Provincial guide · program status verified per item

Home energy audits in Nova Scotia

Efficiency Nova Scotia (EfficiencyOne) runs one of Canada's most complete program sets: assessment-based rebates for everyone, a moderate-income tier, and HomeWarming's free upgrades for income-qualified households. The federal oil-to-heat-pump money is spent out here — the provincial stack is what remains, and it's substantial.

Colourful wooden row houses on a steep street above a foggy Atlantic harbour

The housing stock, read like an auditor

Canada's oldest housing stock by share in many communities: wood-frame homes that have seen two centuries of Atlantic weather, plus post-war Halifax suburbs. Oil heat's share was long the country's highest — which is why conversion programs hit Nova Scotia first and hardest.

Programs in Nova Scotia: what's actually live

live

Assessment-based rebates (up to $5,000)

Home Energy Assessment path

The assessment costs $199 (free for households under Efficiency Nova Scotia's income threshold) and opens rebates of up to $5,000 across insulation, air sealing and equipment. Upgrades must be done within 12 months of the first assessment. Book through Efficiency Nova Scotia's accredited partners.

Full program guide → · Official page ↗ · verified October 2, 2026

income-qualified

To ~$10,000 moderate-income (standard $5,000 + $5,000 top-up) · free income-qualified

Moderate Income Rebates + HomeWarming

The Moderate Income Rebate adds up to $5,000 on top of the standard $5,000 (about $10,000 in all) for homes not heated mainly by electricity, and its participants get the $199 assessment fee back when their rebates are issued. HomeWarming installs free upgrades (heat pumps included) for income-qualified homeowners; renters aren't eligible. NS is also a Greener Homes Affordability delivery province.

Full program guide → · Official page ↗ · verified October 2, 2026

closed

Funding fully committed

Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (NS)

The federal OHPA's Nova Scotia allocation was fully committed ahead of other provinces, and the national program closed to new applications July 31, 2026. If a contractor is still selling it, walk.

Full program guide → · Official page ↗ · verified September 21, 2026

The federal picture, honestly

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 — currently delivered in BC, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Quebec through provincial partners, 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. Nova Scotia's allocation was fully committed even earlier. ↗

Local guides for 1 city in Nova Scotia

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.

Monitor & test in Nova Scotia

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.

Radon

Nova Scotia's granite and slate geologies produce real radon variation — community results have run high in parts of the mainland. Test over winter, whatever your neighbour's number was.

Wells and coastal water

Bacteria seasonally, chemistry periodically — with arsenic and uranium on the panel; both show up in NS bedrock wells often enough to test for by default.

Wind-driven moisture

Two-century-old envelopes plus Atlantic storms: diagnose moisture paths before any insulation project, and treat musty basements as a cause hunt, not a cleaning job.

Oil-heat CO

The remaining oil fleet needs annual servicing and in-date alarms — and every conversion quote should start from a real heat-loss calculation.

Run your Nova Scotia home through the planner

Postal code in, plan out: your era's likely story, the tests to ask for by name, and the Nova Scotia programs above matched to your situation.

Check my home →

Other provinces: British Columbia · Alberta · Saskatchewan · Manitoba · Ontario · Quebec · New Brunswick · Prince Edward Island · Newfoundland & Labrador · The North (YT · NT · NU)

Find a registered advisor in Nova Scotia

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.

Email us what you’re planning, your postal code and the type of building (a house, a duplex or triplex, or a larger multi-unit building) — we’ll reply with registered service organizations for your area and which rebates apply.

Email dave@clickshift.ca

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