Mark Carney recently signalled that his government will bring back Greener Homes-style loan incentives for residential retrofits, making refreshed programs “as impactful as possible.”

His comments come months after Ottawa closed the Canada Greener Homes Loan to new applications, reducing support for middle-income Canadian households seeking home energy efficiency upgrades. The Trudeau government had previously cancelled the complementary Greener Homes Grant. 

An effective approach to building retrofits needs to avoid this familiar start-stop pattern for government funding. The ensuing uncertainty makes businesses less likely to hire and train people when new incentives come along. Customers are more likely to chase incentives than plan home energy upgrades during renovations or equipment replacement, when significant energy savings can be achieved at the lowest cost. 

To achieve the impact Carney is seeking, the government should learn from the previous program’s shortcomings. Here are five suggestions for better home retrofit support:

1. Set a clear goal to retrofit the building stock

Canada abruptly ended the Greener Homes Grant and Loan once funding ran out.  A clear goal to retrofit the building stock up to an average standard should guide a new program approach. This would ensure a program’s closure and/or reform........

© National Observer