1) Book your pre-retrofit EnerGuide home assessment Before you start any retrofit work, ensure you complete a pre-retrofit EnerGuide home assessment. To get started, fill out an Information Request Form. Since pre and post EnerGuide home assessments are a mandatory part of the program, the Canada Greener Homes Grant currently reimburses homeowners up to $600 for their assessments once the energy upgrades are installed and approved, in addition to up to $5,000 for eligible energy-efficient home retrofits. 2) Registered Energy Advisor conducts on-site EnerGuide home assessment Pre-retrofit EnerGuide assessments assess the energy performance of your home, typically take about two hours to complete on-site, and are performed by our Registered Energy Advisors who visit your home and gather data by completing the following: Mapping and measuring the building envelope (windows, doors, ceiling, walls, and foundation); Identifying insulation levels throughout all areas of your home; Recording the size and efficiency ratings of your space heating, space cooling and water heating equipment; Noting your home’s ventilation equipment; and Testing your home’s air tightness via use of a blower door test. This information is specific to your household and estimates what your home’s annual energy consumption will be. 3) Review the results of the EnerGuide home assessment Next, we will develop an energy model of your home using an energy simulation software program. The energy model is a virtual simulation of your home which estimates energy use per year and predicts future energy optimization based on implementing the suggested improvements. ​ The energy model will:​ Compare your home to a new home built to code standard​; Recommend personalized upgrades associated with energy efficiency: each of these upgrades will include an estimate for how much energy the upgrades are expected to save, and how efficient your home will be as a result; and Create an EnerGuide rating and label for your home to allow you to rank it against others via estimated greenhouse gas emissions per year as well as projected energy consumption per year. Two weeks after your assessment, you will receive an EnerGuide label, a Homeowner Information Sheet and a Renovation Upgrade Report. You can use this information to estimate the costs and benefits of recommended changes and decide which upgrades are worth actioning within your budget. 4) Reach out to contractors for quotes for recommended upgrades. Review the results of your EnerGuide home assessment and use the provided data from the report to decide which upgrades will achieve the greatest energy efficiency within your budget. Gather 1-3 quotes from licensed and trained professionals to install the work. 5) Book your installation date(s). After your pre-retrofit EnerGuide home assessment is complete, you can now schedule your retrofits to be installed. Note: if you are planning on applying for the interest-free Canada Greener Homes Loan, your loan application must be submitted before any retrofits are installed or else you will be ineligible for the loan. See Step 2b below for greater detail about the loan and how to submit your loan application.

1) Apply to the Canada Greener Homes Grant The first step is to create your Canada Greener Homes Application. Once submitted, NRCan usually takes up to 10 business days to approve your application. Follow this video to find out how to create a GCKey and acquire your AP#. Link to the Canada Greener Homes Grant: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-initiative/canada-greener-homes-grant/canada-greener-homes-grant/23441 2 (OPTIONAL) Pre-register for the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program While the program is not expected to fully launch until Spring 2023, pre-registration to receive up to $5,000 upfront when you switch from oil to a heat pump is now open. Pre-retrofit EnerGuide home assessments aren't necessary for the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program, unless you are planning to apply for the Canada Greener Homes Grant also. Link to the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-initiative/oil-heat-pump-affordability-program-part-the-canada-greener-homes-initiative/24775 3) Additional info on how to navigate the Canada Greener Homes portal Check out this optional explainer video which shows how to find your AP#, where to apply for the interest-free loan, and how to navigate throughout the Canada Greener Homes portal.

1) Complete a CleanBC Provincial Rebate Application Watch this video to see how to submit your application to the Home Renovation Rebate and CleanBC Better Homes Program. (Step 3 of this video is targeted to homeowners installing a heat pump as their applications are a little trickier to complete than the others! If you would like support filling out other parts of the provincial application that we didn't cover, please reach out to our booking@getsenergy.ca team.) Review the eligibility criteria in full, as not all retrofits qualify for rebates. Additionally, ensure you submit your application within 6 months of the invoice date listed on your retrofit invoice or you will be ineligible for the rebate. Applications take 20-30 minutes and will require your: - BCHydro/FortisBC account numbers (as applicable); and - paid invoice(s) from your completed retrofit work. Once submitted, you can expect an e-transfer from BC Hydro to arrive within 90 business days. You can check your application status at any time. 2) Upload your receipts to the Canada Greener Homes portal Watch this video to see how to sign in to the Canada Greener Homes portal and submit your receipts to receive up to $5,600. Ensure you include the following receipts: - an invoice marked PAID from your pre-retrofit EnerGuide assessment; - an invoice marked PAID from all retrofit work you're claiming under the grant; and - an invoice marked PAID from your post-retrofit EnerGuide assessment. Once uploaded, NRCan usually takes 5-10 (but can take up to 40) business days to review your receipts. Once reviewed, you'll receive an email from NRCan stating your grant is ready to be accepted. When you receive this email, go to step 4 below. 3) Request interest-free loan funding Once you've uploaded your receipts, watch this video to see how to check your loan portal and request the final loan disbursement. After your request, you can expect the funding to be automatically deposited into your bank account within 10 business days. 4) Accept the Canada Greener Homes grant Once you've received the email mentioned in section 2 above, you can sign back onto the Canada Greener Homes portal to accept the rebate. Watch this video to see how. When complete, you can expect to receive a cheque for up to $5,600 mailed to your home within 40 business days. Retain all copies of your documents until March 31, 2028. The federal grants are not taxable and do not have to be declared as income.

Work with your chosen contractor(s) to complete the upgrades in a timely manner. Ensure you receive an invoice, marked PAID from your contractor(s) for each of the retrofits installed. (OPTIONAL): Canada Greener Homes Grant While not mandatory, NRCan recommends obtaining the following if applicable for your retrofits: for grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems, a copy of the letter of approval or permission for interconnection issued by the local electrical or building authority an attestation form (if applicable for your retrofits) confirming that: the mechanical system has been installed by a trained and licensed professional (PDF) the ground source heat pump system was installed in accordance with CSA standards (PDF) the air source heat pump or cold climate air source heat pump system is capable of distributing heat to the entire home (PDF) for an off-grid system, you should ensure that the system was designed and installed in accordance with local building and electrical codes. (MANDATORY): Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program Ensure the contractor you hire signs this attestation form once the cold climate air source heat pump system(s) is installed (PDF)

Once the upgrades are complete, email booking@getsenergy.ca to book a post-retrofit EnerGuide home assessment. A Registered Energy Advisor will stop by, document the changes made, and give final sign off and approval. Post-retrofit EnerGuide home assessments take about an hour for a standard home. Once completed, it usually takes your Registered Energy Advisor about two weeks to complete and upload your final reports. Once the reports are uploaded, you will be able to apply for the available rebates.

1) Apply for the $5,000 - $40,000 interest-free loan The Canada Greener Homes Loan program will provide homeowners with an interest-free loan between $5,000 and $40,000 to pay for eligible energy-efficient upgrades on their primary residence recommended by a Registered Energy Advisor. The loan will be interest-free and must be repaid within 120 months. Apply for the loan after your registered Energy Advisor shares your homeowner reports. Do not start any retrofit work until after the loan application is made. The document below provides additional information on questions asked and the documentation needed to successfully make your loan application. Use this document as a guide only: you do not need to fill out this form as the portal will guide you through the necessary questions. 2) Up to 40 business days later, accept the loan. Once your loan application is made, allow up to 40 business days for the program administrators to approve your loan. Due to current wait times for loan approval, Intellifi and CMHC have confirmed that applicants may move forward on their retrofits between the time of loan application and loan approval. However, if your loan is rejected for any reason, you would be responsible for paying for the retrofits in full. For this reason, we highly recommend you not carry on with retrofits until you receive official loan approval. When you receive an email about your loan, you will need to sign on to the Canada Greener Homes Loan portal to accept the loan or view notes in your loan file. Watch this video to see how to navigate the Canada Greener Homes Loan portal. Once accepted, you can expect to receive an advance of up to 15% of the loan amount automatically deposited into your bank account within 10 business days. The other 85% of the loan balance will be automatically deposited into your bank account after your retrofits are installed and your post-retrofit EnerGuide home assessment is complete.

Now Active! The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program (OHPAP) helps Canadian homeowners who are currently heating their homes with oil to transition to electric cold climate air source heat pumps. As part of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative, the OHPAP allows eligible homeowners to receive $5,000 before their heat pump is installed. Once the program is officially launched, eligible homeowners will receive an upfront payment of up to $5,000 after their applications are approved. The upfront grant payment must be used towards the purchase and installation of an eligible cold climate air source heat pump and the program’s eligible measures. In most cases, you will receive this funding in advance of having to pay for any of the related costs. Funding can be combined with additional financial incentives such as the $5,600 from the Canada Greener Homes Grant, the $5,000 to $40,000 interest-free loan, as well as provincial and municipal funding. If your after-tax household income is equal to or less than the values in the table outlining household size and income in B.C. below, you are eligible to apply for the OHPAP: Source: Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0057-01 Household income statistics by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions Eligibility Criteria: Only one homeowner per home can apply. Before you apply, ensure you qualify: · Your home is an eligible property type; · You are the primary resident and owner of your home; · You have purchased at least 1,000 litres of heating oil (not propane or coal) in the past 12 months to heat your home; · You have not already received money for a heat pump as part of the Canada Greener Homes Grant or Loan; · You are able to complete the work within 6 months of receiving the upfront payment; · Your home is connected to a North American electricity grid (Off-grid houses are not eligible); and · Your household income must qualify as median or below, after taxes defined by Statistics Canada (varies by province). If you are unsure of your eligibility, email program staff for assistance at OHPA-CAMT@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca What will I need to apply? · Proof of primary residence (a copy of your driver’s licence is preferred) or another government-issued ID (ID must show proof of address on it) together with a utility bill; · Proof of home ownership (property tax statement/property tax bill number); · Heating oil fuel bills that show the amount of oil purchased over the 12 months leading up to the time of application (for this program, heating oil does not include propane or coal.) · Quote(s) from your selected contractor(s); · You may be asked from the program at a later date to provide your Social Insurance Number. What else do I need to know? · A pre-retrofit EnerGuide home energy evaluation is not required for the OHPAP but is required if you’re planning to accept the additional $5,600 in funding from the Canada Greener Homes Grant or apply for the Canada Greener Homes Loan. · Ensure your contractor signs the attestation form confirming that the cold climate air source heat pump is capable of distributing heat throughout your entire home once the heat pump is installed. · Complete the work and submit the attestation form and all final receipts within six months of receiving the initial $5,000 payment from the OHPAP. · Retain all copies of your documents until March 31, 2028. · The federal grants are not taxable and do not have to be declared as income. · Homeowners will be contacted to arrange for verification of the heat pump installation and all eligible measures for which they requested funding. · Only one grant payment will be issued per household.

Attic / Cathedral Ceiling / Flat roof insulation Exterior wall insulation Exposed floor insulation Crawl space insulation Eligibility Criteria Basement insulation

The Canada Greener Homes Loan Program will provide homeowners with an interest-free loan between $5,000 and $40,000 to pay for eligible energy-efficient upgrades on their primary home. The loans must be repaid within 10 years. In order to qualify for the loan, you must • apply and be eligible for the Canada Greener Homes Grant; • have completed a pre-retrofit evaluation of your home dated April 1, 2020 or later; • maintain good credit history; • submit your property tax statement; • include your license or other government issued ID together with a utility bill; • present proof of income and employment (for example, a job letter or a T4 slip); and • attach quotes from contractors (at least 1-3 quotes for each of the planned retrofits). The loan does not apply to the following work • retrofits that haven’t been recommended by an energy advisor; • retrofits that are not eligible for a Canada Greener Homes Grant; • work that has already started or been completed; and • retrofits that aren’t included in the loan application. For in-depth information on qualifying criteria and how to apply for the Canada Greener Homes Loan, check out the Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan Handbook we developed to simplify your journey.

Eligibility criteria

Buildings and homes account for 18% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The Canada Greener Homes Initiative helps homeowners save money when making their homes more comfortable and energy efficient. Through this initiative, you can receive - Grants from $125 to $5,000 to cover part of the costs of eligible home retrofits; - Up to $600 to cover some of the costs incurred from your pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluations; and - $5,000 to $40,000 in interest-free loans to pay back over 10 years to help you undertake major home retrofits. For in-depth information on how to apply for the Canada Greener Homes Initiative, check out the Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan Handbook we developed to simplify your journey.

Eligibility Criteria for resiliency measures and renewable energy systems

Eligibility criteria

Current Federal, Provincial and Municipal rebates allow you to save thousands on the installation of an applicable heat pump. Eligibility criteria * See municipal top-up offer for details. ** Effective July 1, 2022, eligible upgrades qualify for a $350 top-up. Eligible upgrades completed on or before June 30, 2022 qualify for a $2,000 top-up.

Our Certified Energy Managers are ready and available to help you increase a building’s energy efficiency by analyzing and optimizing the current equipment and systems and enabling them to function together effectively in the future. This approach reduces greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and utility costs while also cutting future energy costs and qualifying projects to receive large rebates. Our range of services is often subsidized by available rebates and implementation subsidies – contact us today to see how much you can save!

Let us save you money while building energy efficient homes! Our services are customized to meet the specific needs of each client while also being compliant with the BC Energy Step Code building requirements. We will work with you to address all your needs throughout the process and guarantee measurable results that can increase comfort and energy efficiency, often without an increase in cost. Contact us today to find out how we can work together to reach your goals.

We are experts in reaching specific BC Energy Step Code targets, compliance, and design optimization while also maximizing current incentive program rebates for builders and homeowners. Our designs lead to more efficient, more comfortable homes, while being simpler and less expensive to build. 

Once the air barrier is installed, we will come to site to complete a blower door test. This test is completed to confirm the air seal and fix leaks. This generally includes pressurizing the home and filling it with a non-toxic smoke to find and repair leakage locations.

Some municipalities require a pre-construction energy compliance report before they will accept an application for a building permit. Pre-construction energy compliance reports include a review of the provided building drawings and the creation of an energy model for the current design. GETS can provide these reports to finalize your permit application and will accommodate rush service when needed. Our team is ready to provide full-service energy advising and compliance services to eliminate delays during the permitting process: this means that you can keep doing what you do best while we take care of the details. We currently offer a free design report in addition to our as-built compliance reports that outlines what the requirements will be on similar buildings when the BC Energy Step Code becomes mandatory throughout B.C. We also outline next steps and how to avoid costly delays.

Daniel Giam, founder of GETS Energy, is a Certified Passive House Designer. "Pass­ive House build­ings are en­ergy ef­fi­cient build­ings that provide users with high levels of com­fort and ex­cel­lent air qual­ity around the clock. They may not look any dif­fer­ent from oth­er build­ings, but good plan­ning as well as care­ful ex­e­cu­tion of the de­tails is es­sen­tial in the con­struc­tion of such pro­jects. This en­sures that the high re­quire­ments for the build­ing en­vel­ope and tech­no­logy can be met. As a res­ult, build­ing pro­fes­sion­als need ad­di­tion­al ex­pert­ise which can be ac­quired and sub­stan­ti­ated with Pass­ive House courses." - Passive House website

GETS Energy is a certified, BuiltGreen Supporting Member. "BUILT GREEN® is a holistic, sustainable building program that offers you a competitive advantage, with pass-along benefits for your clients – increased durability in your builds; third-party certification that signifies verification of the home’s energy efficiency and green features – it demonstrates that you go beyond code requirements to build a home that promotes healthier, more sustainable living with economic benefits for the homebuyer." - BuiltGreen website

GETS Energy is a member of the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors (CACEA). As such, we keep our finger on the pulse on industry updates and best practices.

Daniel Giam, Founder of GETS Energy, is an individual member of the Association of Energy Engineers and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM).