Apply for Better Homes Kingston Program

Make your home more energy efficient through the Better Homes Kingston Program! This program allows you to make home improvements more affordable by spreading the cost over terms up to 20 years. Our Energy Coach offers support to help make the process smooth. 

Eligibility requirements  

  • You own a detached house, semi-detached house, row house, or small residential apartment building that is not more than 3 storeys in height and 600m2 in building area, as covered under Part 9 of the Ontario Building Code 
  • All property owners must agree to join the program
  • Eligibility is open to primary residences and rental properties
  • Your home must have a property tax account, and you must be up to date with property taxes, utility bills, and other payments
  • The project must demonstrate the potential to achieve effective energy reductions (being a minimum 20% reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions or Energy Consumption) through a home energy assessment or meet the requirements from a prescribed list of eligible upgrades 
  • The project must demonstrate that the average expected useful life of the Improvements is not less than the financing term of the loan extended to the property owner(s) (being 5-20 years) and the improvements must be permanently affixed to the eligible property
  • If your property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, owners will need to apply for a heritage permit prior to undertaking exterior alterations. Please check the Heritage Properties Register to confirm, or email heritageplanning@cityofkingston.ca. This is the responsibility of all property owners participating in Better Homes Kingston

About the program

Better Homes Kingston offers financial support to complete your home energy retrofit project. All projects need to have the potential to reduce emissions or reduce energy use by at least 20 per cent to qualify for loans.   

Program details

  • Applicants can request loan financing
  • Utilities Kingston Natural Gas Customers can qualify for rebates for specific upgrades
  • Utilities Kingston Gas Customers can access financing and rebates, or rebates only
  • All applicants requesting financing are subject to a $450 administrative fee

Better Homes Kingston rebates are available through two streams:

This stream requires a home energy assessment conducted by a registered energy advisor and the completion of at least two upgrades. The home energy assessment is eligible for a $600 rebate.  

Rebates that require a home energy assessment: 

2+ Upgrades 

Upgrade Name 

Qualifiers 

Rebate Amount 

Energy assessment 

Pre-work and post- work assessments 

One rebate per premise, to be paid out after post-work assessment. 

$600 

Floor / wall insulation 

Exposed floor insulation

For adding insulation value of at least R-20 to the entire exposed floor area (minimum area of 11 square meters or 120 square feet). 

$300 

Exterior wall insulation 

For adding insulation value greater than R-20 to 100% of the exterior wall area 

$3,600 

For adding insulation value greater than R-12 up to R-20 to 100% of the exterior wall area 

$2,100 

For adding insulation value of R-7.5 up to R-12 to 100% of the exterior wall area. 

$1,200 

Attic insulation 

Attic insulation 

Increase attic insulation to at least R-50 from R-12 or less. 

$1,500 

Increase attic insulation to at least R-50 from greater than R-12 up to R-25 

$1,200 

Increase attic insulation to at least R-50 from greater than R-25 up to R-35. 

$900 

Cathedral ceiling/flat roof insulation 

Increase cathedral ceiling/flat roof insulation to at least R-28 from R- 25 or less. 

$780 

Increase cathedral ceiling/flat roof insulation to at least R-20 from R- 12 or less. 

$780 

Foundation insulation 

Basement wall insulation 

For adding insulation value greater than R-22 to 100% of the basement wall area. 

$1,500 

For adding insulation value of R-10 to R-22 to 100% of the basement wall area. 

$900 

Basement slab insulation 

For insulating at least 50% of the entire basement slab area to add a minimum of R-3.5. 

$500 

Foundation header insulation 

For insulating at least 80% of the entire foundation header area to add a minimum of R-20. 

$300 

Crawlspace (including header area) 

For adding insulation value greater than R-22 to 100% of the exterior crawl space wall.

$1,200 

For adding insulation value of R-10 to R-22 to 100% of the exterior crawl space wall. 

$600 

For adding insulation value greater than R-24 to 100% of the crawl space’s ceiling 

$1,200 

Air sealing 

Air sealing 

Achieve an incremental 10% or more performance improvement above the base case. 

$250 

Window/ door 

Window / Door 

For each window, door, skylight or sliding door replaced with an ENERGY STAR certified model 

$100 

Water heating 

Heat pump water heater 

Replace your natural gas domestic water heater with an ENERGY STAR certified domestic heat pump water heater 

$500 

 

This stream does not require a home energy assessment and only a single upgrade needs to be completed.  

Rebates that do not require a home energy assessment:

Single Upgrades 

Upgrade Name 

Qualifiers 

Rebate Amount 

Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump 

ccASHP 

Must be a Utilities Kingston gas heated home, and ccASHP must be listed on NRCan’s ccASHP qualified products list

$500/ton (Up to $2,000) 

Ground Source Heat Pump 

GSHP 

Must be a Utilities Kingston gas heated home and for the installation of a full system. GSHP must be on NRCan’s list of eligible products or be ENERGY STAR certified

$3,000 

Thermostat 

Smart Thermostat 

Smart thermostat replacing a manual thermostat 

$100 

Additional information

All applicants requesting loans must have a pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide Home Energy Assessment completed by a certified energy advisor. We will help you find an advisor. A $600 rebate is available for the cost of the Home Energy Assessment to those who are not already receiving it from another program. 

Better Homes Kingston offers additional support to applicants who are also members of the Municipal Fee Assistance Program. Eligible low- and moderate-income households are exempt of the admin fee and may be eligible for additional rebates through our program. Better Homes Kingston staff needs to be able to verify you are an approved MFAP member for you to access these benefits.  

How to apply

You need your tax roll number (assigned to your property tax account and follows this format: 1011 123 456 78900), and your Utilities Kingston Account Number if applicable.  

Step 1: Meet the requirements for the program 

If you would like to apply for this program, make sure you meet all the requirements, and our staff will review your application.   

If you are not sure if your home qualifies, you can reach out to us and we will assist you.  

Step 2: Receive your Approval to Participate

Once we confirm that you meet all the program's requirements, we will send you an Approval to Participate. This usually takes one to two weeks. We anticipate a high-volume of applications during the initial relaunch of the program and wait times may be longer. In this information package, you will find:  

  • The maximum loan amount you can get 
  • Details on the rebates you can get 
  • Your Better Homes Kingston file reference number 
  • Information about next steps 

If you have received an Approval to Participate, you cannot start paying for or making energy improvements to your home until you've completed these steps:  

  1. Meet with the energy coach and fill out a valid Funding Request Form with their help.  
  2. Get direct confirmation from us that your request has been accepted and you are free to start. 

Important Note: If you pay for or make energy improvements before completing these requirements, the work you have completed will not qualify for loan funding or rebates from Better Homes Kingston. 

Step 3: Book you Pre-retrofit Home Energy Assessment 

Follow these steps to register to the portal:  

  1. Create an account using your Better Homes Kingston username and temporary password (received with you Approval to Participate Letter).  
  2. Work with a Better Homes Kingston energy coach to understand your options and schedule a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation with a registered energy advisor if required.  

After applying you are eligible for a rebate covering $600 of your home energy evaluation cost even if you do not qualify for other rebates from Enbridge Gas.

If you already have a valid home energy assessment, you can go to the next step. 

Step 4: Apply for other rebates and obtain quotes 

At this stage, you will get quotes from contractors for the energy improvements you are undertaking. 

Our Energy Coach is here to assist you in planning your retrofit, saving costs, and stacking the most funding from all available programs.  

Step 5: Submit your Funding Request Form 

When you're ready to begin your retrofits:  

  • Submit your Funding Request Form through the BHK Portal, with the help of the Energy Coach. 
  • If you are applying for loan financing, sign the property owner agreement and wait for the completed agreement to be returned to you, before moving forward. This usually takes two weeks to process.  
    • If you are receiving loan financing, you can ask for 50 per cent of your funds upfront for contractor pre-payments.  

Step 6: Retrofit your home 

You can now upgrade your home.  

Step 7: Complete a Post-Retrofit Home Energy Assessment 

Once the home improvements are complete, you need to arrange for another check by a registered energy advisor if the program stream requires it. They will give your home a new rating and verify the impact of your upgrades. 

Step 8: Submit a Project Completion Report 

When your work is done and your post-retrofit Home Energy Assessment reports are in hand, you will need to submit your Project Completion Report. The Energy Coach can help you. 

Step 9: Await final payment 

After we get the Project Completion Report, you will get the remainder of your loan and/or any rebates you are eligible for. It should take around three to four weeks for the final payment to be processed.  

Step 10: Begin to repay the loan 

You can pay back your property loan through your property tax bill. You're also free to pay it back all at once without any extra charges.  

EnerGuide Home Energy Advisors  

You can schedule your EnerGuidehome energy assessments directly through one of the service organizations listed below. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)has a complete list of service organizations that can help you plan energy-efficient renovations and other improvements to your home. 

The following is a list of registered Energy Advisors or service organizations registered with Natural Resources Canada available in the Kingston area: 

Service organization

Contact information 

All Season Inspection Inc 

416-276-1346 

AmeriSpec Kingston

613-453-4856 

Canada Energy Audit Ltd 

1-888-298-9458 

Ecostep Energy Services 

844-506-1016 

Energuy Holdings Ltd 

1-888-442-9577 

Energy Werx Corp 

613-686-5949 

Enerhold Engineering Solutions Ltd. (MURBs) 

604-783-3191, 647-205-8116 

EnerSolution Inc. 

1-800-203-4395 

EnviroCentre (MURBs) 

613-656-0100 

Greenbrain Inc. 

1-866-848-4998 

Green Think Inc 

877-394-6589 

Homesol Building Solutions 

613-466-0664 

Nadeau Energy Solutions (Green Communities Canada) 

343-262-1783 

PEC Energy Consultants 

416-875-4889 

 

The Home Inspectors Group Inc 

866-907-9206 

The Next Level Consulting Inc 

416-402-5230 

The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.

Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.

Learn more about the City's reconciliation initiatives.