If you’re planning insulation, a heat pump, or windows in Ontario this year, the Home Renovation Savings Program is the biggest pot of rebate money available right now - and its current funding runs through November 30, 2026, so anyone waiting for “next year” may be waiting for a program that looks different or isn’t there.
Here’s what it covers as of July 2026 (always confirm current amounts at homerenovationsavings.ca - the program can change without notice):
The no-assessment path (fastest)
Some rebates don’t require an energy audit at all:
- Attic insulation: up to $1,250 back. This is the one to grab if you do nothing else - attic top-ups are cheap, fast, and pay back in one or two winters.
- Cathedral ceiling / flat roof insulation: up to $750.
- Smart thermostats and select other upgrades also qualify on this path.
The assessment path (bigger money)
With a home energy assessment, the bundle gets much larger:
- Cold-climate air-source heat pump: up to $7,500.
- Ground-source (geothermal): up to $12,000.
- Insulation bundle: up to $7,700 across attic, walls, and basement when combined on the assessed path.
The assessment costs a few hundred dollars and is itself partially rebated - if you’re doing a heat pump plus envelope work, it pays for itself several times over.
What trips people up
Equipment lists matter. Rebates apply to specific certified models installed by qualifying contractors - a great price on a unit that isn’t on the list is not a great price. Ask your contractor to confirm the exact model qualifies before you sign, and get it in writing.
Order of operations matters. On the assessed path, the pre-work assessment has to happen first. Book it before demo, not after.
Stacking: if your furnace is at end-of-life, read our furnace replacement in Ontario guide alongside this - the 95% AFUE minimum and the heat-pump math interact with these rebates in ways that change what’s worth installing.
The honest take
We’ve been renovating GTA homes for over 50 years, and rebate programs come and go - the pattern is always the same: the people who collect are the ones who start the paperwork early. November 30, 2026 sounds far away; an assessment, contractor quotes, equipment lead times, and an install window make it closer than it looks.
Anyone here already gone through the program this year? How was the assessment and payout timeline in practice? Real experiences below help everyone reading this.