Alberta · climate zone 6 · prices and rebates checked October 8, 2026

Insulation and upgrade payback calculator for Calgary

Calgary has 4,876 heating degree-days a year (climate zone 6), and NRCan recommends about R-60 in an attic here. For a typical detached house of about 1,600 sq ft (149 m²) built between 1966 and 1980 with a gas furnace, mid-efficiency, topping up the attic from R-20 to R-60 saves about $25 a year at $0.169/m³ and costs about $1,200–$1,960; no open provincial rebate applies. In an electrically heated house the same attic saves about $250 a year.

Heating degree-days

4,876

NBC climate zone 6

NRCan attic target

R-60

code minimum for new homes R-49.2

Natural gas, one more m³

$0.169/m³

used for every saving

Open rebate programs

None

see financing options below

Upgrade payback calculator for Calgary

Pre-filled for a typical 1966–1980 house in Calgary with Calgary's climate, prices and open rebates. The insulation levels are typical assumptions for the era, not measurements: change anything you know about your house. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Your house
Year built
Type
Size (heated floors above the basement)
sq ft
Heating and bills
$

Used for every saving (fixed charges left out).

$

Only used to turn a monthly bill into energy.

Calibrate to your bills (optional)

Based on a typical house

$230saved a year with 6 upgrades

About 1,380 m³ a year less for your gas furnace, mid-efficiency: 41.3 GJ of the 104 GJ of heat the house needs (40%).

Installed cost
$13,550–$21,460 + your quotes
Rebates counted
$0
Simple payback
over 100 years for the 4 upgrades with a cost
Saving over 20 years
$4,650

Enter your quote for wall insulation and basement wall insulation to add them to the cost and payback. The 4 upgrades with a cost save about $125 a year together.

Measures overlap, so the total (40% of your heating need) is less than the sum of each one alone (48%).

Add your annual use or a monthly bill to calibrate these numbers to your house. Most rebates need an EnerGuide evaluation before and after the work; their conditions are listed further down this page.

Attic insulation
R-
R-

NRCan recommends R-60 for climate zone 6; we cap the default at R-60. The building code minimum for a new house here is R-49.2.

sq ft
$
Or cost per sq ft (low – high)
$ – $

HomeStars (updated 21/08/2026): "installation costs range from $1.50 to $2.45 per square foot"; Canadian attic jobs average $1,500–$3,000 including materials and installation.

$25/yr · 4.4 GJ (4.3% of heating) · cost $1,200–$1,960 · no rebate counted · payback 48–78 years

Wall insulation
How
RSI

R-12

sq ft
$

We couldn't verify a 2025–2026 Canadian price for wall insulation, so this starts blank. NRCan: on an exterior retrofit the insulation is only about 15–20% of the cost.

$57/yr · 10.1 GJ (9.7% of heating) · cost enter your quote · no rebate counted · payback enter a cost

Basement wall insulation
RSI

R-4

RSI

R-20

sq ft
$

$90/yr · 15.9 GJ (15.3% of heating) · cost enter your quote · no rebate counted · payback enter a cost

New windows
windows
$
Or cost per window (low – high)
$ – $

HomeStars (updated 21/08/2026): $800–$1,000 for a double-hung and $900–$1,200 for a casement window, installed; bay and bow windows $2,500–$4,000.

$53/yr · 9.3 GJ (9.0% of heating) · cost $12,000–$18,000 · no rebate counted · payback no payback

Air sealing
%
ACH50

Leave the cut blank for our default: 20%, or 15% if your house tests under 4 ACH50. The blower-door number is on your EnerGuide report.

Cost (low – high)
$ – $

HomeStars (updated 21/08/2026): air sealing and ventilation "could add $350 to $1,500" to an attic insulation job.

$22/yr · 3.9 GJ (3.8% of heating) · cost $350–$1,500 · no rebate counted · payback 16–68 years

Thermostat setback
°C
hours a day
$

NRCan suggests 17 °C when you're asleep or away and 20 °C when you're home, and not going below 17 °C. $0 if you already have a programmable thermostat; we couldn't verify a 2025–2026 price for a new one.

$35/yr · 6.2 GJ (6.0% of heating) · cost $0 · no rebate counted · payback right away

Each upgrade on its own
UpgradeSaved a yearCost and rebatePayback20 years
Attic insulationR-20 → R-60 over 800 sq ft $25150 m³ a year $1,200–$1,960 48–78 years $500
Wall insulationR-10 exterior insulation: RSI 2.1 → 3.9 over 1,580 sq ft $57335 m³ a year your quote enter a cost $1,130
Basement wall insulationRSI 0.7 → 3.5 over 890 sq ft of wall $90530 m³ a year your quote enter a cost $1,790
New windows15 windows: U 2.86 → 1.22 $53310 m³ a year $12,000–$18,000 no payback $1,050
Air sealingA 20% cut in air leakage (NRCan: about 25% of heat loss) $22130 m³ a year $350–$1,500 16–68 years $440
Thermostat setback3.0 °C lower for 8 hours a day $35210 m³ a year $0 right away $700

Savings use the price of one more unit of energy, not your average price. Each upgrade is shown on its own against your house as it is now; the total above accounts for overlap. Payback = (cost − rebate) ÷ yearly saving; the 20-year figure has no price increases or discounting.

Calgary at a glance: standard upgrades for a 1966–1980 house

Detached, about 1,600 sq ft over a full basement, two storeys, with the era's typical insulation (attic R-20, walls RSI 2.1, uninsulated basement walls, double-glazed windows). Savings use the price of one more unit of energy; costs are installed ranges where we could verify one.

Gas-heated (mid-efficiency furnace)
UpgradeSaved a yearCost and rebatePayback20 years
Attic insulationR-20 → R-60 over 800 sq ft $254.4 GJ · 4.3% $1,200–$1,960 48–78 years $500
Wall insulationR-10 exterior insulation: RSI 2.1 → 3.9 over 1,580 sq ft $5710.1 GJ · 9.7% get a quote enter a cost $1,130
Basement wall insulationRSI 0.7 → 3.5 over 890 sq ft of wall $9015.9 GJ · 15.3% get a quote enter a cost $1,790
New windows15 windows: U 2.86 → 1.22 $539.3 GJ · 9.0% $12,000–$18,000 no payback $1,050
Air sealingA 20% cut in air leakage (NRCan: about 25% of heat loss) $223.9 GJ · 3.8% $350–$1,500 16–68 years $440
Thermostat setback3.0 °C lower for 8 hours a day $356.2 GJ · 6.0% $0 right away $700
Electrically heated (baseboards)
UpgradeSaved a yearCost and rebatePayback20 years
Attic insulationR-20 → R-60 over 800 sq ft $2504.4 GJ · 4.3% $1,200–$1,960 4.8–7.9 years $4,990
Wall insulationR-10 exterior insulation: RSI 2.1 → 3.9 over 1,580 sq ft $56510.1 GJ · 9.7% get a quote enter a cost $11,300
Basement wall insulationRSI 0.7 → 3.5 over 890 sq ft of wall $89515.9 GJ · 15.3% get a quote enter a cost $17,870
New windows15 windows: U 2.86 → 1.22 $5259.3 GJ · 9.0% $12,000–$18,000 23–34 years $10,470
Air sealingA 20% cut in air leakage (NRCan: about 25% of heat loss) $2203.9 GJ · 3.8% $350–$1,500 1.6–6.9 years $4,370
Thermostat setback3.0 °C lower for 8 hours a day $3506.2 GJ · 6.0% $0 right away $6,990

The house needs about 104 GJ of heat a year here. Walls in this era already hold about RSI 2.1, so dense-packing gains nothing and the table shows R-10 of exterior insulation instead. Wall and basement prices start blank because we couldn't verify a 2025–2026 Canadian cost; the 20-year column shows what each upgrade is worth to compare with a quote.

Rebates for these upgrades in Alberta

No provincial rebates. Help is property-tax financing through the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP), and most of our Alberta cities' CEIP intakes are full or closed.

Attic insulation

See measureNotes.all.

Wall insulation

See measureNotes.all.

Basement wall insulation

See measureNotes.all.

Air sealing

See measureNotes.all.

Windows and doors

See measureNotes.all.

Financing

Clean Energy Improvement Program — Calgary Closed
Up to 100% of project costs to a maximum of $50,000; Estimated 6.00%–6.10% fixed, set when you sign official page ↗

Common questions in Calgary

Does attic insulation pay for itself in Calgary?

For a typical detached house of about 1,600 sq ft (149 m²) built between 1966 and 1980, going from R-20 to R-60 saves about $25 a year with a mid-efficiency gas furnace and $250 with electric baseboards, counted at the price of one more unit of energy. At HomeStars' $1.50–$2.45 per sq ft (about $1,200–$1,960) with no rebate, simple payback is 48–78 years (4.8–7.9 years for an electrically heated house). Attics with less than R-20 save more.

What insulation rebates are open in Calgary?

We found no open provincial insulation rebate for Alberta as of October 8, 2026. No provincial rebate program for these measures. The alberta.ca 'energy-efficiency-programs' page our data cited now returns 404. Edmonton's environmental incentives page lists only CEIP financing for homes (no cash rebates). The federal OHPA, which NRCan delivered directly in Alberta, closed July 3

How much insulation should an attic have in Calgary?

NRCan's Keeping the Heat In recommends about R-60 (RSI 10.6) for an attic in climate zone 6, which covers Calgary at 4,876 degree-days. The National Building Code minimum for a new house here is R-49.2 without a heat recovery ventilator. Our calculator caps its default target at R-60.

Are new windows worth it for energy savings in Calgary?

Rarely on energy alone. Replacing 15 double-glazed windows with ENERGY STAR models saves about $53 a year in a gas-heated house and $525 with electric heat, against $12,000–$18,000 at HomeStars' $800–$1,200 a window: payback no payback. Replace windows when they fail or for comfort; air sealing and attic insulation pay back much faster.

How much do air sealing and a thermostat setback save in Calgary?

Cutting air leakage by 20% saves about $22 a year in a typical gas-heated house here (NRCan: about a quarter of heat loss is air leakage), and turning the thermostat down 3 °C for 8 hours a night saves about $35 a year (NRCan: about 2% per degree over eight hours). Heat pumps should be set back no more than 2 °C.

How we calculate this

1. Heat saved by insulation and windows

heat saved (GJ/yr) = area × (1/RSI before − 1/RSI after) × 4,876 degree-days × 86,400 s ÷ 10⁹ × F

F is a conservative factor: 0.75 above grade (the sun, people and appliances supply some heat, and no installation is perfect) and 0.4 for basement walls (most of the wall is below grade, where the ground stays far warmer than winter air). Windows use U-values instead of 1/RSI.

2. Typical starting points

  • Attic: R-12 before 1966, R-20 (1966–80), R-28 (1981–95), R-40 (1996–2010), R-50 (2011+). Target: NRCan's retrofit recommendation for climate zone 6, capped at R-60.
  • Walls: RSI 0.7 (empty, before 1946), 1.4 (1946–65), 2.1 (1966–95), 3.0 (1996–2010), 3.4 (2011+). Dense-packing a 2×4 cavity gives about RSI 2.1 (cellulose is RSI 0.63 per 25.4 mm, NRCan Table 3-1); R-10 of exterior insulation adds RSI 1.76.
  • Basement walls: RSI 0.7 before 1981 (bare concrete plus the soil against it), 2.1 for 1981–2010, 3.5 since; target RSI 3.5 (R-20).
  • Windows: 12% of floor area (1.2 m² each), single with storm before 1966, double clear 1966–95, double low-e after.

These starting values are AuditYourHome planning assumptions for a typical house of each era, not survey results: we could not verify a Canadian table of insulation levels by year built. Change them to match your house; an EnerGuide evaluation measures them.

3. Air sealing

Without a blower-door number we use NRCan's statement that typically about 25% of heat loss is air leakage: saving = 25% × reduction × heating need × 0.75. With your EnerGuide result (ACH50), everyday leakage is ACH50 ÷ 20, near the conservative end of the 10–25 range used in the field, and:

heat saved = drop in natural air changes × house volume × 1.21 kJ/m³·°C × degree-days × 24 ÷ 10⁶ × 0.75

We assume a 20% reduction (15% if the house is already under 4 ACH50); rebate programs pay for measured cuts of 10%, 20% and 30%.

4. Thermostat setbacks

NRCan: “A drop of 1°C (2°F) over an eight-hour period can save about 2 percent on your heating energy consumption.” Saving = 2% × degrees × hours ÷ 8. Heat pumps are limited to a 2 °C setback, NRCan's advice, because deep setbacks can bring on backup heat.

5. Caps, overlap and your bills

No single measure may save more than 35% of the heating need, and all of them together no more than 60%. Measures overlap (a better attic leaves less heat for new windows to save), so the combined saving is 1 − (1 − a)(1 − b)…, always less than the simple sum. If you enter bills, every saving is scaled by how your use compares with a typical house (between 0.5× and 1.6×).

6. Dollars, rebates and payback

payback (years) = (installed cost − rebate) ÷ yearly saving at the price of one more unit of energy

Rebates use each program's lowest published amount per unit (per home, per window, per sq ft or per sq ft × R-value added), only for programs open today and only where your heating fuel qualifies; you can switch each one off. The 20-year saving is the yearly saving × 20, with no price inflation or discounting. Where we could not verify a 2025–2026 installed cost (walls, basements, exterior insulation), the cost starts blank: enter your quote.

More for Calgary

Heating and hot water costs in CalgaryWhat heating, hot water and air conditioning cost at your local prices, and what each heating system would cost instead.Home health check in CalgaryRadon results, winter humidity and window condensation, smoke and CO alarm rules, well water and mould.Appliance running costs in CalgaryWhat your fridge, dryer, freezer and other appliances cost to run at your local electricity price, and what a newer model saves.
Build your upgrade plan → All home services in Calgary Home energy audits in CalgaryAttic insulation inspections in CalgaryBlower door tests in CalgaryThermal imaging in Calgary Alberta rebates and programs

Sources

Prices and programs checked October 8, 2026. Climate: NRCan HOT2000 (Calgary International) for heating and ECCC 1981–2010 normals (Calgary Int'l A) for cooling and temperatures.

Insulation and upgrade payback calculator for other cities

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

Newfoundland and Labrador

Yukon

Northwest Territories

Want real numbers for your house in Calgary?

An EnerGuide evaluation measures your house and replaces every assumption on this page. Tell us your postal code and we'll connect you with a registered energy advisor for your area.

By submitting you agree we may share your request with one registered service organization serving your area. Participating advisors pay us a referral fee — you pay nothing, and it never affects the directory. See our privacy note.