Canadians Can Now Pre-Register for the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program to Lower Heating Costs and Reduce Pollution (National)

Heat pumps not only help families save money on their monthly bills: they also help cut pollution and fight climate change. That’s why the Government of Canada is taking another step forward to help families make the switch from expensive home heating oil to efficient electricity heat pumps.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, provided an update on the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) Program, introduced in November 2022. Starting today, eligible homeowners across Canada can pre-register through the Canada Greener Homes Initiative to begin their applications to access up to $5,000 in additional federal support for replacing home-heating oil with electric-heat pumps. Those who pre-register will be contacted once final program details are launched in the coming weeks. Currently, full registration is available through delivery partners in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

The OPHA program helps low-to-middle-income households that are currently heating their homes with oil to move to electric heat pumps. By switching, homeowners can receive up to $5,000 toward the purchase and installation of a new, cold-climate heat pump, save thousands of dollars annually on heating bills and help cut pollution.

This support is in addition to up to $5,000 in federal support from the $2.6-billion Canada Greener Homes Grant (CGHG), which is already supporting eligible homeowners to retrofit their home to reduce energy use and save money. With the OHPA Program, low-to-medium-income homeowners may qualify to receive a total up-front payment of up to $10,000. They could further benefit by combining additional financial assistance from other existing provincial, territorial, federal and utility programs, such as those already available in PEI and Nova Scotia.

As of February 13, 2023, a total of over 288,000 CGHG applications have been received through the national portal and provincial and territorial delivery partners. The CGHG has issued $178 million in grants to 46,000 homeowners. These grants are supporting home-efficiency upgrades across Canada, including heat-pump installation, window-sealing and more.

Heat pumps are also an important climate adaptation solution, supporting Canadians to heat their homes in cold winters and to cool them in increasingly hot summers. Delivering the OHPA Program is part of the government’s commitment to making life more affordable for Canadians while fighting climate change from coast to coast to coast.

Quotes

“Replacing home heating oil with electric heat pumps is an effective way for families to save money while reducing pollution. Today, the Government of Canada opened pre-registrations for Canadians to access the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Grant. When stacked with the Canada Greener Homes Grant, this means up to $10,000 in federal support for heat pumps.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources

“By helping Canadians switch from the roller-coaster prices of home heating oil toward more affordable, Canadian-made electrical home heating, we’re saving households thousands of dollars on energy bills while fighting climate change. Cheaper home heating, less pollution. It’s a win-win.”

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada