If you're planning to upgrade your heating system in Ontario, there is one rebate program that actually matters for most homeowners: the Home Renovation Savings Program, delivered by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy and backed by the Government of Ontario. It offers real money toward a qualifying cold-climate heat pump. There's also a separate federal program for oil-heated homes. Here's what's live in 2026, who qualifies, and how the process actually works.
Imperial Heating offers in-house rebates — ask at your quote. We don't file government rebate paperwork for customers. The program details below are the program's own rules as of September 2026; the current version is always at homerenovationsavings.ca.
The Program That Actually Matters: Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program
This is Ontario's main heat pump rebate. It covers qualifying cold-climate air-source and ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps. The amount depends on your home's current heating fuel and the size of the heat pump installed; the program publishes the current figures on its own site.
- Homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood sit in a higher tier than homes heated by natural gas
- Heat-pump water heaters (ENERGY STAR) and qualifying smart thermostats are also covered
- Standard gas furnaces and standard central air conditioners are not rebated — the program is aimed at heat pumps and heat-pump water heaters
No home energy assessment is required for the heat pump itself when it's claimed as a single upgrade. (An assessment is required for some other measures, like insulation or windows, but not for a stand-alone heat pump.) The heat pump also has to be a cold-climate model on Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list.
The program is run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy on behalf of the Government of Ontario. You can read the official program terms and current amounts at homerenovationsavings.ca. If anything on this page ever disagrees with the program's site, the program is right and we are out of date.
Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program (OHPA)
OHPA is a separate federal program (not provincial) for homes currently heated by oil. Its direct federal intake closed on July 31, 2026 in five provinces and territories: Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Ontario is a participating province. Here, income-qualified homeowners heating with oil apply through Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program for a cold-climate heat pump at no cost. Income limits run from $48,220 for a one-person household to $127,576 for a household of seven or more. For eligible households it is a no-cost installation, not a dollar rebate you claim afterward. Imperial Heating does not administer these applications.
The Application, Step by Step
Most people picture a rebate working the way a tax credit does: buy the thing, keep the receipt, claim it later. The Home Renovation Savings heat-pump rebate does not work that way, and getting the order wrong is the most common way homeowners lose the money. Here is the actual sequence.
1. Confirm what your home is heated with today. This single fact sets your tier. Oil, propane, electric, and wood-heated homes sit in the top tier; a natural-gas-heated home sits in the lower tier. Nothing else about the house moves that number.
2. Choose equipment that is actually on the list. The heat pump has to be a cold-climate model on Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list. A perfectly good heat pump that is not on that list earns nothing. Ask for the exact outdoor and indoor model numbers in writing before you agree to anything.
3. The application is approved before any work starts. The program's current rules say who submits it and what it needs; read them at homerenovationsavings.ca before you book any work.
4. Installation happens, after approval. Not before. If the equipment goes in first and the application follows, the file is normally dead. See the rejection list below.
5. Final documentation goes back to the program. Invoices, model and serial numbers, and proof the job was completed as approved.
6. The program pays out. The money comes from the program after everything is verified. It is not deducted from the installer's invoice at the point of sale, so plan on paying the full installed price first and receiving the rebate afterward.
Two of those steps trip people up more than the rest: step three, because a homeowner with no heat wants the truck in the driveway tomorrow, and step two, because model numbers get treated as a detail until they are the reason the file was refused.
Program Timeline
No end date is published for the Home Renovation Savings heat-pump stream. Funding is limited and the program can change or close at any time — always confirm current status before planning a project. The federal OHPA program's direct intake closed July 31, 2026 in five provinces and territories; in Ontario, the income-qualified route through Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program is open.
Why Rebate Applications Get Rejected
The refusals we hear about almost never come down to something buried in the fine print. They come down to a short list of ordinary mistakes.
The work started before the application was approved. This is the big one. Pre-approval is a rule, not a preference. A homeowner with no heat in February who says yes to a same-week install has, without meaning to, given up the rebate.
The equipment installed was not the equipment approved. Supply gets tight, a model gets swapped on install day, and the serial number on the wall no longer matches the approved file. Any equipment change has to go back through the program before it goes in.
The model was never on the qualified products list. Cold-climate performance in a brochure and a listing on Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list are two different things.
The heating fuel on the application did not match the home. A house with a gas furnace and electric backup is a gas-heated home for tier purposes. Claiming the higher tier on a gas home is not something that slips through.
The paperwork was incomplete. Missing invoices, missing serial numbers, or an applicant name that does not match the homeowner on title.
Funding closed. No end date is published for the heat-pump stream, but budgets are finite and funding can be limited or close at any time. A rebate you were counting on in March is not guaranteed to still be there in October.
None of these are difficult to avoid. They just have to be handled before the work starts, which is why the order of operations matters more than anything else on this page.
What Systems Actually Qualify?
Under the current program, eligible upgrades are:
- Cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ductless mini-split or central)
- Ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps
- Heat-pump water heaters (ENERGY STAR)
- Smart thermostats
Standard gas furnaces and standard central air conditioners are not eligible, on their own, for a Home Renovation Savings rebate — no matter what upgrade you pair them with.
How the Rebate Fits With the Enbridge Sustain Route
There are two separate ways a Toronto homeowner can make an upgrade affordable, and they solve different problems. Mixing them up leads to disappointment.
A rebate reduces the total cost of a project you are buying outright, and it arrives after the job is finished. You still pay the full installed price up front and wait for the money to come back.
Enbridge Sustain is a lease-to-own arrangement, not a rebate. There is nothing down. You pay a predictable monthly amount over a 15-year term that covers the installation, annual maintenance, all repairs, and an extended warranty, and the equipment is yours at the end of the term. Imperial Heating is an authorized Enbridge Sustain Trusted Partner, so this is a route we can actually put in front of you rather than describe in the abstract.
The practical difference is cash flow. If you have the money for a heat pump today and your home sits in the top rebate tier, buying it and claiming the rebate usually makes the most sense. If writing a five-figure cheque is not realistic this year, Sustain removes the upfront cost entirely and folds servicing into the payment.
What you should not do is assume how the two interact on your specific project. Program terms change, equipment eligibility changes, and the answer depends on what you are installing and how the work is being paid for. Ask for it in writing before you sign, from us or from anyone else. Call (647) 852-2359 and we will price the job both ways, bought outright or through Sustain, including what the monthly payment actually looks like.
Programs You Will Still See Quoted That Are Over
A lot of the rebate advice still circulating is out of date, and some of it is being repeated by companies that should know better. For the record:
- Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) was discontinued in January 2025.
- Canada Greener Homes Grant closed to new applicants in December 2025.
- Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program (OHPA) is only partly over: its direct federal intake closed July 31, 2026 in Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Saskatchewan. In Ontario it runs through Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program as a no-cost heat pump for income-qualified oil-heated homes, not a dollar rebate that can be added to a quote.
If a quote stacks any of these on top of the Home Renovation Savings rebate to make the net price look better, the number is wrong. Ask the company to show you where the program is still open. A quote built on a rebate that no longer exists is not a discount, it is a surprise waiting for you at the end of the job.
Common Questions About HVAC Rebates in Ontario
Q: Can I combine multiple rebates?
A: Generally, one home upgrade qualifies for one Home Renovation Savings rebate tier. For oil-heated homes in Ontario, the federal program runs through Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program, which provides a cold-climate heat pump at no cost to income-qualified households rather than a dollar rebate you add to a quote.
Q: What if I don't own my home? Do renters qualify?
A: The rebate program requires homeownership. Renters should check with their landlord, since the property owner is the one who applies.
Q: Who actually files the rebate paperwork?
A: The program's current rules say who submits the application, and it must be approved before installation starts. Imperial Heating doesn't file government rebate paperwork for customers.
Q: Do I have to pay upfront and wait for the rebate?
A: Yes, the rebate is paid out by the program after installation and final documentation — it isn't deducted at the point of sale. If you'd rather not carry the upfront cost, Imperial Heating offers Enbridge Sustain $0-down financing that spreads the cost over predictable monthly payments.
HVAC Rebates for Toronto and GTA Homeowners
The Home Renovation Savings Program is available to homeowners across Ontario, including Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, and Brampton — there's no geographic restriction within the province, though the amount you qualify for still depends on your home's current heating fuel.
Imperial Heating has installed cold-climate heat pumps for homeowners across Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax, and Aurora. Call (647) 852-2359 for an honest assessment.
Ready for a Heat Pump Quote?
Imperial Heating installs cold-climate heat pumps across Toronto and the GTA. Ask about in-house rebates at your quote.
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