Enbridge Home Winterproofing Program Explained

In short

The Enbridge Home Winterproofing Program provides free wall, attic or basement insulation, draft proofing and a smart thermostat to income-qualified Enbridge Gas customers who heat with a natural gas furnace or boiler. It lists no furnace, boiler or water heater replacement. Apply online or at 1-844-770-3148; the same application also screens you for the Energy Affordability Program.

How much you can get

Home energy assessment by an authorized delivery agent Free
Wall, attic or basement insulation Free where the assessment shows the home needs it
Draft proofing (air sealing) Free where the assessment shows the home needs it
Smart thermostat, installed Free for participants receiving insulation or draft proofing
Furnace, boiler or water heater replacement Not listed as a program upgrade
Appliances and LED lighting Through the Energy Affordability Program, on the same application
Income limits by household size See the program page

Who qualifies

The Enbridge Gas account is in your name.
The home is heated by a natural gas furnace or boiler; Enbridge says a gas fireplace can count if it is the primary heat source.
Household income before tax, read from line 26000 of the tax return, is under the limit for your household size.
Or you receive a listed benefit, such as Ontario Works, ODSP, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Ontario Electricity Support Program or an emergency grant from the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
The home is detached, semi-detached, a row or townhouse, a duplex or triplex, or a mobile home on a permanent foundation.
Apartment and condominium buildings with four or more units, and mobile homes without a permanent foundation, cannot qualify.
Renters need the landlord's written permission before upgrades are installed.
Residents of eligible social or assisted housing can take part.
Electrically heated homes are sent to the Energy Affordability Program instead.

Most people reach this program hoping it will cover a furnace. It will not, and knowing that on day one saves a wasted wait when the real problem is a failed heat exchanger. What it does cover is worth having.

What the Home Winterproofing Program covers

It covers the building shell and one control, all supplied and installed free. Enbridge's page sets out the list.

A home energy assessment of about two hours by an authorized delivery agent.
Wall, attic or basement insulation.
Draft proofing: sealing the air leaks that let heated air escape.
A smart thermostat, installed, if you receive insulation or draft proofing through the program.
Access to the Energy Affordability Program's appliance and LED lighting upgrades through the one streamlined application.

Only homes that need the work get it. Enbridge states that a home found to be well insulated at the assessment is not eligible for the free upgrades, though it can still receive items from the electricity-side program.

Does the Home Winterproofing Program replace a furnace?

No. As of October 1, 2026 no furnace, boiler or water heater replacement appears anywhere on Enbridge's program page. The listed upgrades are insulation, draft proofing and the thermostat.

Treat any caller or door-knocker who says the program includes a free furnace as a warning sign. Enbridge says it does not endorse door-to-door sales and that its authorized delivery agents never show up unannounced.

If the furnace is the problem, the realistic paths are a repair or a replacement:

Finding the fault: $90–$150, credited against the repair you approve.
Most furnace repairs: $150–$800.
High-efficiency furnace replacement: $4,500–$7,500 installed.

Our furnace rebates page explains what little rebate money exists for a gas furnace, and financing through our lending partners covers the balance.

Who qualifies for the Home Winterproofing Program

You need an Enbridge Gas account in your own name, a home heated by a natural gas furnace or boiler, and a household that passes one income test. The test is either income under the limit for your household size or receipt of a listed government benefit. Households over the limit pay for their own upgrades and can still use the smart thermostat rebate.

Home type matters. Houses, semis, townhouses, duplexes and triplexes can qualify; buildings with four or more units cannot. Renters can take part with the landlord's written permission, and Enbridge's own page profiles a renter in a hundred-year-old Flamborough house who did exactly that.

Enbridge also flags that homes built before 1980 are held to different insulation and draft-proofing requirements. That takes in a large share of the housing we work in: pre-war brick in Hamilton, and the 1950s and 1960s bungalows across Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. The delivery agent applies that rule at the assessment, so you do not have to work it out yourself.

How the application and the three visits work

Apply on the Enbridge Gas site or by phone at 1-844-770-3148, with your gas bill in hand.
Send proof of income: the most recent Notice of Assessment for every household member over 18, or a benefit statement.
First visit: the home energy assessment, which decides what the home qualifies for under both programs.
Second visit: the program's contractors install the upgrades at no cost.
Third visit: the same delivery agent returns to check the work and answer questions.

For postal codes beginning with L, M or P the delivery agent is CLEAResult. Enbridge tells applicants to expect at least three visits in total.

What ZK Mechanical can and cannot do under the program

We cannot install anything under the Home Winterproofing Program. The insulation, air sealing and thermostat are supplied and fitted by the delivery agent and its contractors, and you cannot nominate your own. What we can do sits on either side of that work.

Before: repair or tune the furnace or boiler so the assessor sees a working system. A tune-up runs $120–$250.
After: check venting and combustion air on older gas appliances, because a tighter house leaks less air for a natural-draft water heater or furnace to draw on.
After: confirm the new thermostat is wired and set up for your equipment, which matters on two-stage furnaces and on boilers.
Any time: replace a failed furnace, with the price in writing before work starts.

The weeks after air sealing are also a sensible time to test the carbon monoxide alarms, which Ontario requires in homes with fuel-burning appliances.

For heat that has stopped, start with furnace repair and apply to the program in parallel. If the home is electrically heated, skip Enbridge and go to the Energy Affordability Program. The rest of the programs are on the Ontario HVAC rebates hub, and you can reach us here.

How ZK Mechanical helps

Say up front that the program does not cover a furnace, so you do not wait on it for heat.
Repair or tune the existing furnace or boiler before the assessment.
Check venting, combustion air and carbon monoxide alarms once the house has been air sealed.
Set up a program-supplied thermostat correctly for multi-stage and hydronic equipment.
Quote a furnace replacement in writing, with financing, when repair no longer makes sense.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Home Winterproofing Program free?

Enbridge funds it as a conservation program. Its explanation is that helping income-qualified households use less gas supports its climate commitments and keeps natural gas affordable for all customers through less wear on the system. Nothing is charged for the assessment, the materials or the installation, and more than 65,000 homes have taken part according to Enbridge's page.

Can I qualify if I rent my home?

Yes, if the Enbridge account is in your name and your household meets the income or benefit test. Enbridge needs your landlord's full name, phone number and email address on the application, and written permission from the landlord before anything is installed. Buildings with four or more units are excluded whoever applies.

My home is heated by a gas boiler and radiators. Does it count?

Yes. Enbridge's eligibility wording is a home heated with a natural gas furnace or boiler, and its application form also lists a natural gas fireplace as a primary heat source. Radiator-heated houses tend to be older, which is where insulation and draft proofing make the most difference to comfort.

What if I do not meet the income criteria?

Enbridge limits the program to households inside its stated criteria and notes that the limits change from year to year, so it is worth rechecking. Outside the program, the Home Renovation Savings Program offers insulation and air-sealing rebates to any eligible homeowner, on a path that starts with a home energy assessment.

Will air sealing affect my furnace or water heater?

It can affect older equipment. A natural-draft water heater or a mid-efficiency furnace takes its combustion air from the house, and a tighter house supplies less of it. Sealed-combustion appliances that draw air from outdoors are unaffected. Have venting and draft checked after the work, and test the carbon monoxide alarms on every level.

Official sources

All Ontario HVAC rebates Energy Affordability Program Furnace rebates in Ontario Furnace repair All rebate programs