How to Get Up to $7,500 in Heat Pump Rebates in Ontario (2026 Breakdown)

If you've been sitting on the fence about upgrading your home's heating system, this is the year to stop waiting. Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program is handing out serious money in 2026 — and most homeowners have no idea how much they actually qualify for.

Here's the short version: depending on how your home is currently heated, you could get back anywhere from $2,000 to $7,500 just for switching to a cold-climate heat pump. Layer in a few extra upgrades, and that number climbs even higher. But here's the catch — the program is capped, first-come first-served, and confirmed only through November 2026.

This guide breaks down exactly how the rebates work, who qualifies, and what you need to do to make sure your application doesn't get rejected. At Constant Home Comfort, we're a registered contractor approved to participate in this program, and we handle the paperwork for you at no extra charge. But whether you use us or not, the information below will help you navigate this correctly.

What Is the Home Renovation Savings Program?

The Home Renovation Savings Program — often called HRS — is a joint initiative between Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, backed by the Ontario government. It launched in 2025 as the successor to the old Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program, and it's currently one of the most generous residential energy incentive programs the province has ever offered.

The goal is straightforward: help Ontario homeowners cut their energy consumption by subsidizing the cost of high-efficiency upgrades like heat pumps, insulation, windows, and smart thermostats. The heat pump rebate is the crown jewel of the program — the single highest-value incentive available right now.

What makes this program different from older ones is that no EnerGuide energy assessment is required when installing a heat pump as a standalone upgrade. That removes a major barrier that used to slow things down and adds unnecessary cost. You can move from application to approved installation relatively quickly.

How Much Can You Get? (The 2026 Rebate Breakdown)

The rebate amount is calculated based on two things: what your home is currently heated by, and what type of heat pump you're installing.

If your home is heated by natural gas (Enbridge customers):

You qualify for $500 per ton of your heat pump's rated heating capacity, up to a maximum of $2,000. For a typical 3-ton system, that's $1,500 back.

If your home is heated by electricity, oil, propane, or wood:

This is where it gets significantly better. You qualify for $1,250 per ton, up to a maximum of $7,500. A 3-ton system in an electrically heated home, for example, earns $3,750. A larger 5 or 6-ton system in an older oil-heated house could max out the full $7,500.

The logic here makes sense: switching away from electricity, oil, propane, or wood to a heat pump produces a bigger reduction in emissions, so the program rewards it more generously.

Ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps:

For homeowners going the geothermal route, the rebates are even larger. Gas-heated homes receive a flat $3,000, while non-gas homes can receive up to $12,000. Ground-source systems are a much bigger investment upfront — typically in the $20,000 to $45,000 range — but the combination of high rebates and long-term energy savings makes them worth serious consideration for the right property.

What about renting instead of buying?

If you prefer a rental arrangement, the program covers that too. Rental rebates follow the same structure as purchase rebates: $500 per ton (max $2,000) for air-source and $3,000 flat for ground-source, available regardless of your heating type.

Who Qualifies?

Before you get excited about the numbers, let's make sure you actually qualify. The eligibility requirements are clear, and missing one of them means your application gets denied.

You need to own the home where the heat pump is being installed. Renters aren't eligible — though landlords can apply on behalf of their property.

Your home must be a single detached, semi-detached, row house, townhome, or mobile home on a permanent foundation. Condos, apartments, and stacked townhomes don't qualify.

The property needs to have been occupied for more than six months. Brand-new builds are excluded.

Your heating source needs to fall into one of the eligible categories. If you heat with natural gas, you specifically need to be an Enbridge Gas customer. Some Ontario communities use different gas utilities — Kitchener Utilities, Utilities Kingston, and others — and unfortunately those customers aren't eligible for the gas-rate rebate through this program.

If you're on the Ontario electricity grid and heat with electricity, oil, propane, or wood, you're in good shape regardless of who your electricity provider is — with one exception. Cornwall Electric customers run on the Hydro-Québec grid, not the Ontario grid, so they aren't eligible unless their home is also heated by Enbridge natural gas.

Can You Stack Multiple Rebates?

Yes — and this is where things get really interesting.

Oil-heated homes have a rare opportunity right now. On top of the Ontario HRS rebate (up to $7,500), the federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program (OHPA) adds another $5,000 to $10,000 for homes switching away from oil heat. When you combine these, an oil-heated Ontario home could be looking at combined rebates that cover a substantial portion — sometimes the entirety — of the installation cost.

Bundled upgrades also unlock additional money. If you're adding insulation, windows, or air sealing alongside a heat pump, the program has a second path that requires an EnerGuide assessment but opens up extra rebates: up to $7,700 for insulation improvements, $100 per qualifying window, and $250 for air sealing. It's more steps, but for a whole-home retrofit, the additional money can easily justify the process.

Toronto homeowners have an extra layer available: the BetterHomesTO Home Energy Loan Program (HELP), which offers low-interest financing of up to $125,000 for energy improvements, with repayment tied to your property tax bill over up to 15 years. It's not a rebate exactly, but paired with the HRS rebate, it can make a major upgrade essentially cash-flow neutral in the short term.

How to Apply Without Getting Burned

This is the part people get wrong most often, and it's what kills otherwise legitimate rebate claims. The number one mistake homeowners make is starting the installation before getting pre-approval. It sounds obvious, but contractors sometimes push to move fast, or homeowners don't realize approval is required first.

Here's the process in plain language:

Start by checking your eligibility on the official Home Renovation Savings Program website (homerenovationsavings.ca). This confirms you qualify and gives you access to the list of participating registered contractors.

Choose a contractor from that official list. This is non-negotiable — contractors who are not registered with the program cannot submit your application, and you cannot submit on your own without contractor involvement.

Wait. Once your contractor submits the pre-installation application, you must receive written approval before any work starts. This is the hard stop. An installation done before approval is disqualified, full stop.

After the heat pump is installed, your contractor submits a post-installation application. Once that's approved, your rebate cheque arrives by mail within roughly 60 days.

One more important detail: the heat pump itself has to be a model from Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list for cold-climate air-source heat pumps. Popular qualifying brands in Ontario include Lennox, Mitsubishi, Daikin, Bosch, Carrier, and Fujitsu. Your contractor should be verifying this, but it's worth confirming yourself.

Why Act Now?

The Home Renovation Savings Program is confirmed through November 2026. But "confirmed through November" doesn't mean "guaranteed until November."

Ontario has a track record of closing rebate programs ahead of schedule. The GreenON program was cancelled abruptly in 2018 when the provincial government changed. The Canada Greener Homes Grant stopped accepting new applications in 2024, earlier than many homeowners expected. Funding for HRS is capped — when the money runs out, the program closes, regardless of the calendar date.

Beyond the funding risk, there's also the practical reality: heat pump installations in Ontario are in high demand right now. Lead times are real, and approved contractors are booking out weeks in advance in some areas. Getting your application in early isn't just about chasing a deadline — it's about having actual scheduling flexibility.

How Constant Home Comfort Can Help

Constant Home Comfort is a registered contractor approved to participate in the Home Renovation Savings Program. We serve homeowners across Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Durham, Mississauga, Vaughan, Newmarket, Ottawa, Waterloo, London, Barrie, Hamilton, Burlington, and Kanata — and we handle the full rebate process from eligibility check to application submission at no extra cost to you.

We install cold-climate heat pumps from qualifying brands including Lennox, Goodman, KeepRite, and Gree, and we'll verify upfront which models and sizes make sense for your home before any work is quoted or approved.

We also offer $0 down, 0% interest financing on approved credit, which means you can get your new system installed, your rebate application submitted, and your energy bills reduced — without a large upfront payment.

There's no pressure to decide on the spot. Give us a call at 1-888-675-5907 or book a free in-home appointment at constanthomecomfort.com, and we'll tell you exactly what you qualify for, what it will cost, and what the rebate process looks like for your specific home.

Constant Home Comfort serves homeowners across the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. Call 1-888-675-5907 or visit constanthomecomfort.com to book your free in-home assessment.