Barrie Water Heater - Government Grant - Barrie Water Heater Rebate

Grants and instant hot water
makes homeowners happy

An efficient hot water is essential to any home, but when your kids are heading into their teen years, an efficient hot water heater is possibly the most cost-saving home improvement you can make.

Barrie homeowner Allen Weiss knew it well, because his family needed plenty of hot water for showers, laundry and dishwashing. That’s why he wanted to make sure his home’s hot water tank would keep working — and wouldn’t cost too much to operate — no matter what kind of demand his family placed on it.

Barrie home renovation - water heater, basement insulation

Barrie, Ontario - 1973

Barrie home renovation - hot water heater

New water heaterOld water heater

Old basement walls

New basement insulation

Barrie related:

Furnace | Windows | Insulation
Boiler | Barrie energy audit

Home energy audit

When he had a home energy audit, Weiss learned the home’s old tank-style gas hot water heater just wasn’t an efficient source of hot water. It wasted energy by keeping the water in its 189-litre (50 gallon) tank piping hot, 24 hours a day — whether anyone used that hot water or not.

This stand-by loss meant the old hot water heater cost energy — and money — simply by sitting in the home’s basement.

Tankless water heater

The Barrie Home Energy Advisor who visited Weiss’ home suggested an easy improvement to the home’s hot water system: an instantaneous gas hot water heater. Smaller than a tank-style hot water heater, an instantaneous hot water heater can be more energy efficient for many homes.

For Weiss, the benefit was clear: an instantaneous hot water heater would provide his entire family with a continuous source of hot water, whenever they needed it, for as long as they needed it. No more running out of hot water in the middle of a shower!

Basement insulation

While the Home Energy Advisor was conducting measurements for the home’s energy audit, he noticed the home’s uninsulated basement walls.

A substantial amount of heat escaped through those exposed walls, which meant a substantial opportunity for improving the home’s energy efficiency. By adding insulation, as well as installing the improved hot water heater, Weiss could save nearly 30 percent on his home energy costs.

Without the grants, I wouldn’t have gotten the hot water heater.

Allen Weiss, Barrie

Barrie water heater grants

Plus, by insulating the basement, Weiss says he could “up the useable space in the home and make the basement more comfortable and energy efficient.”

Grants, rebates and home comfort

After completing the improvements, Weiss says his home is warmer, especially in the basement. “It’s also less drafty, even in the living room and family room upstairs, too.”

Getting the dollars back made it all the more appealing.

Allen Weiss, Barrie

Barrie insulation rebates

Plus, grants and rebates from the governments of Ontario and Canada meant Weiss could offset the cost of the new hot water heater and basement insulation. “Without the grants, I wouldn’t have gotten the hot water heater,” says Weiss.

While he hasn’t done a cost comparison between last year’s gas and electricity costs and this year’s home energy costs, he says that’s only part of the equation. His home is more comfortable, saves energy, and produces less greenhouse gases to contribute to global warming.

“We all should do our part collectively to improve our environment. It makes a difference,” says Weiss. And, he adds, “Getting the dollars back made it all the more appealing.”

More Renovations: Toronto | Ottawa | Ontario

Government grants

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Water heaters
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Barrie homeowners can choose from a shopping list of renovation grants from the Government of Canada:

Furnaces — high-efficiency gas or oil, up to $790
Central air conditioners — replacement $250
Hot water heaters — condensing gas $375
Hot water heaters — tankless/instantaneous gas, condensing-type $375
Boilers — high-efficiency gas or oil $750
HRV — heat recovery ventilator $375
Solar — hot water system $1,250
Heat pumps — air-source heat pump which doubles as air conditioner $500
Geothermal — ground- or water-source heat pumps which are energy-efficient heating and cooling systems up to $4,375

Barrie homeowners can also get ...

Attic or roof — insulation up to $750
Exterior wall — insulation up to $1,875
Basement — insulation up to $1,250
Crawl space — insulation up to $1,000
Air sealing — for your home up to $430
Windows & doors — $40 for each replacement unit
Toilets — $65 for each low-flow replacement unit

And there’s more.

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

Canada ecoENERGY — Barrie homeowners can get up to $5,000 from the Canadian government for home energy renovations through the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program, which is in effect until March 31, 2012. Click here for more
Home Energy Audits — To qualify for Government of Canada ecoENERGY grants, Barrie homeowners must get a home energy audit before and after their attic and roof insulation improvements. Get up to $150 cash back on the cost of your first energy audit with rebates from the Ontario government’s Home Energy Audit program. Click here for more
Home Renovation Tax Credit — Many homeowners in Barrie use “tax credit” to describe a grant program like Canada ecoENERGY grants. The original Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) expired in 2010. With today’s 2011 “tax credit” programs there’s no need to wait until you’ve filed your annual income tax return to receive a home renovation tax credit. Your tax-free grant money will be sent within 90 days of your follow-up energy audit. Click here for more

Enjoy all the benefits

Do it right

Each Barrie 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 Barrie home — and help improve your energy costs and the Barrie environment.

Energy renovations help ...

Save energy — Your Barrie home won’t need as much energy to stay comfortable.
Save money — Less energy used = lower energy costs for you.
Grants + Rebates — Qualify for tax-free government grants for home energy renovation, sent directly to you.

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

Greater comfort – Your home will be warmer in Barrie winters, cooler in Barrie summers.
Better health – You’ll eliminate indoor health concerns like chills and drafts, and keep your home free of airborne pollutants and pollen.
Increased home value – By making energy renovations, you’ll increase the resale value of your Barrie home. An official Canada EnerGuide label proves you’ve done the work.
Simpler home maintenance – No more scrubbing moldy windowsills! Keep airborne dust and dirt outside where it belongs.

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

Climate change – Energy renovations help reduce your Barrie home’s greenhouse gas emissions, while protecting you from the effects of climate change and extreme weather.
Energy security – By reducing your Barrie home’s energy use, you’ll be less deeply affected by energy price fluctuations and supply interruptions.

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