Quebec · climate zone 6 · prices and rebates checked October 8, 2026
Insulation and upgrade payback calculator for Laval
Laval has 4,167 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 $100 a year at $0.794/m³ and costs about $1,200–$1,960; the smallest open rebate that applies (Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026)) is $1,200–$1,400. In an electrically heated house the same attic saves about $135 a year.
Heating degree-days
4,167
NBC climate zone 6
NRCan attic target
R-60
code minimum for new homes R-49.2
Natural gas, one more m³
$0.794/m³
used for every saving
Open rebate programs
2
Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026); Hydro-Québec LogisVert — roof insulation and caulking work
Upgrade payback calculator for Laval
Pre-filled for a typical 1966–1980 house in Laval with Laval'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.
Laval 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.
| Upgrade | Saved a year | Cost and rebate | Payback | 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attic insulationR-20 → R-60 over 800 sq ft | $1003.8 GJ · 4.3% | $1,200–$1,960rebate $1,200–$1,400 | right away to 5.6 years | $2,010 |
| Wall insulationR-10 exterior insulation: RSI 2.1 → 3.9 over 1,580 sq ft | $2308.6 GJ · 9.7% | get a quoterebate $5,530 | enter a cost | $4,560 |
| Basement wall insulationRSI 0.7 → 3.5 over 890 sq ft of wall | $36013.6 GJ · 15.3% | get a quoterebate $2,230 | enter a cost | $7,200 |
| New windows15 windows: U 2.86 → 1.22 | $2108.0 GJ · 9.0% | $12,000–$18,000 | 57–85 years | $4,220 |
| Air sealingA 20% cut in air leakage (NRCan: about 25% of heat loss) | $883.3 GJ · 3.8% | $350–$1,500 | 4.0–17 years | $1,760 |
| Thermostat setback3.0 °C lower for 8 hours a day | $1405.3 GJ · 6.0% | $0 | right away | $2,820 |
| Upgrade | Saved a year | Cost and rebate | Payback | 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attic insulationR-20 → R-60 over 800 sq ft | $1353.8 GJ · 4.3% | $1,200–$1,960rebate $1,200–$1,400 | right away to 4.1 years | $2,700 |
| Wall insulationR-10 exterior insulation: RSI 2.1 → 3.9 over 1,580 sq ft | $3058.6 GJ · 9.7% | get a quoterebate $5,530 | enter a cost | $6,120 |
| Basement wall insulationRSI 0.7 → 3.5 over 890 sq ft of wall | $48513.6 GJ · 15.3% | get a quoterebate $2,230 | enter a cost | $9,680 |
| New windows15 windows: U 2.86 → 1.22 | $2858.0 GJ · 9.0% | $12,000–$18,000 | 42–64 years | $5,670 |
| Air sealingA 20% cut in air leakage (NRCan: about 25% of heat loss) | $1203.3 GJ · 3.8% | $350–$1,500 | 3.0–13 years | $2,370 |
| Thermostat setback3.0 °C lower for 8 hours a day | $1905.3 GJ · 6.0% | $0 | right away | $3,780 |
The house needs about 88.7 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 Quebec
Rénoclimat changed on October 1, 2026: the evaluation is now optional, insulation is paid per square foot with house caps, windows must be ENERGY STAR Most Efficient ($300 each), and doors, air sealing and HRVs dropped out. Heat pumps are Hydro-Québec LogisVert's territory (no audit). Hydro-Québec's roof insulation + caulking grant ($1,500) is still listed for electrically heated houses.
Attic insulation
Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) Open
Roof insulation: up to $2,000 per house at $1.75 per sq ft; add at least R-20 and reach R-60 (attic) or R-40 (cathedral/flat); at least 300 sq ft.
Conditions: Work done on or after October 1, 2026 by a contractor holding the matching RBQ licence, who fills in and signs the Formulaire d'attestation de conformité des travaux. Self-installation not eligible. The pre-work evaluation is optional. House must be in Québec, built and lived in for at least five years, on permanent foundations and connected to Hydro-Québec or a municipal/co-op grid. Aid is the lesser of pre-tax eligible spending or the table amount; total Rénoclimat…
Deadline: Claim within 12 months of finishing the work, and before the program's planned end date of March 31, 2029.
Program details · official page ↗ · checked October 8, 2026
Hydro-Québec LogisVert — roof insulation and caulking work Open
Hydro‑Québec provides grants in the amount of $1,500 for roof insulation and caulking work when all Program requirements are met.
Conditions: Houses (single-family, semi-detached, row, mobile, four-season cottage) that use electricity as the main heating source. Roof insulation must reach RSI 8.8 (R-50) over 100% of the roof, and caulking must cover windows, exterior doors, patio doors, attic hatches, range hoods, bathroom fans, electrical outlets and fireplaces. Both parts are required. RBQ-licensed contractors (subclass 7.0). Grant can't exceed 100% of pre-tax cost. Apply through the LogisVert portal within nine…
Deadline: Apply within 9 months of the work.
Program details · official page ↗ · checked October 8, 2026
Wall insulation
Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) Open
Exterior walls: $3.50 per sq ft, up to $7,000 per house; add at least R-9 over at least 300 sq ft.
Conditions: Work done on or after October 1, 2026 by a contractor holding the matching RBQ licence, who fills in and signs the Formulaire d'attestation de conformité des travaux. Self-installation not eligible. The pre-work evaluation is optional. House must be in Québec, built and lived in for at least five years, on permanent foundations and connected to Hydro-Québec or a municipal/co-op grid. Aid is the lesser of pre-tax eligible spending or the table amount; total Rénoclimat…
Deadline: Claim within 12 months of finishing the work, and before the program's planned end date of March 31, 2029.
Program details · official page ↗ · checked October 8, 2026
Basement wall insulation
Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) Open
Foundations: up to $2,500 per house combined. Basement walls incl. rim joist $2.50/sq ft (add R-15); slab $0.50/sq ft (add R-3); crawlspace walls $3.50/sq ft (add R-23); floor over crawlspace $3.50/sq ft; exposed floor $3.50/sq ft (min 150 sq ft).
Conditions: Work done on or after October 1, 2026 by a contractor holding the matching RBQ licence, who fills in and signs the Formulaire d'attestation de conformité des travaux. Self-installation not eligible. The pre-work evaluation is optional. House must be in Québec, built and lived in for at least five years, on permanent foundations and connected to Hydro-Québec or a municipal/co-op grid. Aid is the lesser of pre-tax eligible spending or the table amount; total Rénoclimat…
Deadline: Claim within 12 months of finishing the work, and before the program's planned end date of March 31, 2029.
Program details · official page ↗ · checked October 8, 2026
Air sealing
"Amélioration de l'étanchéité" is "Non admissible" under Rénoclimat from October 1, 2026 (it paid $400/$600/$800 before). Air sealing now earns money only inside Hydro-Québec's roof insulation + caulking bundle ($1,500, electrically heated houses) or for Rénoclimat transition participants.
Windows and doors
Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) Open
ENERGY STAR Most Efficient windows: $300 per rough opening, up to $4,500 per house.
Conditions: Work done on or after October 1, 2026 by a contractor holding the matching RBQ licence, who fills in and signs the Formulaire d'attestation de conformité des travaux. Self-installation not eligible. The pre-work evaluation is optional. House must be in Québec, built and lived in for at least five years, on permanent foundations and connected to Hydro-Québec or a municipal/co-op grid. Aid is the lesser of pre-tax eligible spending or the table amount; total Rénoclimat…
Deadline: Claim within 12 months of finishing the work, and before the program's planned end date of March 31, 2029.
Program details · official page ↗ · checked October 8, 2026
Common questions in Laval
Does attic insulation pay for itself in Laval?
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 $100 a year with a mid-efficiency gas furnace and $135 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) and a $1,200–$1,400 rebate, simple payback is right away to 5.6 years (right away to 4.1 years for an electrically heated house). Attics with less than R-20 save more.
What insulation rebates are open in Laval?
As of October 8, 2026: Attic insulation: Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) (Roof insulation: up to $2,000 per house at $1.75 per sq ft; add at least R-20 and reach R-60 (attic) or R-40 (cathedral/flat); at least 300 ); Hydro-Québec LogisVert — roof insulation and caulking work (Hydro‑Québec provides grants in the amount of $1,500 for roof insulation and caulking work when all Program requirements are met.) Wall insulation: Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) (Exterior walls: $3.50 per sq ft, up to $7,000 per house; add at least R-9 over at least 300 sq ft.) Basement wall insulation: Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) (Foundations: up to $2,500 per house combined). Conditions apply (most need an EnerGuide evaluation before the work); the calculator counts the smallest amount for each and lets you switch it off.
How much insulation should an attic have in Laval?
NRCan's Keeping the Heat In recommends about R-60 (RSI 10.6) for an attic in climate zone 6, which covers Laval at 4,167 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 Laval?
Rarely on energy alone. Replacing 15 double-glazed windows with ENERGY STAR models saves about $210 a year in a gas-heated house and $285 with electric heat, against $12,000–$18,000 at HomeStars' $800–$1,200 a window: payback 57–85 years. 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 Laval?
Cutting air leakage by 20% saves about $88 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 $140 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) × 4,167 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 Laval
Sources
- NRCan, HOT2000 Climate Map: heating degree-days and design temperatures for 403 locations ↗
- NRCan Comprehensive Energy Use Database 2023, Ontario residential Table 33 (heating requirement per floor area by vintage) ↗
- NRCan, Heating with Gas (revised October 2012): Table 2 energy content, Table 3 efficiencies, Table 4 heating loads ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 2: How your house works (Table 2-1 recommended insulation by zone) ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 3: Table 3-1 insulation values ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 5: Roofs and attics ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 6: Basements ("about 25 percent of a home's total heat loss") ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 7: Walls ("about 20 percent of heat loss") ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 8: Windows and doors ↗
- NRCan, Keeping the Heat In, Section 9: Thermostats ("2 percent per 1 °C over eight hours"; "about 25 percent of heat loss can be due to air leakage") ↗
- National Building Code of Canada 2020 (climate zones, Section 9.36 minimum insulation, smoke alarms 9.10.19) ↗
- NRCan consumer guide to windows (2003): conventional windows RSI 0.35 (R-2) ↗
- NRCan, ENERGY STAR Canada technical specification for windows (Version 5, U ≤ 1.22) ↗
- Wikipedia, Blower door (natural ACH ≈ ACH50 ÷ 20, after Persily and Kronvall as reported by Sherman, "The Use of Blower-Door Data", Indoor Air 1995) ↗
- Wikipedia, Air changes per hour (natural ACH is 10–25 times smaller than ACH50) ↗
- Wikipedia, Table of specific heat capacities (air at room conditions: 0.00121 J/cm³·K = 1.21 kJ/m³·K) ↗
- NRCan, Heating and cooling with a heat pump (modified 2025-12-24) ↗
- NRCan, ENERGY STAR water heaters (space heating 63.6%, water heating 17.2% of home energy) ↗
- Hydro-Québec, Electricity consumption by use (electrically heated household: 54% heating and air conditioning) ↗
- HomeStars, Attic insulation cost (updated 21/08/2026) ↗
- HomeStars, Window replacement cost (updated 21/08/2026) ↗
- Dunsky Energy + Climate for the Canadian Climate Institute, Heat Pumps Pay Off: technical report (2024) ↗
- Rénoclimat (rules from Oct. 1, 2026) (checked 2026-10-08) ↗
- Hydro-Québec LogisVert — roof insulation and caulking work (checked 2026-10-08) ↗
- Electricity price: Hydro-Québec ↗
- Natural gas price: Énergir ↗
- Heating oil price: Statistics Canada table 18-10-0001-01 ↗
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