Fix First HomeWhat home-upgrade rebates actually pay — and who you apply to.

Fix First Home › Ontario › Energy Affordability Program

Energy Affordability Program open

Administered by the Independent Electricity System Operator, trading as Save on Energy, through regional delivery agents.

Ontario's income-tested programme, and the province's answer to B.C.'s Energy Conservation Assistance Program. Upgrades are installed at no cost rather than reimbursed, and it is open to owners and renters alike.

source · verified 27 September 2026

What it pays

Programme components and amounts
ComponentAmount
OHPA heat pump system value$25,000
OHPA federal share$15,000
OHPA provincial share$10,000
OHPA bonus cheque$250

Read this before quoting a figure

These are the value of what gets installed, not money that reaches you. Natural Resources Canada states that no funds are paid directly to applicants except the $250 bonus cheque.

What you receive

  • A free home energy needs assessment by an authorised delivery agent
  • LED light bulbs
  • An energy-efficient refrigerator, freezer or dehumidifier
  • An energy-efficient window air conditioner
  • A drying rack and a smart power strip
  • High-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators, for homes with electric hot water
  • Additional attic or basement insulation, for homes heated by electricity or oil
  • Draft proofing, for homes heated by electricity or oil
  • Programmable or smart thermostats, for homes heated by electricity or oil
  • A cold climate air source heat pump, for homes heated by electricity or oil

Who is eligible

Two different ceilings run in parallel. The lower one buys the full comprehensive package including insulation and a heat pump; the higher one gets a free energy-saving kit in the post. Both are before-tax household income for the previous year.

Income ceilings by household size
People in the homeComprehensive supportEnergy saving kits
1$48,220$71,437
2$68,193$101,027
3$83,518$123,731
4$96,439$142,873
5$107,823$159,737
6$118,113$174,983
7 or more$127,576—

Something no single page tells you

The kit ceiling is roughly 48 per cent higher than the comprehensive one at every household size, so a household too well off for insulation and a heat pump is very often still inside the line for the free kit. The kit table stops at six or more people; there is no separate figure published for seven.

tenure
owners, renters and lessees alike, provided you are the primary or secondary utility account holder
social housing residents
residents of an eligible social housing property qualify without an income test
on-reserve residents
any on-reserve community member qualifies
other programme recipients
receipt in the past 12 months of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance for Seniors or Survivors, Ontario Works, ODSP, OESP, LEAP, Healthy Smiles Ontario or the Home Winterproofing Program also qualifies you, with no income test
cost
nothing, at any stage
kit delivery
three to six weeks by post, no fees and no shipping cost

Where the application goes

Ontario routes this one by the first letter of your postal code, not by your utility. Those five letters are the whole province.

Where the application goes
If this is youApply here
Postal codes starting with KEnviroCentre
Postal codes starting with L, M or PCLEAResult
Postal codes starting with NThe Home Inspectors Group

The thing most pages get wrong

This is how federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability money reaches Ontario. Natural Resources Canada names the IESO as its Ontario co-delivery partner and values the free heat pump system at up to $25,000 — up to $15,000 federal and up to $10,000 provincial — with nothing paid to the applicant except a $250 bonus cheque. An oil-heated Ontario household applies here, not to Ottawa.

The oil heat pump is for owners, and one page gives a date

The free heat pump for oil-heated homes is not open to everyone the rest of the programme serves: "Currently, only homeowners with above-ground oil tanks are eligible." Renters and homes with a buried tank are out. Save on Energy gives no closing date, only "for a limited time"; Toronto Hydro tells its customers to "Apply by November 30, 2026".

Status note

Save on Energy states it does not sell door to door and that authorised delivery agents never turn up unannounced. Anyone who does is not from this programme.

If you do not qualify

Enbridge Gas customers who qualify on income but heat with gas are routed to the Home Winterproofing Program instead. The two now share a single application.

This programme by upgrade

Every programme that pays toward the same upgrade, side by side.

Sources