How the ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Buildings Works

The following is a brief overview of the ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Buildings. For more detailed information, we strongly recommend you thoroughly read the latest version of the application guide and forms. You should consider the guide as the definitive source of information if you find discrepancies among Web or other materials.

Available Funding

The eligible incentive is based on the lowest of the following three amounts:

• $10 per gigajoule (277.8 kilowatt hours) of estimated annual energy savings;
• 25 percent of eligible project costs; or
• $50,000 per project ($250,000 per organization).

We pay the total eligible incentive after completion of the approved project and verification of the work. The estimated payback of your investment must be at least one year, after taking into account incentives from all external sources.

Who Can Apply

Organizations that own, manage or lease the following types of buildings can apply:

• Commercial and institutional buildings, including those owned by not-for-profit and religious organizations
• Provincial, territorial and municipal buildings
• Multi-unit residential buildings (with a common entrance and at least four storeys or a footprint of 600 square metres or more)
• Mixed-use commercial/residential buildings

Other components of ecoENERGY Retrofit are available for homeowners and industrial facilities.

Key Requirements

• The area of each building cannot exceed 20 000 square metres (215 279 square feet).
• You can include up to 10 buildings in a project.
• Each building must be occupied for a similar purpose for at least 3 years.
• You need to arrange a pre-project energy audit as described in the Application Guide.
• You have 12 months after approval to complete your project (18 months in the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories).
• Do not start the project or incur any related costs until you receive written approval from the OEE.

Examples of Eligible Measures

• The OEE will consider most proven energy efficiency retrofit measures. Typical projects include improvements to lighting, building envelope, motors, controls, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.

For More Information

Access the Application Guide and forms and consult the important updates. If you have questions after you have read the materials, you can contact us. Check with your local energy utility about complementary incentives.

Next: Steps to apply for the incentive