“The greener homes rebate is a rebate for homeowners who receive $5,000 from the federal government to upgrade their HVAC system from a traditional air conditioner to a cold climate heat pump in order to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Championing the benefits of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative is part of the many roles Rachel Hilling undertakes as a heating and cooling industry veteran. Over the years her role has evolved from HVAC technician to industry leader, consultant and mentor. She has trained thousands of people in the industry and provided one-on-one mentorship to women and minorities.
For Hilling, it’s all about leaving a greater impact on the community through a trade that is in need of new skilled workers. Heating and cooling as an industry is also becoming more aware of the benefits of an equitable and diverse workforce.
Not only is the Canada Greener Homes Initiative a great pitch to consumers looking to upgrade their home heating and cooling systems, but it’s helpful to every party involved and great for the environment.
Natural Resources Canada shared that homeowners who take advantage of the program will get back a portion of their costs for all eligible home retrofits. The amount varies anywhere from $125 to $5,000. Homeowners can also receive up to $600 as a maximum contribution towards the total cost of their pre and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluations.
EnerGuide is the official mark of the Canadian Government for energy performance rating. It helps Canadians shop for energy efficient systems and provides ratings for a variety of products. Providing verified data about a product’s energy performance, it seeks to establish a rating for vehicles, home evaluations, products and even for manufacturers and importers.
The procedure to submit an application for the Canada Greener Homes Grant depends on the province or territory you reside in, but it can all be done through a simple and easy-to-use web portal.
Rachel Hilling says it’s also essential to conduct an energy audit to truly gauge the efficiency of your heating and cooling system as well as your home as a whole.
“I work with an energy auditor,” she adds.
Looking back on the history of the Canadian government’s pursuit of energy efficient heating and cooling systems, Hilling says it’s been happening for a while. Environmental awareness as well as these transitions started over a decade ago, but the government is becoming more serious about it in recent years.
“A traditional system would typically be a gas furnace,” says Hilling.
She goes on to say that approximately within the years between 2007 and 2009, there was an eco energy program, which was a rebate program to convince people to go from mid efficiency furnaces to high efficiency furnaces.
“They ran that for several years, and then they made a mandate in 2010 that no more mid efficiency furnaces can be sold in Canada,” says Hilling.
“There is a really big push right now to offer these rebates to go from air conditioner to cold climate heat pumps, but we feel the government is going to do the exact same thing they did with furnaces and say no more air conditioners across the border and that any cooling pieces must have a heat pump component.”
It’s for these reasons and so many more that Hilling is encouraging people to adopt greener technology if they can manage it. Using the rebate program and maximizing the efficiency of your cooling system is a great decision that offers various cost benefits and incentives over time.
In the meantime, Rachel Hilling continues to share timely advice about the heating and cooling industry as well as about HVAC systems and their components on her personal website.
To learn more about the Canada Greener Homes Initiative or to apply, you can visit the official link on the Government of Canada website.
