a battery installed with that new solar system earns up to another $5,000. The rules are stricter than for other upgrades:

• You need written pre-approval before you buy or install anything.
• Systems must be rooftop and load displacement only. Net metering is not allowed, and ground-mounted systems are not eligible.
• The battery must be paired with new solar. Adding a battery to an existing system, including a microFIT system, doesn’t qualify.

Advocacy groups have asked the province to allow net metering and standalone batteries, but no change had been confirmed when we last checked. See solar rebates in every province and home battery rebates to compare Ontario with elsewhere.

Participating contractors and pre-approval

Who does what depends on the upgrade:

• Heat pumps and attic insulation: hire a program-qualified contractor. They submit the rebate application.
• Solar and batteries: get written pre-approval first, then install.
• Assessment track: book the pre-retrofit assessment with a listed service organization before any work starts.
• Smart thermostats and appliances: claim yourself, within 60 days of purchase.

Rebates usually arrive by cheque or Interac e-Transfer (or a bill credit for thermostats) 30 to 60 days after approval.

Stacking with federal programs and Toronto HELP

Three rules govern what you can add on top:

• Rebates from Enbridge, Save on Energy or the Ontario government can’t be stacked on the same heat pump, solar system or attic insulation.
• Heat pump and solar incentives from all sources can’t exceed 100% of the cost. For attic insulation, the cap is 50% of the after-tax cost.
• Municipal loans can generally be combined with HRSP rebates.

One overlap to watch in Ottawa: the city’s limited-time $600 loan reduction for EnerGuide assessments isn’t available if you also receive HRSP’s $600 assessment rebate. Ottawa also lists its own per-ton heat pump incentive, and it isn’t clear whether it combines with HRSP’s, so ask before you count on both.

The new National Heat Pump Rebate is described as stackable with provincial programs, but its rules aren’t final and it isn’t open yet.

How to apply, step by step

1. Go to homerenovationsavings.ca and choose the with-assessment or without-assessment path.
2. For a heat pump or attic insulation, hire a program-qualified contractor, who submits the application.
3. For solar or a battery, get written pre-approval before you buy or install anything.
4. For the assessment track, book the pre-retrofit assessment before starting work, complete two or more upgrades, then book the follow-up.
5. Keep invoices and model numbers. Payment usually arrives 30 to 60 days after approval.