Fix First Home › Ontario › Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)
Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) open
Administered by the City of Toronto, with funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund.
Toronto's loan for home energy upgrades, repaid through the property tax account: up to $125,000 over 5 to 20 years at 3.34% to 4.75%, plus a 2% administrative charge. The loan stays with the house if you sell. Its published rates were valid only until 30 September 2026, and on 2 October the City had posted no newer ones.
source · verified 2 October 2026
What it pays
| Term | Rate |
|---|---|
| 5 years | 3.34% |
| 10 years | 4.01% |
| 15 years | 4.46% |
| 20 years, only for projects that include solar panels, geothermal, new windows or heat pumps | 4.75% |
- Administrative charge
- 2%, added to the loan
- Most you can borrow
- $125,000, or 10% of the property's current value assessment, whichever is less; the City counts interest and the 2% charge inside that limit
- How you repay
- 11 monthly instalments a year through the City's pre-authorized tax payment plan, treated like property tax, starting 60 days after your file closes
- Paying early
- Allowed at any time
- If you sell
- The new owner takes over the remaining balance
- Money up front
- Up to 30% of the loan, once the property owner agreement is signed
- Energy assessments
- EnerGuide before and after, except for projects that are only a heat pump or only rooftop solar panels
What it finances
- Air-source and geothermal heat pumps
- Windows and doors, insulation and air sealing
- High-efficiency and tankless water heaters, and drain water heat recovery
- High-efficiency furnaces, boilers and air conditioners
- Rooftop solar panels, solar hot water and battery storage
- Level 2 electric vehicle chargers and low-flow toilets
Who is eligible
Who can apply
- You own a detached, semi-detached or row house, a duplex or triplex, or a low-rise building of up to three storeys and six units, in Toronto (a postal code starting with M)
- Every owner on title agrees
- No more than three instances of a property tax or utility account 60 days past due in the last three years
- Your mortgage lender consents in writing
Where the application goes
Apply to the City online; review takes 5 to 7 business days, the property owner agreement up to 15, and the final payment 10 after the work is done.
| If this is you | Apply here |
|---|---|
| Apply | toronto.ca |
The thing most pages get wrong
The City's payment chart leaves out the interest. It shows $568 per instalment for $125,000 over 20 years, which is $125,000 divided by 220 instalments with no interest and no 2% charge. On the standard calculation, 4.75% over the same 220 instalments is about $881, or about $899 with the 2% charge: more than half as much again. The chart's $546 for $100,000 over 20 years is also wrong on its own arithmetic, which gives $455.
The $125,000 may include the interest
The page says the loan's value "will include the funding amount, interest, and an administrative charge" and cannot exceed 10% of the current value assessment or $125,000. Read that way, the most you can borrow at 4.75% over 20 years is about $79,000, because the interest fills the rest. And the assessment is a 2016 value: MPAC says 2026 assessments "continue to be based on fully phased-in January 1, 2016 current values". Ask the City what you can borrow before planning on the full amount.
The published rates have expired
The rates are published as "valid until September 30, 2026". On 2 October 2026 the City's page, last changed on 28 September, still showed them and nothing newer, so ask the City which rate a loan agreed now will carry. HELP can be combined with rebates from the City, the province, the federal government and utilities, including Home Renovation Savings.