FAQs
General
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If your community is currently a part of the program, please go to the specific community page on our website and complete the registration form. If your community is not currently participating, please encourage them to reach out to us for more information on joining
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The Retrofit Assist Program is free for all participants however the pre- and post- retrofit EnerGuide Evaluations have a cost. There is a $600 rebate through Canada Greener Homes for these evaluations, and you may be eligible to receive additional rebates depending on where you live. Please read the Community Specific FAQs below for any additional rebates that are available in your community.
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Depending on where you live, you may be eligible for additional rebates through your local government. For community specific rebate information, please see the Community Specific FAQs.
In addition, there are many government rebates for various home energy retrofits. Retrofit Assist staff can let you know about the available government rebates. You can also visit the government rebate programs for more information.
Clean BC here
Canada Greener Homes (no longer accepting new appliations), here
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No. Retrofit Assist offers homeowners free and knowledgeable support, from ideas to implementation on your retrofit journeys. No matter where you choose to stop the journey, the team at Retrofit Assist is there to help you.
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The process starts by applying through our website, and soon after we will send you an onboarding email with instructions on how to schedule a call with our Retrofit Assist staff. During that call, the Retrofit Assist staff will ask a series of questions about your home and retrofit ideas, then you will be able to book an EnerGuide Evaluation (also known as an Energy Assessment) with our Energy Advisor for your home.
Once the EnerGuide Evaluation is done, we will schedule a call with you to go through your renovation upgrade report and discuss the next steps, including your upgrade priorities, approximate costs, and eligible rebates. Once decided, we will send you a list of contractors in your area that can perform those upgrades.
We ask that you forward us any quotes that you receive from contractors. We can review these quotes for you to ensure they are meeting rebate requirements.
Once the install is complete, we can schedule a post retrofit EnerGuide Evaluation for you, and assist you through the final rebate application stage
You can decide to stop or pause during any part of the process. We understand these are big decisions to make and can help provide the necessary information along the way, pressure-free.
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Retrofit Assist is a program facilitated by Community Energy Association. Currently we run our program in three municipalities including City of Rossland, District of Squamish, and Regional Municipality of Whistler. Funding for the program comes from several sources including BC Hydro, Real Estate Foundation of BC, Columbia Basin Trust Fund, FortisBC, and our partner agencies Rossland, Whistler, and Squamish.
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As much or as little as you can. The onboarding call is about 30 minutes, the EnerGuide Evaluation can be up to 3 hours depending on the size and layout of your home. After the evaluation, there are a few calls from the Retrofit Assist team to answer any questions you may have and guide you through the rest of the steps.
The amount of time the upgrades will take to coordinate and complete depends on what you choose to do and what your priorities are. The rebate process (to receive rebates after the retrofits are done) can take up to 8 months – Retrofit Assist can help you to apply to ensure there are minimal delays with getting your rebates.
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Clean BC (BC Better Homes) has several rebates available depending on your home energy retrofits. The rebates can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to receive depending on what you decide to do and what you are eligible for.
Canada Greener Homes can take several months before you receive your rebate. It is best to complete each step of the process as efficiently as possible to reduce the time between completing your retrofits and receiving your rebate.
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The program has a waitlist and when additional spots become available, we will let waitlisted participants know. We recommend signing up and being added to the waitlist.
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Yes – all home energy retrofits are eligible, including insulation and other building envelope upgrades (air sealing, windows and doors), mechanical system upgrades (water and space heating/cooling), and renewable energy installations.
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No – this project is to support retrofits to existing buildings only
For information on Step Code and new build incentives, speak to your local government
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Please wait and try again and if you continue to have difficulties, please let us know by sending a message through our Contact Us form
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If you have received a confirmation email, then you have been added to our onboarding process. If you completed the form and did not receive a confirmation email, please get in touch with us via our contact form so we can look into this.
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Both Canada Greener Homes and Clean BC require that the house be the homeowner's primary residence.
For the requirements for Clean BC, visit this page:
To find out if you are eligible for Canada Greener Homes, visit this page:
If you are not applicable for rebates, you can still participate in the Retrofit Assist program, however we do require that you still complete an EnerGuide evaluation.
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Although we connect Retrofit Assist participants to approved contractors in the region, yes, you can certainly get quotes from other contractors. Its important to note that although we still help and work with any contractor you choose, we have established relationships with our program contractors, often making communication quicker and easier.
Questions to ask include:
1. Is the contractor registered through the Home Performance Contractors Network (HPCN)?
It is a requirement through CleanBC that you have an HPCN certified contractor complete your insulation and heat pump installations.
Use these tools to find a contractor near you:
Home Performance
Home Performance Stakeholder Council - find a contractor
Better Homes BC - find a contractor.
2. Is the contractor an Income Qualified Program Registered Contractor? (if required)
To access any rebates through the CleanBC Income Qualified Program, the contractor must be an Income Qualified Program Registered Contractor.
3. How did you determine the right size of heat pump?
4. What is the warranty for the equipment and installation?
5. Are you familiar with the CleanBC and Canada Greener Homes rebate requirements?
Community Specific
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Rossland: There are several additional rebates available for your home energy retrofits. For your EnerGuide Evaluations, up to $500 is available through the City of Rossland, in addition to rebates for insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, and ventilation. Please click here for detailed rebate information.
Whistler: There are a limited number of $250 top-ups available to help cover the cost of your pre-retrofit EnerGuide Evaluation, funded through the Resort Municipality of Whistler. This top up will automatically be applied to your EnerGuide Evaluation invoice.
Squamish: There are a limited number of $250 top-ups available to help cover the cost of your pre-retrofit EnerGuide Evaluation, funded through the District of Squamish. This top up will automatically be applied to your EnerGuide Evaluation invoice.
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This is important for homeowners apart of the Income Qualified Program (IQP) or those looking at a dual fuel heat pump. Homes located in climate zone 5 and above (excluding Vancouver Island) are eligible to retain a fossil fuel backup furnace and install a dual fuel ducted heat pump. All other heat pump types require the removal of the fossil fuel heating system, if applicable. You can read more at this link
Rossland: Rossland is located in Climate zone 6 – see CZ map here
Whistler: Whistler is located in Climate zone 6 – see CZ map here
Squamish: Squamish is located in Climate zone 4 – see CZ map here
Rebates
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Through the CleanBC program: Foundations accepted for mobile homes are full concrete, wood post or piling and concrete/brick post or piling. They must have their own utility connection and account and be connected to sewer and water (including well and septic systems).
Through the Canada Greener Homes program: A permanent foundation is an assembly that transfers loads from the building to the supporting soil or rock and renders the building immovable. A permanent foundation also includes blocks. They cannot be on a trailer or have wheels.
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You technically can, however many contractors will not install products that they have not ordered themselves as they cannot warranty it and sometimes do not support the brands of products ordered. It is best to check with your contractor first before making any purchases.
The products must meet the program requirements and be on the Qualified Product List (if applicable).
Ensure to keep ALL invoices
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In some cases, yes. In others, no.
Contractor requirements vary across programs.
CleanBC Better Homes
o All projects must be completed by a licensed contractor with a BC business license.
o Insulation and heat pumps must be installed by a contractor who is part of the Home Performance Contractor Network.
Canada Greener Homes
o Mechanical systems must be installed by a licensed and trained professional (e.g., heat pumps).
o Other projects can be completed by you (e.g., insulation, windows, and doors)
It’s also important to note that if you are completing projects on your own, each program has requirements regarding eligible equipment (i.e., specific windows, doors, and mechanical systems that you can install).
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If it is specifically recommended in your Renovation Upgrade Report and a required part of the upgrade, then it should be, yes. This quote would need to be included in your loan application to be applicable.
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Once you apply for the loan program, you have one year to complete your retrofit projects and post-retrofit EnerGuide assessment. If you cannot complete your projects in time due to circumstances outside of your control, you can request an extension but there is no guarantee that it will be granted.
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Your loan application must include all retrofits that you plan to complete – you can’t ask for more later so ensure all possible retrofits are included in your application. If you choose later to not do certain work, the loan will be adjusted, and you will still be eligible as long as amount is still at least $5000.
Obtain 1-3 quotes for each retrofit in your plan and ensure the quote has the following information:
Company Name, address and contact information
Quote date
Participant name and address (must match info on Canada Greener Homes application)
Retrofit(s) being undertaken (must be on your Renovation Upgrade Report)
Program eligibility information (eg. ENERGY STAR technical specifications for windows/doors and AHRI number and capacity for heating system so that you can check they are on the eligible product lists)
Based on your application and quotes, the program will calculate the maximum loan amount you are approved for.
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Unfortunately, you cannot include a contingency in the original quote; however, if the project costs go over what was originally estimated, you can request an increase in your loan amount. You would contact your loan underwriter (i.e., the person who approved your loan) and re-submit a new estimate of costs from your contractor. Your total loan amount approved also depends on your credit history, debt ratio, etc. so there is no guarantee you will be approved for the new loan amount.
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The evaluation done through ECAP is different from the EnerGuide Evaluation that is required for the Canada Greener Homes Program, but there is slight duplication in the evaluations. The value in the ECAP evaluation is they will install free measures (i.e., lighting, water efficient aerators and shower heads) during their visit and then assess for other free measures (insulation, furnace, etc.).
You can read more about the ECAP program here
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Canada Greener Homes Program?
To demonstrate a property is a primary residence, the homeowner must:
o prove ownership by providing a property tax bill number during their application (this number can be found on municipal property tax documents).
o prove the property is their primary residence with a valid piece of government-issued ID with the matching address, such as a driver’s licence.
CleanBC
o The home must be a year-round primary residence that is at least 12 months old.