OTTAWA – The federal government shocked the renovation community with the surprise announcement that it will be suspending the ecoEnergy Retrofit Homes Program effective March 31, 2010, at midnight. The program had been scheduled to continue through March of 2011. The decision is all the more surprising because the federal budget unveiled on March 4 included an additional $80 million for the retrofit program.
New applications will no longer be accepted to book pre-retrofit evaluations as of the new deadline. In other words, anyone who has not already booked an evaluation is no longer eligible for a rebate.
The program provides homeowners with grants of up to $5,000 if they have their homes evaluated for energy efficiency, and then perform upgrades to improve their rating. The program’s Web site featured an explanation of the decision to suspend new applications, saying that the Conservative government is "committed to reviewing its energy efficiency and emissions reductions programs to ensure they continue to be an effective and efficient use of Canadian tax dollars."
The program was initially launched in 2007, and by 2009, the federal government had paid out over $91 million to homeowners for 85,000 retrofits. Many provinces have programs which match federal rebates, its uncertain at this time what impact if any this change will have on the provincial programs.
This announcement comes close on the heels of the decision not to renew the popular Home Renovation Tax Credit.