Program Up and Running
So as part of the Budget 2011 there was a mention of restarting the Eco Energy program and the government has now finally restarted the program and you can read more on this link. The first thing you’ll need to do is register with the program and then start following the steps outlined.
The program can get you up to $5000 in rebates it says, but for me, I am just hoping that my windows (which I have already had done) will be allowable. Given the rebate for windows seems to be $40 per raw opening (which sounds very rude to me), I’d be happy to get the $240 back (but then I am wondering how much the Energy audit might cost).
The program seems a little more tuned for folks that are getting big ticket items replaced like Air Conditioners and Furnaces and such, but still a worthwhile program to investigate, free money is always a good thing, and if it is the government giving it to you, so much the better.
The program is due to last until March 31, 2012, but they also mention that it could be discontinued sooner than that, so you might want to get moving on this one, and make sure you get your grants, while the getting is good.
If you wander through the Grant Table you will find some wild and interesting retrofits that get some major pay backs (but I suspect they are mighty expensive too).
- If you put in a ground earth-energy system you can get up to $4300, which isn’t too bad.
- Solar hot water heating system you can get $1250
- If you get the right furnace you are getting over $500 too, so that is great.
Go find out how much your Energy Audit might cost and then get yourself some of this free money!
Thanks for the heads up I thought all the rebates were gone but I still need an energy audit.
Great ideas! I have an older home in the USA and will be doing some eco-upgrades in the near future, but right now is not a time when I’m able to invest much money in anything, but my writing. Thanks for the great article. Sally
Solar hot water is awesome. Do It!
The audit is about $300-$350 and the follow up test $150. In the past the govt rebated $150.
There is definitely a start and end date – so the $10k of work we did in 2010 won’t count. (we got the ON rebate, but the good ol PC party isn’t retroactively reimbursing those they screwed over when they prematurely cancelled the original program). They sure find ways to lose my vote.
When I did the ecoEnergy audit, they had to do a test before and after the install. The cost of the audit was $400 (but about half of this was rebated). If the system still works about the same way, it sounds like you won’t get any value out of it. It can’t hurt to check it out, though.
Indeed, will have to look into it, maybe if I install a geo-thermal heating system?
I took advantage of the EcoEnergy a couple of years ago and it was well worth my time and money! No I was in the situation where my house had been built in the early 40s and while many cosmetic upgrades had been done, little had been done to make it a more efficient house – in fact, the brand new windows were leaking like seives while the originals were holding strong…
My worst problem was that it turned out there was no insulation in my walls… at all… Yikes! No wonder it was costing me $650 a month for oil!!!
Anyway, long story short I received almost $5,000 back, spent a total of $10,000 (so close to 50% savings) and am saving massive amounts of money on heating and water. Well worth it!
As for being credited for the windows you have already installed… Probably not.
Luckily we have about 8 more windows to still install, but I have to find the money to do that… hmm….