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70 Canadian cities, each with its climate, housing age and 16 local audit and testing services.
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Ontario region guides
Provincial guide · program status verified per item
BC pairs ambitious building rules with an audit-linked rebate: the Home Energy Improvement Bonus pays by measured improvement between two EnerGuide evaluations. Add the Home Renovation Rebate program's per-upgrade rebates, income-tiered CleanBC rebates and free upgrades for lower-income households, and BC is one of the better places in the country to do a retrofit properly.
Vancouver and the coast fight moisture more than cold — older stock leaks air and grows condensation problems in mild wet winters, and wildfire-smoke summers have made filtration a mainstream concern. The Interior and North are a different climate entirely: real winters, wood heat, and homes where envelope upgrades pay fast. Step Code-era new builds are tight and need their ventilation verified.
$20 per %-point improvement · $750–$2,000
Complete three bonus-eligible upgrades with pre- and post-upgrade EnerGuide evaluations within 18 months, apply within six months of the second evaluation, and get paid for the measured improvement. Doing only two upgrades? A separate $300 Two Upgrade Bonus needs no evaluation (one bonus per home). This is the audit-first model done right — the evaluations are the program.
Income-tiered rebates · heat pumps to $13,000
Lower- and middle-income households get rebates of up to 100% of eligible costs, capped by level (for example, up to $13,000 for a central heat pump replacing oil, gas or propane), paid through registered contractors. It isn't free installation, and its insulation rebates ended for invoices from July 6, 2026. Free upgrades come through BC Hydro's and FortisBC's programs, which also deliver the federal Affordability Program.
Heat pumps $4,000 · insulation · windows $100 each
For any income: $4,000 for a whole-home heat pump replacing electric heat ($1,500 partial), or $4,000 from FortisBC for a heat pump paired with a gas furnace, replacing a FortisBC gas or piped-propane furnace at least 15 years old. North of and including 100 Mile House, homes leaving oil, propane or gas get $6,000 for a mini-split, multi-split or central heat pump, $4,500 for dual fuel or up to $7,000 for air-to-water; Better Homes BC's overview says up to $8,000 for gas or propane, but its itemized rebates don't show how. Requirements changed for invoices from October 15, 2026, so confirm the other amounts, which are from the May 15 rules: insulation $0.02–$0.09 × R-value added × sq ft, windows and doors $100 each up to $2,000 (not in the City of Vancouver) and $1,000 for an electric heat pump water heater. BC Hydro adds up to $1,000 for an air-source heat pump completed and paid between August 1 and October 31, 2026, while funding lasts.
announced National Heat Pump Rebate (new): Announced October 8, 2026 and expected to open early 2027: $2,000 toward an eligible cold-climate air-source heat pump, or up to $10,000 for households below the median income. Apply online, approval within 24 hours, no EnerGuide evaluation, and it can be combined with provincial rebates. Not open yet. What we know → ↗
closed Canada Greener Homes Grant & Loan: The grant closed to new applicants in February 2024; the interest-free loan (up to $40,000) stopped taking applications October 1, 2025 and its funding is fully committed. Approved applicants keep their funding — new ones can't join. ↗
live Greener Homes Affordability Program: Free direct-install retrofits (insulation, heat pumps) for low-to-median-income owners and tenants, expanded June 29, 2026 with over $500 million, delivered through provincial partners in BC, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, PEI and Quebec (Quebec's 2026–27 registration has ended), with more to be listed. You apply through your province's program, never through cold-callers. ↗
closed Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA): Closed to new applications July 31, 2026 (approved participants have until January 31, 2027 to submit receipts). It paid up to $15,000 (plus a one-time $250 payment) toward oil-to-heat-pump conversions for income-qualified households. ↗
Each city page covers 16 audit and testing services with that city's own climate, housing age and service organizations. The bar shows its houses by construction era, oldest first.
Local geology, water sources, and climate set the home-health checklist. Each item links to its full guide; the 30-second screener personalizes it to your exact house.
Wildfire smoke is now an annual season in much of BC. A PM2.5 monitor plus sized HEPA purifiers — with spare filters bought before summer — is the standing playbook.
Mild, wet winters make ventilation the coast's defining home-health question. Diagnose ventilation vs. cold-surface before spending — the audit's assessment settles it.
Parts of the Interior test well above the coast in cross-Canada surveys, and every home tests individually. One 3-month winter kit answers it.
Testing regimes differ from Ontario's free-lab model — BC well owners typically test through private accredited labs; your health authority lists them. The routine (bacteria often, chemistry periodically) is the same.
Other provinces: Alberta · Saskatchewan · Manitoba · Ontario · Quebec · New Brunswick · Nova Scotia · Prince Edward Island · Newfoundland & Labrador · The North (YT · NT · NU)
NRCan-registered service organizations work in every province. Tell us where you are and what you're planning — we'll point you at the right door, with your province's programs flagged.