How investing in your home can actually put more money in your pocket – and reduce your carbon footprint, all at once
Today’s conversation about global warming has created a new green economy based on reducing the use of contributors like fossil fuels and electricity. If you are a homeowner looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, while making a positive impact on your household budget with reduced utility bills, Canada’s Greener Home Grant (CGHG) program offers a variety of options.
The CGHG program offers rebates toward eligible retrofits such as home insulation, new windows and doors, heat pumps, and renewable energy systems.
The program begins with an EnerGuide home evaluation and ends with long-term household savings, rebates, and a report that quantifies the reduction in natural gas use (gigajoules) and energy savings.
Many local companies are certified to offer EnerGuide home evaluations, with one such company being Energuy. Lyndsay Showers-Pearce, Ontario Business Development Manager for Energuy, explains, “We have been a licensed services organization since 2003. The CGHG gave their official launch on May 27, 2021 and we have been working with the program since day one.”
Previously run by the federal government, Enbridge Gas took over the CGHG program in 2023. Since then, Enbridge has made changes to the program to eliminate administrative hurdles and offer more time for homeowners to complete their upgrades.
Showers-Pearce explains, “Now with Enbridge taking over, there is no portal that people need to register on. They don’t need to upload anything; we can take care of everything.”
Beyond the application process, other changes have been made to offer participants and applicants more flexibility. Showers-Pearce adds, “You don’t have to do multiple things to get into the program – one of the eligible upgrades is more than enough.”
Adding to this, Showers-Pearce specifies, “There is no limited time frame between the first and final assessment.” This allows homeowners the opportunity to stagger their projects according to their budgets.
When asked about what a homeowner can expect to get back from the program, Showers-Pearce says it’s hard to pin down without an evaluation because of the many variables from home to home. She does say the program offers up to $10,000 in rebates, plus future savings on household monthly energy bills.
Showers-Pearce goes on to explain that the home evaluation will identify for homeowners which upgrade needs to be looked at first. With their two decades of experience working with rebate programs, she comments, “One of the things we want homeowners to know is how their home works as a system.”
CGHG can help qualified homeowners achieve their environmental and budgetary goals. After a final assessment participants receive their rebates in the form of a cheque that is mailed to homeowners in Enbridge envelopes. Showers-Pearce offers this advice to grant participants, “Just open everything that you get from Enbridge – because you never know, it may not be your bill, it might be your cheque!”
Visit enbridgegas.com for more details about the CGHG program.
