HELP Incentives Terms & Conditions

Eligible HELP participants may receive $1,000 when a Rooftop Solar PV system of any size is installed as part of their home energy renovation.

Criteria

• All equipment must be purchased in Canada.
• Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor in Canada.
• The system must be composed of one or more photovoltaic (PV) panels and inverter(s) certified to CSA Standards.
• The total system peak power capacity must be equal to or greater than 1.0 kW.
• A copy of the attestation form submitted to Canada Greener Homes Grant to ensure that the mechanical/electrical equipment or system is installed by a contractor with the required qualifications

Terms and Conditions

1. The incentive is available to qualified City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program participants who have met all program criteria as indicated in the Property Owner Agreement.
2. The incentive is stackable with Canada Greener Homes Grant and other grants/rebates from utility companies, where permitted.
3. The incentive program ends when the funding envelope has been fully subscribed at the Funding Request stage.
4. Awarding of incentives to recipients is on a first-come, first-served basis. The incentive will be paid out upon submission and approval of the Project Completion Report. The City reserves the right to decline the incentive application if the resulting project does not satisfy the program’s criteria, terms, and conditions.
5. The incentive is applicable for solar PV installations with invoices dated on or after June 1, 2022.
6. In the event that the applicant applies for other incentives offered by the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program, the total amount of incentives that an applicant can receive cannot exceed more than 50 per cent of the total eligible project costs.
7. All upgrades must be installed by a licensed contractor with an HST number and a valid Ontario business license for the trade.
8. Self-installations are not eligible.
9. Successful recipients must agree to provide at least 24 months of energy and utility data pre- and post-renovation for monitoring and verification purposes.
10. Program staff reserves the right to add, change, and/or modify the criteria, terms, and conditions at any time during the course of the program.

Criteria

• To be eligible for the HELP program incentive, the heat pump model must be on the list of eligible products under the Canada Greener Homes Grant. If the product is not included in the list, the product must meet the minimum HSPF and SEER values of 10 and 15, respectively in order to qualify.
• The heat pump must be in new condition and have an AHRI-certified reference number that references all components of the system.
• All equipment must be purchased in Canada. Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor in Canada.
• A copy of the attestation form submitted to Canada Greener Homes Grant to ensure that the mechanical/electrical equipment or system is installed by a contractor with the required qualifications

Terms and Conditions

1. The incentive is available to qualified City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program participants who have met all program criteria as indicated in the Property Owner Agreement.
2. Incentives are stackable with Canada Greener Homes Grant and other grants/rebates from utility companies, where permitted.
3. The incentive program ends when the funding envelope has been fully subscribed at the Funding Request stage.
4.  Awarding of incentives to recipients is on a first-come, first-served basis. The incentive will only be paid out upon submission and approval of your Project Completion Report. The City reserves the right to decline the incentive application if the resulting project does not satisfy the Program’s criteria, terms, and conditions.
5. The incentive is applicable for heat pump purchases with invoices dated on or after June 1, 2022.
6. The total funding amount must be at least $10,000 (including HST) in order to qualify.
7. In the event that the applicant applies for other incentive programs offered by the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program, the total amount of incentives that an applicant can receive cannot exceed more than 50 per cent of the total funding amount.
8. The new heat pump must be installed in accordance with the Heat Pump Best Practices Installation Guide for Existing Homes.
9. The home’s primary heating system must have the capacity to heat the home for the entire heating season to 21C.
10. All upgrades must be installed by a licensed contractor with an HST number and a valid Ontario business license for the trade. Heat pumps must be installed by a contractor with a Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic – 313D license.
11. Self-installations are not eligible.

Eligible HELP participants may receive a $10,000 reimbursement for their project expenses when they invest in deep energy retrofit measures that will make their homes net zero or net zero ready.

• Obtain at least an 80 per cent reduction in the home’s EnerGuide rating between pre- and post-retrofit evaluations, with space heating and cooling and water heating provided by a source other than fossil fuels or
• Receive certification from CHBA’s Net Zero Home Labelling Program for Renovations or
• Receive certification from Passive House EnerPHit Standard or equivalent (subject to program review)

Criteria

• Participants must complete a project consultation meeting before the project begins and attend subsequent project status meetings with HELP staff as required.
• Pre- and post-retrofit evaluations must be done by a registered energy advisor. The post-retrofit evaluation must be completed no later than March 1, 2025.
• All materials and equipment used in the renovations must be in new condition.
• All HVAC components must have AHRI-certified reference numbers that reference all components of the system.
• All equipment must be purchased in Canada. Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor in Canada.
• All construction, installations, and other work parts of the renovations must be performed in accordance with applicable codes, regulations, permits, and standards.
• Provide copies to the City of applicable attestation forms submitted by the homeowner to Canada Greener Homes Grant to verify that the equipment/system was designed and installed by licensed professionals.

Terms and Conditions

1. The incentive is available to qualified participants of the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program who have met all program criteria as indicated in the Property Owner Agreement.
2. The incentive is not stackable with the City’s Air Source Heat Pump and Rooftop Solar PV incentives.
3. The incentive is stackable with Canada Greener Homes Grant and other grants/rebates from utility companies, where permitted.
4. The incentive program ends when the funding envelope has been fully subscribed at the Funding Request stage.
5. The incentive program ends when grant allocation has been fully earmarked to qualified participants at the Funding Request stage.
6. Awarding of incentives to recipients is on a first-come, first-served basis. The incentive is only paid out upon submission and approval of the Project Completion Report. The program reserves the right to decline the incentive application if the resulting project does not satisfy the program’s criteria, terms, and conditions.
7. The incentive is only available for new projects with invoices dated on or after June 1, 2022.
8. The total funding amount must be at least $50,000 (including HST) in order to qualify.
9. In the event that the applicant applies for other incentive programs offered by the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program, the total amount of incentives that an applicant can receive cannot exceed more than 50 per cent of the total funding amount.
10. All construction, installations, and other work parts of the renovations must be done by a licensed professional with a GST number and a valid Ontario business license for the trade.
11. Self-installations are not eligible.
12. Incentive recipients must agree to be featured in and fully cooperate with the development of a case study by City staff after the project has been completed. The case study can be in various media formats.
13. Incentive recipients must agree to provide at least 24 months of energy and utility data pre- and post-renovation for monitoring and verification purposes
14. Incentive recipients must agree to participate in future initiatives related to the City’s Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy as it relates to the single-family home sector, such as energy rating, reporting, and disclosure.
15. Program staff reserves the right to add, change, and/or modify the criteria, terms, and conditions of this incentive at any time during the course of the program.