Fix First Home › Moderate Income Rebate
Moderate Income Rebate open
Administered by Province of Nova Scotia, delivered by Efficiency Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia's second layer for moderate-income households, claimed alongside the Home Energy Assessment rebates for the same upgrade. It doubles the heat pump rate and adds a second insulation rebate on top of the first. Your home must be heated by something other than electricity.
source · verified 23 September 2026
What it pays
| Upgrade | Condition | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Air-source heat pump | Ductless mini-split heat pump, paid at $500 per ton on top of the Home Energy Assessment's $300 — $800 a ton in total | $500 |
| Air-source heat pump | Centrally ducted heat pump, paid at $1,500 per ton on top of the Home Energy Assessment's $500 — $2,000 a ton in total | $1,500 |
| Exterior wall insulation | Add R-7.5 or more to above-ground exterior walls over at least 20% of the area, on top of the Home Energy Assessment rebate | $200–$1,000 |
| Foundation insulation | Add R-22 or more to basement walls over at least 20% of the area, on top of the Home Energy Assessment rebate | $150–$750 |
| Crawl space insulation | Crawlspace walls and header, add R-22 or more over 100% of the area | $600 |
| Crawl space insulation | Floor above a crawlspace, add at least R-24 over 100% of the area | $150 |
| Wood or pellet heating | Wood stove or pellet stove, WETT certified, on top of the Home Energy Assessment rebate | $250 |
The ceiling per household
Up to $5,000 from this programme, on top of up to $5,000 from the Home Energy Assessment rebates: up to $10,000 in all for one household (rebate guide, August 2026).
Who is eligible
Adjusted income, calculated by subtracting line 435 from line 236 of your Notice of Assessment.
| People in household | Income ceiling |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $37,260 |
| 2 people | $77,050 |
| 3 people | $98,900 |
| 4 people | $120,750 |
| 5 or more people | $126,500 |
- homeowners only
- Yes
- tenure
- You own the home, it is your current primary residence, and you are not about to sell it.
- heating fuel
- The home must be primarily heated by something other than electricity. A wood stove does not count as a primary heating source.
- approval order
- You must be pre-approved before starting any upgrades.
- assessment
- A free Home Energy Assessment comes with approval.
What disqualifies you
The rules people find out about after the work is done.
- Electrically heated homes are not eligible.
- Replacement heat pumps, whether the old one works or not.
- Ducted, compact ducted and mixed-ducted mini-splits.
- Any heat pump equipment installed in unconditioned space.
- Replacing working wood-burning equipment, and any system installed outdoors.
Where the application goes
This one is applied for before anything else happens.
| If this is you | Apply here |
|---|---|
| Every eligible household | Apply online through efficiencyns.ca and wait for approval before booking an assessment or starting work. |
The thing most pages get wrong
Nova Scotia answers the stacking question in writing, and the answer is yes. The Moderate Income Rebate is designed to be claimed alongside the Home Energy Assessment rebate for the same upgrade — the rebate guide says so measure by measure. A centrally ducted heat pump draws $500 a ton from one and $1,500 a ton from the other.
And the second thing
Rebate levels were cut during 2026. Efficiency Nova Scotia publishes a set of questions about the change on the programme page but does not publish the old amounts beside the new ones, so a figure quoted anywhere else may be from before the cut. The amounts here are from the August 2026 rebate guide.
Status note
For a semi-detached or end-unit row home, the foundation and exterior wall maximums are 75% of the amounts shown; for a middle-unit row home, 50%. Nothing is paid for a shared interior wall.
If you do not qualify
A household over the income line, or one heated by electricity, still claims the ordinary Home Energy Assessment rebates of up to $5,000 and pays the $199 assessment fee.
This programme by upgrade
Every programme that pays toward the same upgrade, side by side.
Sources
- https://www.efficiencyns.ca/programs-rebates/moderate-income-rebate — primary source, read 23 September 2026
- https://assets.ctfassets.net/hro74sf4x6k2/3WUCMiBurFYsS5L8O0Dg0K/e980fabca778e3ed2e7c2a0b4ff8e56a/Home-Energy-Assessment-Rebate-Guide-Aug-2026.pdf
- https://www.efficiencyns.ca/programs-rebates/home-energy-assessments