Need-to-know advice before you start home energy renos

With winter approaching and a potential nine per cent power rate hike in the forecast for spring, many people are thinking about how to save on their electricity bills.

Heat pump installers and energy efficiency advocates say it's a good time to make energy-saving home improvements.

CBC News spoke with the people who run government incentive programs to find out what help is available and how to get it.

Here's the run-down.

Enhanced Energy Savings Program

Who can get it:

Live-in homeowners with a total household income of less than $70,000.

It doesn't matter if:

• You receive benefits from Social Development.
• You've already used theTotal Home Energy Savings program or started an application to it.

What it covers:

• Insulation.
• Air sealing.
• Heat pumps.

All as recommended by the energy advisor working for the program, Greenfoot Energy Solutions.

How much it pays:

The total cost of the upgrades. It's budgeted for about 2,000 households per year.

How to get it:

1. Apply through the saveenergynb.ca website orcall N.B. Power.
2. An energy consultant will recommend upgrade options and N.B. Power must approve.
3. Greenfoot looks after the rest.

Total Home Energy Savings Program

Who can get it:

Any homeowner in the province with any income level and any type of heating system.

The house:

• Can besingle-family dwelling, detached, side-by-side, row house or mobile home on a permanent foundation.
• Mustbe finished with siding and covered walls and have a kitchen, a bathroom, insulation and a heating system.
• Must be a maximum of three stories and less than6,458 square feet.

The program can be used:

• Multiple times.
• In addition to the Enhanced Energy Savings Program, either before or after completing that program.

What it covers:

• Heat pump space heaters.
• Energy Star oil or gas boilers or furnaces.
• High efficiency pellet stoves, boilers, furnaces and fireplace inserts, propane or natural gas fireplace inserts and wood stoves.
• Energy Star gas water heaters.
• Drain water heat recovery.
• Heat pump water heaters.
• Energy Star windows, doors and skylights.
• Heat recovery ventilators.
• Energy Star variable-speed pool pumps.
• Solar water heaters.
• Solar power systems.
• Air sealing.

How much it pays:

A set amount to defray part of the cost of each eligible item.

Examples:

• $0.40 to $3 per square foot of insulation, varying by section of house and resulting R-value improvement.
• $50 for a window.
• $400 for a mini split heat pump.
• $500 for an oil furnace.
• Up to $550 for a 25 per cent reduction in air leakage.
• $2,000 for a geothermal heat pump.

The average homeowner who goes through the program gets about $1,700, said Beth Pollock, N.B. Power's senior manager of Efficiency Services, but there's no set limit.

Some get $10,000, depending on how much work isdone.

How to get it:

1. Fill out an application on the saveenergynb.ca website or contact N.B. Power.You canchoose from among the three approved EnerGuide home assessment providers (Enercheck Solutions, Homesol Building Solutions and ThermalWise Green Building Co-operative), or opt for "no preference."
2. Within about two weeks someone will come to your home to see what upgrades are needed. The audit costs $100-$200, depending on whether you're applying both provincially and federally.
3. Choose your upgrades and your contractor and get the work done.
4. Get a follow-up audit to measure theimprovement and showyour receipts. A rebate will besent to you by e-transfer, direct deposit or mail.

Canada Greener Homes Grant

Who can get it:

Live-in Canadian homeowners who:

• Get an EnerGuide evaluation before beginning any retrofits or have one that's been done since April 1, 2020.
• Have a homeolder than six months.
• Live in a detached house, a semi-detached or a multi-unit residential building.

*Note: If you got a previous federal rebate for a heat pump, you could still qualify for a grant to upgrade your system.

What it covers:

• Air sealing.
• Insulation.
• Windows and doors.
• Smart thermostats (in combination with another improvement).
• Heat pump space heaters.
• Heat pump water heaters.
• Solar power panels and inverter systems.
• Batteries to store solar energy.
• Roofing membrane.
• Basement wall waterproofing.
• Crawl space moisture proofing.

* Multi-unit residential buildings larger than two units aren't covered for heat pumps or thermostats.

How much it pays:

Grants of $125 to $5,000, with smaller maximum amounts for some of the various types of improvements.

Examples:

• Up to $250 for each door or window.
• Up to $1,000 per kw of solar power system capacity.
• Up to $2,500 for a mini-split heat pump.
• Anadditional payment of up to $600 for the before and after energy evaluations.

The program is budgeted for 700,000 grants over seven years. As of last winter there had been more than 182,000 applications.

How to get it:

1. Fill out an application on the Natural Resources Canada website or, if necessary, call 1-833-674-8282 or TTY: 1-800-465-7735.
2. Have your EnerGuide evaluation through the provincial network of energy advisors.
3. Get at least one thing done that's been recommended for energy savings.
4. Request a post-retrofit home energy evaluation.
5. Submit your receipts, but hold on to copies.

Canada Greener Homes Loan

Who is eligible:

• Same group eligible for Greener Homes Grant program (see above).
• Indigenous groups.

*Note, you can't get approved if the work has already started.

What is covered:

The same type of upgrades listed in the Canada Greener Homes Grant program, as recommended through an EnerGuide evaluation.

How much is available:

An interest-free loan of $5,000 to $40,000, repayable over 10 years. A maximum of one loan is available per eligible property. Up to 15 per cent can be available up front for contractor down payments, if needed, 25 per cent for Indigenous groups.

How to get it:

1. Begin through the Greener Homes Grant portal on the Natural Resources Canada website orcall 1-866-292-9517.
2. After your home energy audit has been done, you'll be given the option to apply for a loanthrough the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or for a grant or a combination of the two.
3. Once the work is done, get a follow-up energy audit.
4. Upload your receipts.

If you've already been through the grant program, you can still apply for a loan a few months down the road to complete other recommended upgrades, said Abla Hanna, director general of Energy Efficiency. .

Insider tips for the best experience and highest returns

Fill out the provincial form first,to triggerthe home energy evaluation process. You can use the same audit for the federal program. And you can apply to both at the same time.

If you're buying any supplies or equipment make sure it's approvedfor each program you'd like to use:

• For the federal programs, all equipment must be purchased in Canada.
• For heat pumps, there may be some on the federal list that are not on the provincial one.
• For the federal Greener Homes programs, heat pumps must be able to heat the whole house.

Make sure you use a licensed installer for electrical work and heat pumps.

You need a consent letter from your power company for a solar system connected to the grid.

If you want to get the federal rebate as well as the provincial one, make sure you don't start the work until you're at the approved phase in the Greener Homes process. And check your messages frequently if you're waiting for an approval. Program staff may ask for more information.

Take full advantage of your EnerGuidehome assessment provider for advice on the best upgrades and help navigating the system, said Louise Comeau, director of climate change adaptation with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

Do as much of the recommended work as you can, said Comeau.The process isn't as easy as it could beso you probably wouldn't want to have to go through it again. And the greater the energy savings, the more the renovations shelter you from inflation and pay off over time.

If you want access to the Enhanced Energy Savings Program, apply as soon as possible.There are about 35,000 households that could use it, said Comeau, and at the current funding level they won't all be able to get it.

Applications are approved as they are processed, said Pollock, with a new batch sent to the contracted service provider every few days.She hopes that whatever applications come in can be approved in the next couple of years.