Energy Affordability Program in Ontario Explained

In short

The Energy Affordability Program is a free Save on Energy program for income-eligible Ontario households. Comprehensive Support includes an in-home assessment, efficient appliances and, for homes heated by electricity or oil, insulation, draft proofing and a cold-climate air-source heat pump. Moderate-income households receive a mailed energy saving kit. Apply at 1-844-770-3148 or through the form on saveonenergy.ca.

How much you can get

Comprehensive Support: assessment, appliances and upgrades No cost to eligible households
Cold-climate air-source heat pump, electrically heated home No cost; homeowners and renters may apply
Cold-climate air-source heat pump, oil-heated home No cost for a limited time; homeowners with above-ground oil tanks only
Attic or basement insulation, draft proofing, thermostat No cost; homes heated by electricity or oil
Energy saving kit for moderate-income households Free, delivered by mail in three to six weeks
Income limits by household size See the program page
Gas-heated homes Insulation and draft proofing run through Enbridge's Home Winterproofing Program

Who qualifies

You own, rent or lease a home in Ontario and are the primary or secondary holder of the electricity account.
Your before-tax household income for the previous year is under the limit for your household size, which is published on the program page.
Or someone in the household received a listed benefit in the past 12 months, such as Ontario Works, ODSP, the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the Ontario Electricity Support Program.
Residents of eligible social housing and on-reserve community members qualify without the income test.
Heating upgrades, including the heat pump, are for homes heated by electricity or oil.
Customers of Cornwall Electric are excluded because that utility is not on the IESO-controlled grid.

This is the one program where our advice is to call them before you call us. If you qualify, the work is free and the installer is assigned by the program, so a paid quote from any contractor is money you did not need to spend.

Who qualifies for the Energy Affordability Program

You qualify for Comprehensive Support if your name is on the electricity account and your household passes one of two tests. Either your before-tax household income is under the limit for the number of people in the home, or someone there received a listed benefit in the past 12 months.

Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program.
The Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance for Seniors or Allowance for the Survivor.
The Ontario Electricity Support Program or the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
The Healthy Smiles Ontario child dental program.
Enbridge's Home Winterproofing Program.

The income limits rise with household size and are revised from time to time. Read the current table on the Save on Energy page instead of trusting a figure in an article, ours included.

What the program installs at no cost

Every eligible home is assessed for lighting and appliances, and the heating upgrades depend on the fuel.

All homes: LED bulbs, a drying rack and a smart power strip, plus replacement of an inefficient refrigerator, freezer, dehumidifier or window air conditioner where the assessment supports it.
Homes with electric water heating: high-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators.
Homes heated by electricity or oil: added attic or basement insulation, draft proofing, and a programmable or smart thermostat.
Homes heated by electricity or oil: a cold-climate air-source heat pump.

Nothing is promised in advance. The program's wording is that you may receive these items depending on eligibility and the equipment already in the home, and you are free to decline any upgrade offered.

Are heat pumps included for electrically heated homes?

Yes. Save on Energy states that the program offers free cold-climate air-source heat pumps to income-eligible households with electric or oil heating. In electrically heated homes both owners and renters may apply; in oil-heated homes it is currently limited to homeowners with above-ground oil tanks, and the program describes the oil offer as available for a limited time.

The system is either ductless or ducted, decided after the in-home assessment. According to the program's FAQ it comes with a 10-year parts and labour warranty, follow-up visits at the one-year and two-year marks, and backup heat built into the design. The same FAQ says these heat pumps go into single-family homes.

In our service area that means baseboard-heated townhouses and bungalows, and rural homes in Caledon, Campbellville, Carlisle and Flamborough that sit beyond the gas main. A house heated by a natural gas furnace does not get a heat pump through this program.

Energy Affordability Program or Home Renovation Savings Program?

Use the Energy Affordability Program if you pass the income test, and the Home Renovation Savings Program if you do not. The first gives you the work for free but chooses the installer, the equipment and the schedule. The second pays a rebate on a system you choose and pay for.

Under the income limit with electric or oil heat: apply to the Energy Affordability Program first.
Under the income limit with gas heat: apply through Enbridge's Home Winterproofing Program, where a single application screens you for both.
Over the income limit, any fuel: the Home Renovation Savings Program pays $1,250 per ton up to $7,500 on a cold-climate heat pump in an electrically heated home, and $500 per ton up to $2,000 in a gas-heated one.
Over the comprehensive limit but under the kit limit: you can still order the free energy saving kit.

Electrically heated households above the line have more options than most, and our page on rebates for electrically heated homes lays them out.

How to apply

Call 1-844-770-3148 or fill in the application form on the Save on Energy site, and a program service provider contacts you inside three business days.

Keep proof of income or of a qualifying benefit ready, such as a Notice of Assessment or a benefit statement.
An energy expert visits, checks your documents, installs the small items on the spot and assesses appliances, insulation and drafts.
You receive the results by letter or email, and installation dates are arranged for anything larger.
For postal codes starting with L or M, which takes in Halton, Hamilton, Peel and Toronto, the authorized delivery agent is CLEAResult.

Save on Energy does not endorse door-to-door sales and says its delivery agents never arrive unannounced. Anyone on your doorstep offering a free heat pump is not the program.

Where ZK Mechanical fits

We do not install under this program and cannot be selected for it. What we do is tell you when you should be applying to it, and handle the work it does not cover: repairs to the equipment you have now, and paid installs for households over the income limit. If that is you, a baseboard-to-heat-pump conversion quote is free and the rebate paperwork is ours to file.

Every other program is listed on the Ontario rebates hub. Contact us with your heating fuel and household situation and we will say which application to start with.

How ZK Mechanical helps

Ask about income eligibility before quoting, and send you to the free program first when it fits.
Repair electric furnaces, baseboard controls and existing heat pumps while a program application is in progress.
Quote a rebate-eligible heat pump for households above the income limit, with the provincial pre-approval filed before installation.
Explain what the assessor will look at, so the first visit holds no surprises.
Charge nothing for telling you a free program exists.

Frequently asked questions

Can renters apply to the Energy Affordability Program?

Yes. The program is open to people who own, rent or lease their home, provided they are the primary or secondary holder of the electricity account. If the assessment approves landlord-owned appliances or insulation for an upgrade, the landlord is offered it. Save on Energy states that no personal financial information about how you qualified is shared with the landlord.

Does the Energy Affordability Program replace a gas furnace?

No. Gas furnaces are not on the list of upgrades, and the heat pump, insulation and draft-proofing measures are reserved for homes heated by electricity or oil. A gas-heated household that passes the income test applies through Enbridge's Home Winterproofing Program, which covers insulation and draft proofing and screens for the appliance upgrades at once.

What comes in the energy saving kit?

Depending on the home, the kit may include LED bulbs, weather-stripping, a high-efficiency handheld showerhead, kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators, a retractable clothesline, an LED night light and a block heater timer. It is for self-installation, arrives by mail in three to six weeks, and carries no fees or shipping costs. Its income limits are higher than those for Comprehensive Support.

Will a program heat pump leave me without backup heat?

No. The program's FAQ says a backup heating system is integrated into the heat pump solution it installs, because a cold-climate heat pump may not meet the whole load in extreme cold. It also says the installed system carries a 10-year parts and labour warranty and includes check-up visits after one and two years.

My income is just over the limit. What should I do?

Check the energy saving kit table first, because its limits are higher. After that, look at the Home Renovation Savings Program, which has no income test and pays per ton on a heat pump you buy through a participating contractor. Income limits are revised, so recheck the Save on Energy table each year before assuming you are still outside it.

Official sources

All Ontario HVAC rebates Enbridge Home Winterproofing Program Rebates for electrically heated homes Baseboard-to-heat-pump conversion All rebate programs