High-efficiency gas furnace
costs less

When May C.’s Ottawa workplace held an “environment day,” she learned a lot about how climate change can be slowed by saving energy — and discovered ways to save huge amounts of energy by renovating her Ottawa home.

After she heard about ways to reduce her home’s greenhouse gas emissions and decrease her annual fuel bills, May says she knew it was time to make a few energy-saving changes—starting with her 1985 townhome’s heating system. “I needed to get the furnace done. It was original to the house, and I didn’t want to be in the situation where it broke down in the middle of winter,” she says.

High-efficiency furnace

To prepare for her renovations, May researched various models of new gas furnaces. She knew a high-efficiency gas furnace made sense for her home’s heating needs — it would use less fuel, and contribute less greenhouse gas to the environment. But she wasn’t sure she could make up the difference in price between the high-efficiency model and a lower-cost mid-efficiency gas furnace.

That’s when May remembered something else she learned at her Ottawa workplaces’s Environment Day: she could get government grants for high-efficiency gas furnaces and other energy-saving renovations. All she had to do to qualify was have a home energy audit before she installed the new furnace.

Home energy audit

May’s Ottawa furnace contractor put her in touch with an Ottawa Home Energy Advisor. At a home energy audit, the Advisor helped May figure out which energy-saving renovations could make her home most energy-efficient.

The advisor also confirmed that May could get government grants and rebates for her renovations and improvements. “He was really good about filling in the provincial and federal forms,” she says. Plus, May’s furnace contractor also helped her get a few hundred dollars back in manufacturer’s rebates, which she says made an important difference because they allowed her to choose a high-efficiency furnace instead of a mid-efficiency one.

If they didn’t have the grants, I probably would have gone with a mid-efficiency furnace. May C., Ottawa Ottawa home energy grants

When May got her new Carrier Infinity high-efficiency gas furnace and programmable electronic thermostat installed in her Ottawa home, she says her research efforts had clearly paid off. Without the government grants and rebates, she wouldn’t have been able to make the energy-saving choice. “If they didn’t have the grants, I probably would have gone with a mid-efficiency furnace.”

Government grants

But because she got government grant money back, she says, “I paid the same price for a top-of-the-line high-efficiency furnace, as my neighbour did for a mid-efficiency furnace.”

I paid the same price for a top-of-the-line high-efficiency furnace as my neighbour did for a mid-efficiency furnace. May C., Ottawa Ottawa furnace grants

Thanks to her Ontario Home Energy Advisor, who examined the overall efficiency of her home, May discovered that besides the furnace, her home was in “pretty good shape.”

Even so, the Energy Advisor told her about several simple renovations she could do to save even more energy, and keep her natural gas bills lower by helping her new furnace function even more efficiently.

Air sealing

The most important of these renovations was air sealing — closing up small gaps and cracks in the home’s structure to prevent drafts. May followed her Home Energy Advisor’s suggestions. She put caulking around the windows, and installed foam gaskets in the electrical outlets — small changes that she says “made a measurable difference.”

The temperature in my home is much more even, especially at night in the winter, when it cools down. The bedroom is more comfortable. May C., Ottawa Ottawa air sealing grants

The improvements to May’s Ottawa home have been noticeable, not just in terms of her lower gas bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but also in terms of her home’s overall comfort level.

Since the new furnace was installed, she says, “the temperature in my home is much more even, especially at night in the winter, when it cools down. The bedroom is more comfortable.” She says she’s happy with the energy renovations process. “It was really simple ... It was easy.”

Government grants

Ottawa homeowners can choose from a shopping list of renovation grants from the Government of Canada:

Ottawa homeowners can also get ...

And there’s more.

Take advantage of Government of Canada ecoENERGY grants for home energy renovation in Ottawa:

Easy to start — Ottawa

All you do is make one call — 1-877-732-9888 — to book a home energy audit with an Ottawa Energy Advisor – your first step to qualifying for Canada ecoENERGY grants for home energy renovations.

Enjoy all the benefits

Do it right

Each Ottawa home has its own specific energy-savings needs, and yours is no different. The right renovations add up to big savings. By following the expert advice of a certified Ontario energy advisor, you’ll make the energy renovations or "retrofits" that are right for your Ottawa home — and help improve your energy costs and the Ottawa, Ontario environment.

Three easy steps

Energy renovations help ...

And that’s not all. Here are more benefits ...

When you improve your home in Ottawa, you also make a difference to the rest of the world. You’ll help address important global issues like ...

And there’s even more. Click here to learn how Ottawa homeowners like you are saving thousands of dollars and tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, by making the right energy-saving home renovations. Ottawa Ontario homeowners can make a difference.

Get started today!

Learn more about Renovation Rebates in Ottawa Ontario ...

To qualify you need a Ottawa home energy audit before your renovations. For more information on tax-free government grants + Ontario Home Energy rebates - Click here

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