Air Conditioner Rebates in Ontario: What Exists in 2026

In short

No Ontario program pays a rebate for a central air conditioner alone in 2026. The Home Renovation Savings Program pays for a cold-climate heat pump instead, which cools like an AC and also heats: $500 per ton up to $2,000 in an Enbridge gas-heated home, or $1,250 per ton up to $7,500 where electricity, oil, propane or wood is the heat. Approval must come before installation.

How much you can get

Central air conditioner on its own, at any efficiency rating No rebate
Cold-climate air-source heat pump in a home heated by Enbridge gas $500 per ton, up to $2,000
Cold-climate air-source heat pump in a home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood $1,250 per ton, up to $7,500
Rented heat pump $500 per ton, up to $2,000
Peak Perks enrolment for a smart thermostat that controls central AC $75 on enrolment, then $20 for each year enrolled
Smart thermostat rebate See the program page
Window air conditioner through the Energy Affordability Program (income-eligible households) No cost to the household

Who qualifies

A cooling-only central air conditioner is not a listed measure, so no efficiency rating or brand makes one eligible.
A heat pump claim requires that the house has never had a space-heating heat pump before, because the program pays for a first installation only.
The home is a detached, semi-detached, row or townhouse, or a mobile home on a permanent foundation, and has been occupied for more than six months.
You heat mainly with an Enbridge gas furnace or boiler, or you are on the Ontario electricity grid and heat with electricity, oil, propane or wood.
The outdoor unit is a current model on the Natural Resources Canada list of cold-climate air-source heat pumps.
A contractor on the program's participating list does the work, and pre-approval arrives before the install date.
Peak Perks is separate: it needs an eligible Wi-Fi thermostat controlling central air conditioning or a heat pump at an Ontario address.

Most people asking about this have an air conditioner that is failing or already dead and a quote on the counter. The quote for a straight AC will not shrink. The question worth ten minutes is whether a heat pump in the same spot makes more sense for your house.

Does any Ontario program pay for a central air conditioner in 2026?

No. The Home Renovation Savings Program, run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, lists heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, solar panels with batteries, smart thermostats and some appliances. A central air conditioner is not on that list. Every new split air conditioner sold here already has to meet the 13.4 SEER2 minimum, and exceeding it earns nothing extra from any program.

The Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed to new applicants and Enbridge's HER+ has ended, so an older article promising AC money through either one is out of date. Be wary of a quote that shows an 'AC rebate' as a line item. Ask which program it comes from and where on that program's website the measure appears. A manufacturer promotion or dealer discount is a price reduction that can be withdrawn; it is not a government or utility rebate.

Why a heat pump is the cooling equipment that gets paid

A heat pump is an air conditioner with a reversing valve: in July it moves heat out of the house through the same indoor coil and ductwork a central AC uses. In the shoulder seasons and most of winter it runs in reverse and heats. The program pays for it because it displaces furnace or baseboard heat, and the cooling comes with it.

The rebate is counted by the ton, using the unit's rated heating capacity at 8.3 °C. A gas-heated house earns $500 per ton, so a 3-ton system returns $1,500 and four tons reaches the $2,000 ceiling. A house on electric, oil, propane or wood heat earns $1,250 per ton, so the same 3-ton system returns $3,750.

Keeping the gas furnace does not disqualify you. The program accepts a heat pump that works with a backup furnace, new or existing, though only the heat pump is paid for. That layout is covered on our dual-fuel heat pump rebate page.

Straight AC or heat pump: the numbers once the rebate is counted

For a gas-heated house the rebate does not close the price gap by itself. These are the installed price bands we publish, with the rebate beside them:

Central air conditioner on existing ducts: $3,500–$7,500 installed, no rebate.
Whole-home ducted cold-climate heat pump: $6,000–$16,000 installed before rebates, with a 3-ton system typically at $9,500–$15,000.
Rebate on that 3-ton heat pump in a gas-heated home: $1,500.
Rebate on that 3-ton heat pump in a home on electric, oil, propane or wood heat: $3,750.
Furnace and air conditioner replaced together, for comparison: $7,500–$11,500.

The rule we use at the kitchen table has three branches. If the furnace is under ten years old and you only need cooling, buy the air conditioner and stop looking for a rebate. If the furnace is also near the end of its life, compare the heat pump against the furnace-and-AC figure, because that is the job you would otherwise be paying for. If the house has no gas at all, the heat pump is the default, since the larger rebate lands on equipment that also cuts the heating bill.

Small money that does exist for a house with central air

Peak Perks, from Save on Energy, pays $75 when you enrol a smart thermostat that controls central air conditioning and $20 for each year you stay in. In exchange the thermostat can be adjusted by no more than two degrees Celsius for up to three hours on peak summer days, and you can opt out of any event.
A smart thermostat rebate is offered through the Home Renovation Savings Program to homes that heat with Enbridge gas or that heat or cool electrically. The current amount is on the program page, and the limit is one per household.
Income-eligible households can receive an energy-efficient window air conditioner at no cost through the Energy Affordability Program. That is a window unit, not central air.
In the City of Toronto only, the Home Energy Loan Program lists high-efficiency air conditioners as an eligible improvement. It is a loan repaid on the property tax bill, explained on our Toronto HELP page.

The AC died in a heat wave: can a rebate wait?

A heat pump rebate cannot be claimed after the fact. The program states that pre-approval is mandatory and that installations done before approval are not eligible, so an emergency swap on a Friday afternoon forfeits it. If the old unit can be kept alive with a repair, most AC repairs run $150–$800, and that buys the time to apply properly.

A dead air conditioner is a comfort problem, not a safety one, unless someone in the house is elderly, very young or unwell in the heat. In that case cool one room with a portable or window unit and do not let paperwork decide the timing.

When you call, we look at the age and condition of both the air conditioner and the furnace, measure the house, and price both routes in writing. Air conditioner installation covers the straight replacement, the full list of programs is on the Ontario rebates hub, and you can book a free quote for either option.

How ZK Mechanical helps

Tell you up front that a straight air conditioner earns nothing, so the rebate never becomes a reason to delay a decision.
Price the air conditioner and the heat pump side by side in writing, with the rebate shown as a separate line and never netted off as if it were certain.
Check the furnace's age and blower before recommending either, because a heat pump has to work with whatever stays in the basement.
Size the system from a heat-loss and heat-gain calculation, not from the nameplate of the unit being removed.
Handle the rebate paperwork on a heat pump, and hold the install until pre-approval is in hand.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a rebate for a high-SEER2 air conditioner?

No. Efficiency makes no difference to eligibility because a cooling-only air conditioner is not a measure in the Home Renovation Savings Program at all. A higher SEER2 unit lowers the summer hydro bill and often runs quieter, which may be worth paying for, but the saving comes from the meter and not from a cheque. Compare models on running cost and warranty instead.

Can I get the heat pump rebate if I only want it for cooling?

The rebate is written for a space-heating heat pump, so the equipment must be a cold-climate model from the Natural Resources Canada list, installed by a participating contractor after pre-approval. Paying for that capability and then never heating with it wastes most of the purchase. If cooling is all you need, a straight air conditioner at a lower price is the better buy.

Does a ductless mini-split air conditioner qualify?

A cooling-only ductless unit does not. A ductless heat pump can, provided it is a cold-climate model on the Natural Resources Canada list and both the indoor and outdoor units are newly installed. Adding one more indoor head to an existing system, or swapping only the outdoor unit, is not eligible under the program rules. Single-zone ductless installs run $4,000–$7,000.

I already have a heat pump, so is there a rebate to replace it?

No. The program pays only for the first installation of a space-heating heat pump in a home, and states that a house with an existing heat pump system is not eligible. Replacing a worn-out heat pump is paid for the way an air conditioner replacement is: out of pocket or through financing. Check the manufacturer warranty before assuming the old unit is finished.

Will my hydro company give me an AC rebate?

Residential electricity incentives in Ontario are delivered province-wide through Save on Energy, and nothing on its list pays for a central air conditioner, whether your bill comes from Burlington Hydro, Alectra or Toronto Hydro. The one offer tied to central air is Peak Perks, which pays you for letting a smart thermostat be adjusted on peak summer days. Check your own utility's page for anything local.

Official sources

All Ontario HVAC rebates Heat pump rebates in Ontario Dual-fuel heat pump rebates Air conditioner installation All rebate programs

Air Conditioner Rebates in Ontario