Canada's federal government says its $2 billion, eight-year package will support as many as one million home retrofit projects, pairing household heat-pump assistance with apartment upgrades intended to lower energy costs and emissions.
Parliamentary Secretary David Myles visited Titan Heating and Cooling in Maugerville, New Brunswick, on Friday, Oct. 30, to highlight measures Prime Minister Carney announced two weeks earlier. The visit follows earlier coverage of the planned National Heat Pump Rebate, one part of the broader investment.
The planned rebate would help up to 820,000 households install electric heat pumps. The government says applications will be handled through an online portal, audits will not be required before installation or afterward, and approval will be available within 24 hours. It also says unexpected heating-system failures account for about 80% of replacements each year.
Apartment building owners are also intended beneficiaries. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Multi-Unit Mortgage Loan Insurance Select program will support affordable financing for upgrades to as many as 250,000 additional units. The Canada Infrastructure Bank's Building Retrofits Initiative is expected to cover at least 30,000 units, while the government is renewing its Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative to guide building owners through retrofit projects. The government says the three measures together will cover 280,000 units over eight years.
The government estimates the package will reduce emissions by more than 25 megatonnes, a reduction it compares with the annual output of almost 8.5 million cars. It cites Canada's clean-electricity supply as part of the rationale. In May, the government launched Powering Canada Strong, an electricity strategy that aims to double grid capacity by 2050.
