BC Home Energy Improvement Bonus

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$20 for every percentage-point your home improves — $750 minimum, $2,000 maximum — or $300 for any two upgrades

Run by CleanBC / Better Homes BC, with BC Hydro and FortisBC · verified against the official page 2026-10-19

A two-storey Vancouver Special house on a rainy street above a mossy retaining wall

What it pays

  • $20Per percentage-point of measured EnerGuide improvement
  • $750Minimum bonus (eligibility met)
  • $2,000Maximum bonus
  • 3 bonus-eligible upgradesRequirement
  • 18 monthsTime to finish the upgrades and the post-upgrade evaluation
  • 6 monthsApply within, after the post-upgrade evaluation
  • $300Two Upgrade Bonus (no evaluation; can't be combined with the above)

The audit question

Audit required

Built entirely around the audit: a pre-upgrade and a post-upgrade EnerGuide evaluation by a program-qualified energy advisor bracket the work, and the bonus pays on the measured improvement between the two. The $300 Two Upgrade Bonus is the exception: it needs no evaluation.

Who qualifies

BC homeowners who complete three bonus-eligible upgrades between a pre- and a post-upgrade EnerGuide evaluation by a program-qualified energy advisor, within 18 months. It stacks on top of the individual utility rebates for the upgrades themselves — the bonus pays for the measured whole. One bonus per home.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Book a pre-upgrade EnerGuide evaluation with a program-qualified energy advisor before any work starts — this sets your baseline rating and starts an 18-month clock.

  2. Plan three bonus-eligible upgrades from the evaluation report (air sealing, insulation, windows, heating — the report ranks them for your house).

  3. Complete the work, keeping invoices, and claim the individual utility rebates for each measure as you go.

  4. Book the post-upgrade evaluation within 18 months of the first to measure the new rating.

  5. Apply online within six months of the post-upgrade evaluation — payment scales with the measured percentage-point improvement.

The gotchas

  • No pre-upgrade evaluation, no bonus — work done before the baseline visit doesn't count, so book the audit first, not after the contractor.
  • Three upgrades is the floor for the Improvement Bonus. With only two, the $300 Two Upgrade Bonus is the one to claim: install any two bonus-eligible upgrades within 18 months of each other and apply within six months of the second invoice.
  • One bonus per home: the Improvement Bonus and the Two Upgrade Bonus can't be combined.
  • Miss the six-month application window after the post-upgrade evaluation and the bonus is gone.
  • The $2,000 cap means very deep retrofits don't earn past 100 points of improvement — but the utility measure rebates still apply on top.
  • Small jobs may not count: an insulation area needs a rebate of at least $500, and windows and doors at least $250, to count as a bonus-eligible upgrade.
  • Income-qualified households should check the CleanBC Energy Savings Program and the free BC Hydro and FortisBC upgrade programs first; Energy Savings Program rebates can't be combined with Home Renovation Rebate funding.

Worth knowing

The bonus pays for measured improvement, so sequence air sealing before insulation and you earn the same dollars twice: once in the bonus, once on your bills. It sits inside the Home Renovation Rebate program. Better Homes BC says some of its requirements changed for invoices dated on or after October 15, 2026; earlier invoices follow the May 15, 2026 rules. Under the October 15 requirements, a heat pump replacing electric heat gets $4,000 (whole home) or $1,500 (partial), and FortisBC pays $4,000 for a dual-fuel system (a heat pump paired with a gas furnace) replacing a FortisBC natural gas or Revelstoke piped-propane furnace at least 15 years old. North of and including 100 Mile House, BC Hydro customers switching from oil, propane or natural gas get $6,000 for a mini-split, multi-split or central heat pump, $4,500 for a dual-fuel heat pump and up to $7,000 for an air-to-water system. Better Homes BC's overview says gas- or propane-heated northern homes can get up to $8,000, but none of its itemized rebates shows how that total is reached. The May 15 rules paid insulation at $0.02–$0.09 × R-value added × sq ft, capped at $900–$1,200 per area, windows and doors at $100 each up to $2,000 (not in the City of Vancouver) and $1,000 for an electric heat pump water heater; confirm those amounts for newer invoices before you sign. For an air-source heat pump completed, invoiced and paid between August 1 and October 31, 2026, BC Hydro adds a bonus of up to $1,000 while funding lasts (apply by November 30, 2026).

Common questions

Who can get the BC Home Energy Improvement Bonus?

BC homeowners who complete three bonus-eligible upgrades between pre- and post-upgrade EnerGuide evaluations through the Home Renovation Rebate program run by the Province, BC Hydro and FortisBC. The current requirements apply to invoices dated on or after October 15, 2026 (earlier invoices follow the May 15, 2026 rules); we found no regional limit on the bonus itself. Verified October 19, 2026.

How much is the bonus actually worth for a typical retrofit?

It pays $20 for each percentage point your EnerGuide rating (in gigajoules a year) improves, with a $750 minimum and a $2,000 maximum: a 50% improvement earns $1,000, and 100% or more earns the cap. Your pre-upgrade evaluation report shows which upgrades move the rating most, so use it to plan the three you'll do.

Does it stack with BC Hydro and FortisBC rebates?

Yes — the per-measure utility rebates apply to the individual upgrades, and the bonus pays separately on the whole-home improvement the evaluations measure. Stack both; they're designed together under the Better Homes BC umbrella.

What if I only do two upgrades?

Claim the $300 Two Upgrade Bonus instead. It needs no evaluation: install any two bonus-eligible upgrades within 18 months of each other and apply within six months of the second upgrade's invoice. It's one bonus per home, so you can't also claim the Improvement Bonus.

Official program page ↗ Always confirm details there before spending — programs change faster than any tracker.

Sources

All British Columbia programs & guide → Related: CleanBC Energy Savings Full tracker

Start with the required assessment

BC Improvement Bonus runs through a registered energy advisor. We'll match you with a licensed service organization 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.