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Waterloo Region home energy rebates and loans

Waterloo Region homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 for a heat pump and other upgrades through the region’s RetrofitWR. Most Waterloo Region homes heat with natural gas, so Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program pays up to $2,000 for an air-source heat pump (up to $7,500 if you heat with electricity, oil or propane). The federal National Heat Pump Rebate will add $2,000, or up to $10,000 below the median income, once it opens.

Waterloo Region takes in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge and four rural townships. Most homes heat with natural gas, supplied in Kitchener by the City-owned Kitchener Utilities and elsewhere by Enbridge Gas.

Programs last verified

A 1950s storey-and-a-half brick house in Cambridge, Ontario, with a ducted heat pump beside the driveway.

Waterloo Region at a glance

Waterloo Region’s own programs
1 current
Air-source heat pump, gas-heated home
$2,000$7,500 if heated by electricity, oil or propane
Heat pump financing
Up to $40,000
Current programs that apply here
12 local, Ont. and federal

Waterloo Region’s own programs

Only for homes inside the region (Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, Woolwich).

  • OpenMunicipal

    RetrofitWR

    GrandBridge Energy customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries can borrow up to $40,000 at 2.5% for home energy retrofits, repaid on their monthly hydro bill, plus heat pump and income-qualified incentives. Free energy coaching is open to homeowners across Waterloo Region.

    $40,000

    max loan

    Loan
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenUtility

    Kitchener Utilities Natural Gas Rebates

    Kitchener Utilities, the City of Kitchener's own gas utility, gives its residential customers a $75 bill credit for a smart thermostat and a $500 bill credit for upgrading to a condensing gas water heater.

    $575

    max rebate

    Rebate
    Last verified October 17, 2026

How RetrofitWR works

Open

RetrofitWR is the Region of Waterloo's home energy retrofit program, running from 2026 to 2030 with funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund. It started on May 27, 2026. Loans of up to $40,000 carry a 2.5% fixed rate over 10 or 15 years, and repayments are added to your monthly GrandBridge Energy electricity bill. The project must be worth at least $10,000 and cut energy use by at least 25%. Up to 40% of approved costs can be paid out before the work starts.

What it pays
Up to $40,000 · Loan
  • Home energy retrofit loan (repaid on GrandBridge Energy bill)Up to $40,000 at 2.5% fixed, 10- or 15-year terms
  • Ducted air-source heat pump$2,500
  • Ductless mini-split heat pump$1,000 per unit, up to $2,500
  • Income-qualified energy savings incentive$1,000 (25–30% savings) to $3,000 (50%+ savings)
Who qualifies
  • Loans: you must be a GrandBridge Energy customer in Waterloo Region (Cambridge and North Dumfries), be up to date on your energy bills and have a good credit score.
  • You own a single-detached home, townhome, duplex or row house up to three storeys that is someone's full-time primary residence. Some landlords may qualify.
  • The retrofit must cut energy use by at least 25%, with at least 70% of costs going to energy efficiency work.
  • Free energy coaching is open to eligible homeowners anywhere in Waterloo Region, including those not served by GrandBridge Energy.
Steps, in order
  1. Fill in the Get started form at retrofitwr.ca. Eligibility decisions usually take up to 10 business days.
  2. Work with your energy coach and book a pre-retrofit home energy assessment (you pay about $500 to $700 up front).
  3. Sign the loan agreement with the Region of Waterloo, then complete the upgrades with qualified contractors within 12 months.
  4. Finish a post-retrofit assessment and submit receipts. Repayments start on your GrandBridge Energy bill.
Energy assessment
Yes, before work starts
Run by
Region of Waterloo (with GrandBridge Energy and Reep Green Solutions)
Official RetrofitWR page(opens in a new tab)Full details and sourcesVerified

What an air-source heat pump can get in Waterloo Region

Every rebate you could combine for an air-source heat pump in Waterloo Region, with the region’s programs counted, if you qualify for each. Each program has its own rules about equipment, contractors and pre-approval, so treat this as the most you could get, not a quote.

Heat pump rebates in Ontario

Heat pump · Waterloo Region

As of October 19, 2026

Heat pump rebates available in Waterloo Region, stacked
ProgramUp to
Provincial
Home Renovation Savings ProgramCold-climate air-source heat pump (home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood)$7,500
Open today, up toProgram maximums for an air-source heat pump if you qualify for each. Loans are listed separately and never added.$7,500
When the National Heat Pump Rebate opens (not open yet)+ $2,000
Ground-source (geothermal) heat pump instead (open programs)up to $12,000

Financing

Repayable, never added to the total

Ontario and federal programs that also apply

These cover homes across Ontario or Canada, so they stack on top of the region’s own programs.

Federal programs

Run by the Government of Canada. These apply everywhere.

5 programs

  • OpenFederal

    Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit

    A refundable federal tax credit worth up to $7,000 for 2026 ($7,250 for 2025) for building a self-contained secondary unit so a senior or an adult with a disability can live with a relative.

    $7,000

    max credit

    Tax credit
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenFederal

    Electric Vehicle Affordability Program

    A point-of-sale discount of up to $5,000 on a new battery-electric or fuel-cell vehicle (up to $2,500 for plug-in hybrids), applied by the dealer. Amounts drop starting in 2027.

    $5,000

    max discount

    Instant discount
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenFederal

    Home Accessibility Tax Credit

    A non-refundable federal tax credit on up to $20,000 a year of renovations that make a home safer or more accessible for a senior or a person with a disability, worth up to $2,800 for 2026 ($2,900 for 2025).

    $2,800

    max credit

    Tax credit
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenFederal

    Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program

    Federally funded, no-cost home energy upgrades for low- and median-income homeowners and tenants. You apply through your province's or utility's partner program, not through Ottawa.

    Free

    Free upgrade
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • UpcomingFederal

    National Heat Pump Rebate

    A new federal rebate announced on October 8, 2026 that will pay $2,000 toward an eligible cold-climate air-source heat pump, or up to $10,000 for households below the median income. Applications are not open yet.

    $2,000

    max rebate

    Up to $10,000 if income-qualified

    Rebate
    Last verified October 12, 2026

Ontario programs

Run by the provincial or territorial government or its energy agency.

3 programs

  • OpenProvincial

    Home Renovation Savings Program

    Ontario's main home-retrofit rebate program. You can claim single upgrades such as a heat pump, attic insulation, solar with a battery, a smart thermostat or ENERGY STAR appliances without an energy assessment, or do an assessment and two or more upgrades for envelope rebates.

    $12,000

    max rebate

    Rebate
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenProvincial

    Peak Perks

    Get $75 for enrolling an eligible smart thermostat that controls central air or a heat pump, then $20 for each year you stay enrolled. On a few hot weekday afternoons, your cooling is adjusted slightly.

    $75

    max rebate

    Rebate
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • OpenProvincial

    Energy Affordability Program

    Income-qualified Ontario electricity customers can get free energy upgrades. These range from free saving kits to a full home visit that can include new appliances, insulation, draft-proofing and, for electric or oil-heated homes, a cold-climate heat pump.

    Free

    Free upgrade
    Last verified October 12, 2026

Utility programs

Offered by electricity and gas utilities to their own customers.

2 programs

  • OpenUtility

    Home Winterproofing Program

    Income-qualified households heated by Enbridge natural gas can get a free home energy assessment, plus free insulation, draft-proofing and a smart thermostat where needed.

    Free

    Free upgrade
    Last verified October 12, 2026
  • Closing soonUtility

    myEnergy Rewards

    Hydro One customers in eligible postal codes can get a $100 prepaid card for enrolling a compatible smart thermostat in its demand-response program. The current offer ends November 30, 2026, or earlier if spots run out.

    $100

    max rebate

    Rebate
    Last verified October 12, 2026

Good to know in Waterloo Region

Who supplies energy here

  • GrandBridge EnergyElectricity (Cambridge, North Dumfries)
  • Enova PowerElectricity (Kitchener, Waterloo, townships)
  • Kitchener UtilitiesNatural gas (Kitchener)
  • Enbridge GasNatural gas (rest of the region)

Utility rebates only go to that utility’s customers. Check the name on your bill.

Loans depend on your hydro bill
RetrofitWR loans are only for GrandBridge Energy customers for now, which means Cambridge and North Dumfries. Coaching is free for homeowners anywhere in the region.
Pay it off before you move
RetrofitWR repayments are on your GrandBridge bill, and the balance has to be paid in full before you close the account.

Rebates by upgrade in Waterloo Region

Totals include the region’s programs where they pay for that upgrade. Each link opens the full Ontario breakdown.

Waterloo Region rebate questions

Answers are generated from the programs above, so they change when the programs do.

Yes. As of October 19, 2026, the region’s RetrofitWR offers low-interest financing of up to $40,000.

Up to $7,500 for an air-source heat pump today, through Home Renovation Savings Program, if your home and equipment qualify. If your home is heated by natural gas, Home Renovation Savings Program pays up to $2,000 instead. A ground-source (geothermal) system can reach $12,000. The National Heat Pump Rebate will add $2,000 (up to $10,000 below the median income) once it opens; it isn’t open yet. Financing is separate and never counted: RetrofitWR (up to $40,000).

Programs run by different levels of government usually stack, but RetrofitWR doesn’t list specific programs it combines with. Check each program’s rules for the same upgrade before you count on both.

Loans: you must be a GrandBridge Energy customer in Waterloo Region (Cambridge and North Dumfries), be up to date on your energy bills and have a good credit score. You own a single-detached home, townhome, duplex or row house up to three storeys that is someone's full-time primary residence. Some landlords may qualify. The retrofit must cut energy use by at least 25%, with at least 70% of costs going to energy efficiency work. Full rules are on the official program page.

Fill in the Get started form at retrofitwr.ca. Eligibility decisions usually take up to 10 business days. Work with your energy coach and book a pre-retrofit home energy assessment (you pay about $500 to $700 up front). Sign the loan agreement with the Region of Waterloo, then complete the upgrades with qualified contractors within 12 months. The program page lists the remaining steps.

Yes. Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, Energy Affordability Program and Home Winterproofing Program offer free or enhanced support to income-qualified households. Income limits depend on household size.

GrandBridge Energy: electricity (Cambridge, North Dumfries); Enova Power: electricity (Kitchener, Waterloo, townships); Kitchener Utilities: natural gas (Kitchener); Enbridge Gas: natural gas (rest of the region). Utility programs only apply to that utility’s own customers, so check whose name is on your bill.

Other Ontario places with their own programs

See Ontario rebates

Get up to 3 quotes from installers in Waterloo Region

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Free, no obligation. We pass your request to up to 3 independent installers who serve your area and, where a program requires it, are registered with it.

  1. 1. Your project
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Step 1 of 2: your project

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We use it to find installers who serve your area.

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What kind of home is it?Optional
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