Home Renovation Savings Program: The Complete Ontario Guide

The Home Renovation Savings Program (HRS) is Ontario's main incentive program for homeowners making energy upgrades. It is jointly delivered by Save on Energy, the conservation brand of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), and Enbridge Gas, and it launched in January 2025. It covers heat pumps, insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, smart thermostats, appliances, heat pump water heaters, and rooftop solar with battery storage.

Energy Efficiency Ontario is an independent information site and is not affiliated with Save on Energy, the IESO or Enbridge Gas. The figures below are as published by the program in mid-2026. Programs change, sometimes with little notice, so confirm every amount, eligibility rule and deadline on saveonenergy.ca before you sign a contract or start work.

Who is eligible

According to Save on Energy, the program is for:

Owner-occupied homes in Ontario.
Low-rise residential buildings (detached, semi-detached, townhouses and similar).
Homes occupied for at least six months of the year.

Specific measures carry additional conditions, such as equipment being on the program's qualified-products list, installation by a participating contractor, or the home's primary heating fuel. Many incentive amounts depend on whether your home is heated by natural gas or by another fuel (electricity, oil, propane or wood, for example).

The main ways to participate

Route	Assessment needed?	What it covers	Key conditions
Product route	No	Smart thermostats, ENERGY STAR appliances	Eligible models; claim after purchase
Standalone insulation	No	Attic insulation only	Eligible installation and documentation
Heat pump route	No energy assessment	Air-source and ground-source heat pumps	Participating contractor; pre-installation approval; qualified products
Assessment stream	Yes, pre- and post-retrofit	Insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, heat pump water heater, assessment completion	At least two upgrades; combined caps apply
Solar and battery	Program-specific	Rooftop solar plus battery storage	Rebated systems cannot use net metering

Full measure and incentive table

Amounts as published mid-2026. "Gas-heated" means natural gas is the home's primary heating fuel.

Measure	Route	Gas-heated homes	Non-gas-heated homes	Notes
Cold-climate air-source heat pump (owned)	Heat pump	$500 per ton, up to $2,000	$1,250 per ton, up to $7,500	Pre-approval and participating contractor required
Ground-source heat pump (owned)	Heat pump	$3,000 flat	$2,000 per ton, up to $12,000	Pre-approval and participating contractor required
Rooftop solar + battery storage	Solar/battery	Up to $10,000 combined (reported as up to $5,000 solar and up to $5,000 battery)	Same	Load displacement only; no net metering for life of system
Standalone attic insulation	No assessment	Up to $1,250	Up to $1,250	Attic only
Smart thermostat	Product	$100	$100	Eligible models
ENERGY STAR appliances (e.g., fridges, washers, dryers, induction cooktops)	Product	Up to $200	Up to $200	Eligible models
Insulation (assessment stream)	Assessment	Within $5,000 overall cap	Up to $7,700	Check the program's measure list for amounts by area
Windows and doors	Assessment	$100 per rough opening	$100 per rough opening	Qualifying products
Heat pump water heater	Assessment	$500	$500
Air sealing	Assessment	Up to $250	Up to $250	Measured by blower door test
Assessment completion	Assessment	$600	$600	Paid when pre- and post-retrofit assessments are complete
Assessment stream combined maximum	Assessment	$5,000	$10,000	At least two upgrades required

Note: Incentives for heat pumps are based on the equipment's rated capacity in tons (1 ton = 12,000 Btu/h, about 3.5 kW). The total of all funding for a measure cannot exceed 100% of its cost.

How the heat pump route works

Choose a participating contractor. The contractor must be registered with the program. Ask to see confirmation, and confirm they hold the right credentials: TSSA registration and licensed gas technicians if gas work is involved, refrigerant handling certification (ODP), and an ESA permit for electrical work. HRAI membership is a useful additional signal.
Get a proper sizing calculation. A room-by-room heat loss calculation, not a rule of thumb. See our heat pumps guide.
Obtain pre-installation approval. This must happen before work starts. Installing first and applying afterward can make you ineligible.
Install qualified equipment. The model must be on the program's qualified-products list.
Submit post-installation documents. According to the program, the contractor must submit them within 30 days of installation.

For gas-heated homes, the heat pump incentive is relatively modest. Since the federal carbon charge on natural gas was removed in April 2025, the operating-cost case for a heat pump in a gas-heated home is narrower than it was. A hybrid system that keeps the gas furnace for the coldest days is often a sensible middle ground. Our heat pump vs furnace calculator can help you compare.

For homes heated by electric baseboards, oil or propane, the larger incentives combined with much lower running costs usually make a heat pump compelling.

How the assessment stream works

Book a pre-retrofit EnerGuide assessment with a Registered Energy Advisor through a licensed service organization.
Review the report and choose at least two eligible upgrades.
Complete the work with qualified contractors and keep invoices and product details.
Book the post-retrofit assessment so the advisor can verify the upgrades and run a second blower door test.
Receive incentives once the file is processed, up to the combined cap.

2026 deadlines

According to reported program information, for the assessment stream in 2026:

The post-retrofit assessment must be scheduled by 30 November 2026.
Work must be complete within 180 days of the pre-assessment or by 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.

If you have not yet had a pre-retrofit assessment, starting this stream now leaves very little time. Contact a service organization immediately and ask what is realistic, and confirm on saveonenergy.ca whether any extension or new intake has been announced.

Read more in our home energy assessment guide.

The solar and battery catch

HRS offers up to $10,000 toward rooftop solar plus battery storage. The important condition: according to the program, systems receiving this rebate operate as load displacement and cannot enrol in net metering for the life of the system. Excess electricity exported to the grid is not credited.

Under Ontario's net metering rules (O. Reg. 541/05), exports earn kWh credits at the retail commodity value that roll forward for up to 12 months. Giving up net metering means any solar output you do not use or store immediately has no value to you. An analysis by The Atmospheric Fund in July 2026 argued that many homeowners would be better off keeping net metering than taking the rebate. Whether that is true for you depends on your usage pattern, battery size and price plan. See our solar rebate vs net metering guide and solar savings calculator.

Stacking and limits

A heat pump that has received another Enbridge, IESO or Government of Ontario incentive is not eligible for HRS.
Total funding from all sources cannot exceed 100% of the cost.
The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant (closed to new applicants in early 2024) and Greener Homes Loan (closed to new applications in fall 2025) are no longer available for new projects.
Income-qualified households may get more support through other programs. See our income-qualified programs guide and stacking guide.

Common mistakes to avoid

Starting heat pump installation before pre-approval is confirmed.
Choosing a contractor who is not a program participant.
Buying equipment not on the qualified-products list.
Missing the post-retrofit assessment window.
Assuming a door-to-door salesperson is "from the program". Never rely on a salesperson's claim of program affiliation; verify a contractor's participation independently through saveonenergy.ca. See our door-to-door scams guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can landlords or tenants apply?

The program as described is for owner-occupied homes. Tenants and landlords of rental properties should check saveonenergy.ca for any separate offerings.

How long do rebate payments take?

Processing times vary. Keep copies of every invoice, approval and assessment report so you can follow up if needed.

Can I do the work myself?

Some product-route items can be self-installed. Heat pumps require a participating contractor. Insulation and other assessment-stream measures should be documented to the program's requirements; check before doing DIY work.

What if the program changes after I start?

Ask the program, in writing, whether your pre-approval or booked pre-assessment secures the terms in effect at that time. Our rebate finder can help you see what else may apply, but the official site is the final word.