Heat Pump Rebate Eligibility Checklist for Toronto Homeowners

Table of Contents

1. What the Home Renovation Savings Program Actually Covers
2. The Core Eligibility Checklist
3. How Much Is the HRS Heat Pump Rebate?
4. Equipment Requirements You’ll Need to Confirm
5. Toronto-Specific Factors to Check
6. What to Verify Before You Assume You’re Disqualified
7. How Approval and Installation Actually Work
8. Frequently Asked Questions
9. Next Steps for Toronto Homeowners

If you’ve been searching “heat pump rebate Toronto,” you’ve probably noticed the information out there doesn’t always agree with itself. Some pages reference programs that have already changed. Others skip the Toronto-specific details entirely.

This article is meant to clear that up. Before you request quotes or choose equipment, use the checklist below to get a realistic picture of where your home stands under the current Home Renovation Savings program.

1. What the Home Renovation Savings Program Actually Covers

In short: Home Renovation Savings (HRS) is Ontario’s current home energy rebate program, delivered by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy (IESO). It supports homeowners heating with natural gas, electricity, oil, propane, or wood.

The program landscape has shifted a few times, and it’s worth knowing the actual sequence rather than assuming one program simply became another. The Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program closed its intake to new applicants on February 5, 2024. A separate HER program continued accepting applicants after that, with its own intake ending on January 27, 2025. HRS then launched on January 28, 2025, as the program currently in effect.

If you’ve come across older articles mentioning HER or HER+, those intake windows have closed. HRS is the program accepting new applications today.

HRS separates its upgrades into two categories: upgrades that require an energy assessment, and upgrades that don’t. Heat pumps fall under the no-assessment category, which means you don’t need to book a full pre and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation just to move forward with a heat pump. That said, “no assessment” doesn’t mean “no evaluation at all,” which we’ll cover in the next section.

2. The Core Eligibility Checklist

In short: To be considered for a heat pump rebate under HRS, you generally need to own the property, live in an eligible housing type, heat your home with a supported fuel source, and not be replacing an existing heat pump that’s already used for space heating.

Go through each item below to see where your home fits.

Homeownership

• You must own the property where the heat pump will be installed.
• If the home has tenants, the owner applies, not the tenant.

Property type

• Eligible housing types include single detached, semi-detached, row house, townhome, or mobile home on a permanent foundation.
• Individual units in a qualifying stacked townhouse, duplex, or triplex may also be eligible when the unit has its own independent heating system and, where applicable, its own Enbridge Gas meter. Other condominium types should be confirmed directly with the program administrator, since they aren’t part of the published eligibility list.
• New build homes generally don’t qualify unless the home has been occupied for at least six months. This six-month rule is specific to the HRS heat pump rebate requirements; it does not automatically apply to the Toronto HELP loan, which has its own separate eligibility conditions covered later in this article.

Heating fuel type

• Homes that are Enbridge Gas customers and primarily heat with natural gas can be eligible.
• Homes connected to the Ontario electricity grid and heated with electricity, oil, propane, or wood can also be eligible.

Existing equipment

• Homes that already have a heat pump system used for space heating generally don’t qualify for a rebate on a replacement heat pump under this program stream. This is a specific exclusion worth knowing before you plan a swap of an aging heat pump for a newer one.

Program history

• Previous participation in HER or HER+ may affect what you’re eligible for under HRS. This is best confirmed directly with the program administrator rather than assumed either way.

This checklist gives you a starting point, not a final answer. The program administrator makes the actual determination for your specific property.

3. How Much Is the HRS Heat Pump Rebate?

In short: The rebate amount depends on your home’s heating fuel, whether the equipment is purchased or rented, and the size of the heat pump installed.

Here’s how the current program structures it for customer-owned equipment:

These figures apply to equipment you purchase and own. For rented equipment, the rebate structure is different: eligible ccASHP systems receive $500 per ton up to $2,000, while eligible GSHP systems receive a $3,000 flat-rate rebate.

Either way, these figures represent program maximums, not a fixed amount every applicant receives. The actual rebate is calculated per ton of heating capacity based on your specific equipment, so your number could land anywhere within the range depending on how your home is sized.

What “no assessment required” actually means

Heat pumps don’t require the full pre and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation that some other HRS upgrades need. But that doesn’t mean no evaluation happens at all. An HVAC site assessment, a proper heat loss and heat gain load calculation, and correct equipment sizing are still required parts of a compliant installation. These steps are important for selecting and sizing equipment appropriately for the home.

4. Equipment Requirements You’ll Need to Confirm

Eligible heat pumps must meet the program’s applicable equipment requirements. For cold-climate air-source and water-to-air ground-source heat pumps, the model must be active on the applicable NRCan qualified products list. Water-to-water ground-source heat pumps have separate ENERGY STAR listing requirements. Being listed alone does not guarantee rebate eligibility.

This step is easy to oversimplify. A heat pump can be listed and still fall outside rebate eligibility if the overall installation doesn’t meet the program’s broader requirements.

Before finalizing any equipment choice, it’s worth confirming:

• The specific equipment meets the applicable HRS product-list requirements for its heat-pump type and has an active eligible listing where required.
• The heat pump type itself is an eligible category. Air-to-water heat pump systems are not eligible under this HRS stream.
• The system is sized appropriately for your home based on an actual load calculation, not a general rule of thumb.
• The equipment provides year-round heating and cooling performance and meets the program’s sizing, performance, and component-matching requirements, since mismatched components can affect eligibility even when the primary unit is listed.
• For ducted systems, the installation supports whole-home distribution rather than conditioning only part of the house.
• The listing is current. Qualified product lists are updated periodically, so don’t assume a model still qualifies just because it did previously.

We won’t recommend a specific brand or model in this article. That decision should follow a proper assessment of your home’s heating needs, not a general blog post.

5. Toronto Specific Factors to Check

In short: Toronto homeowners also have access to the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP), a property-based loan that currently provides financing up to the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of the property’s current value assessment. HELP is financing, not a rebate, and can be combined with HRS under certain conditions.

The HELP loan

HELP allows eligible Toronto homeowners to borrow toward qualifying energy improvements, repaid through their property tax bill. The total loan value, including funding, interest, and an administrative charge, currently cannot exceed 10% of your property’s current value assessment (CVA) or $125,000, whichever is less. Eligible properties include detached, semi-detached, row house, duplex, triplex, and low-rise residential buildings up to three storeys and six units, generally within a Toronto postal code beginning with “M.”

A few additional conditions apply to HELP specifically, separate from the HRS eligibility rules above:

• All registered owners of the property must consent to participate.
• The property must meet the City’s property-tax and utility-account standing requirements.
• If the property is mortgaged, consent from the mortgage lender may be required before financing can proceed.

For heat pump only HELP projects, the City’s current process no longer requires a full EnerGuide evaluation, similar to how HRS treats heat pumps under its no-assessment category.

It’s worth repeating plainly: HELP is financing. It is not free money, and it shouldn’t be understood as a rebate.

How the HELP process works

Getting HELP financing involves a few defined steps: you submit an application, the City reviews it and issues a funding offer indicating the maximum amount your property may receive, you get a contractor quotation and submit a funding request based on it, and once the City approves the request, you sign a Property Owner Agreement. After the City approves the agreement, you can request an advance of up to 30% of the funding to help get the project underway. The remaining funds are released after the project is completed and the required completion documentation is approved.

Using HRS and HELP together

The City confirms that HELP can be combined with energy-efficiency rebates and incentives offered by the City of Toronto, the province, the federal government, and utility companies. That said, the same measure can’t receive duplicate rebates from separate programs, and your total combined funding can’t exceed the eligible cost of the project. If you’re considering financing a heat pump with HELP while also applying for an HRS rebate, confirm the current sequencing and documentation requirements directly with both the City of Toronto and the HRS program administrator.

6. What to Verify Before You Assume You’re Disqualified

A few situations commonly raise questions about eligibility, including rental properties, certain building types, prior rebate participation, and existing heat pump equipment. None of these should be assumed without confirming your specific situation with the program administrator.

Renters and landlords

If you rent your home, you can’t apply directly. If you own a rental property, you would apply as the owner.

Condos and certain building types

Eligible individual units may include qualifying stacked townhouses, duplexes, or triplexes with independent heating systems and, where applicable, their own Enbridge Gas meters. Other condominium types fall outside the published eligibility list and should be confirmed directly with the program administrator rather than assumed either way.

Existing heat pump systems

If your home already has a heat pump used for space heating, replacing it generally isn’t eligible for a rebate under this program stream, even if the new unit is more efficient than the old one.

Prior rebate participation

If your home already received a rebate for a similar upgrade under HER or HER+, this may affect what you can claim under HRS. Again, this is best confirmed directly rather than assumed.

Nothing here means you’re automatically excluded. It simply means these are the points worth double-checking early, before you invest time into quotes or planning.

7. How Approval and Installation Actually Work

In short: A participating HRS HVAC contractor must submit your pre-installation application and receive written approval before any work begins. Installations completed before that approval are not eligible for a rebate, regardless of how the equipment performs.

This is one of the most consequential steps in the entire process, and it’s worth understanding clearly before you schedule anything.

What’s generally useful to have ready ahead of time:

• Proof that you own the property
• Details of your current heating fuel and system
• The proposed heat pump model and size for your home
• Contractor quote information, including model numbers

Once you’ve chosen a participating contractor, they submit the pre-installation application on your behalf. Installation can only proceed after that application receives written approval. After the work is done, the participating contractor normally must submit the post-installation application within 30 days of installation, and the rebate is issued once that’s approved.

Make sure the model numbers on your quote and final invoice accurately reflect the equipment installed, since consistency here matters for both the pre- and post-installation steps.

Final eligibility and rebate approval are determined by the applicable program administrator, not by any HVAC contractor. A contractor can help assess your home, complete the required sizing work, select equipment that meets applicable performance requirements, and prepare accurate documentation. The final eligibility and rebate decision rests with the program administrator.

If you’d like to explore how a heat pump might fit your home, you can learn more about HVAC services in North York.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Do I qualify for a heat pump rebate if I rent my home?

No. Tenants cannot apply on behalf of the homeowner. The property owner must participate, and the participating HRS HVAC contractor submits the required pre-installation application.

Can I get the rebate if I heat my home with oil or propane?

Yes, homes connected to the Ontario electricity grid and heated with oil, propane, or wood can be eligible under the current program, generally at the higher incentive rate.

Can I get a rebate on a heat pump if I already have one?

Generally, no. Replacing an existing heat pump that’s already used for space heating typically isn’t eligible for a rebate under this program stream. This should be confirmed directly with the program administrator for your specific situation.

Is the Toronto HELP loan the same thing as a rebate?

No. HELP is a loan repaid through your property tax bill, capped at the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of your property’s current value assessment. It can be used alongside a rebate like HRS to help finance project costs, but the same measure can’t receive duplicate rebates, and total funding can’t exceed the eligible project cost.

What if my home already received a rebate under HER or HER+?

Previous participation may affect what you’re eligible for under HRS. This should be confirmed directly with the program administrator rather than assumed.

Do condos qualify for the heat pump rebate?

Eligible individual units may include qualifying stacked townhouses, duplexes, or triplexes with independent heating systems and, where applicable, their own Enbridge Gas meters. Other condominium types aren’t part of the published eligibility list and should be confirmed directly with the program administrator.

How much rebate can I actually get for a heat pump?

It depends on your heating fuel, heat-pump type, and whether you purchase or rent the equipment. For purchased equipment, eligible ccASHP rebates range from $500 per ton up to $2,000 for Enbridge natural-gas customers and $1,250 per ton up to $7,500 for electricity, oil, propane, or wood-heated homes. Rental equipment has a separate rebate structure: eligible ccASHP systems receive $500 per ton up to $2,000, while eligible GSHP systems receive a $3,000 flat-rate rebate.

Does installation have to be approved before work starts?

Yes. A participating HRS contractor must submit a pre-installation application and receive written approval before installation. Work completed before approval isn’t eligible for the rebate.

9. Next Steps for Toronto Homeowners

The Home Renovation Savings program has real value for Toronto homeowners, but getting an accurate picture of your eligibility means checking your specific details, including your existing equipment, property type, and heating fuel, rather than relying on general summaries.

For Saving Home Service can help homeowners understand their heat-pump options and prepare the right questions to confirm with the applicable rebate program. The program administrator makes the final eligibility decision.

If you’d like to talk through your home’s heating setup, get in touch with For Saving Home Service and we can help you get ready for that conversation.

Official program sources:

• Home Renovation Savings – Heat Pumps:
  
  https://www.homerenovationsavings.ca/without-assessment/heat-pumps
  
• City of Toronto – Home Energy Loan Program (HELP):
  
  https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmental-grants-incentives/home-energy-loan-program-help/

Disclaimer: Program terms, rebate amounts, loan rates, available funding, and eligibility requirements for both HRS and HELP may change at any time and are subject to confirmation by the applicable program administrator. Homeowners should verify all current details directly with Home Renovation Savings and the City of Toronto before making any purchasing or installation decisions.