Whether you are building new or renovating, you have a chance to make your home a cozier nest by using better materials and tapping into funds to support your endeavors. Changes, such as using wooden beams of framing instead of steel and incorporating recycled products, can make a big difference.
To see where you stand, Builders for Climate Change have built the BEAM estimator to quickly and easily assess your home’s carbon footprint. Just input the main dimensions of your building, and you'll discover a full list of available materials you can use and the carbon footprint for each choice.
Here are a few to look into:
The Green Ontario Fund helps residents reduce their carbon footprint and save money with rebates up to $20,000 depending on the systems you replace or add, which could include ground- or air-source heat pumps, insulation, or windows.
The GST/HST new housing rebate gives back some of the GST or the federal part of the HST you paid – up to $1,500 – for a new or substantially renovated house that is your primary place of residence provided you meet all the eligibility requirements.
With the CMHC Green Home, if you buy, build, or renovate for energy efficiency using CMHC-insured financing, you could receive a 15% rebate for building a home to ENERGY STAR® standards or up to 25% for building a home to R-2000 building standards.
The Township of Douro-Dummer offers a 40-percent rebate on your building permit fees if the home construction produces only 50 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, compared to the industry standard of 250 to 415. A carbon-neutral home would get an 80-percent rebate.
Peterborough Utilities’ Energy Affordability Program provides support to income-eligible clients in Peterborough, Lakefield and Norwood. You may qualify for new appliances or extra insulation. You can also receive high-efficiency showerheads and faucets, an air conditioner, weatherstripping, smart thermostats and more. To find out more, call 1-855-591-0877 or email eap@saveonenergy.ca.
Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate – This program will provide up to $5,000 to owners of a house, mobile home, or townhouse if you heat your home with natural gas. You must do at least two types of upgrades from their menu of options, after an energy assessment by a Registered Energy Advisor. Once the work is done with four months, the advisor drops by to ensure you’ve done what you’ve said you would. While suspended during the COVID-19 lockdowns, it is expected to resume shortly.
If you’re interested in in making the transition to all green power to fuel your home, Bullfrogpower offers bundles to save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.
The City of Peterborough offers a $50 rebate to assist residents with purchasing low-flow toilets to replace existing, less-efficient versions. Start by going to this interactive application form and provide the name and manufacturer of your new toilet(s), a scanned copy of the receipt and your direct deposit information. You can claim up to two per household as long as the home is connected to both the municipal water and sanitary sewer system in the city. Owners of multi-unit residential properties can also qualify but need to call the City’s building department first.