What Home Renovation Savings pays for insulation in Cambridge
We re-read the program's pages and both eligibility documents on October 3, 2026. There are two ways in: an attic-only stream with no assessment, and the assessment stream, where insulation, windows, air sealing and a heat pump water heater are bundled.
Attic, no assessment
The attic stream pays half of the after-tax cost, up to $1,250 for an attic from R-12 or less to R-50, $1,000 from R-25 or less and $800 from R-35 or less. A participating insulation contractor must do the work.
Attic, with assessment
In the assessment stream an attic brought to at least R-50 pays $1,500, $1,200 or $900 by starting R-value, pro-rated by the share of the roof you insulate (minimum 50%).
Cathedral ceiling or flat roof
$750 in the attic stream and $780 in the assessment stream. Any combination of attic, cathedral and flat roof counts as one measure, capped at $1,500 in the assessment stream.
Exterior walls
$1,200 for R-7.5 to R-12 added, $2,100 for more than R-12 to R-20 and $3,600 for more than R-20. Minimum 20% of wall area, pro-rated.
Basement walls, slab and headers
Walls up to $1,500, a slab $500 and a header $300. Wall plus slab is capped at $2,000, and all three at $2,300.
Crawl space and exposed floors
Crawl space walls $600 or $1,200, ceiling $1,200, header $300, combined up to $2,700. An exposed floor over a garage earns $300 at R-20 or more.
Semis and row homes
Semi-detached and end-unit row homes get 75% of the walls and basement maximums. Middle-unit rows get 50%.
Audit rebate and cap
The assessment stream returns $600 for the audits and caps insulation rebates at $7,700, inside an overall $10,000 limit, or $5,000 for Enbridge gas homes.
RetrofitWR loan
Up to $40,000 over 10 or 15 years. For GrandBridge Energy customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries, repaid on the bill, for projects that cut energy use by 25% or more.
Canada’s new heat pump rebate is worth up to $10,000. Get an email the day it opens
Planning a heat pump too? This one is on top of the rebates above, and we’ll email you the day it opens.
- Up to $10,000
- if your household earns below the median income
- $2,000
- for other homeowners who qualify
Stack it with the Ontario rebate open today
Ottawa says you can combine them. Each program has its own rules. Amounts are the most you can get.
Applications open early 2027
Join the launch alert
- Launch-day email, with what to do first
- Who qualifies for the $10,000, once Ottawa says
- A short hello now, so you know it worked
Know someone with old heating? Send them this.
Only emails about this rebate. No spam, no sales calls. Unsubscribe anytime.
Read everything we know so far Official page: canada.ca
Attic stream work must be finished by November 30, 2026 and entered in the system by December 31. In the assessment stream, the post-audit must be scheduled by November 30 and completed by December 31, 2026, or within 180 days of your first assessment.
How the loan and the rebates fit
The loan needs a 25% energy reduction. A single attic job may not reach that, but a bundle of attic, wall and basement insulation with air sealing might. The provincial program needs two measures in the assessment stream. Planning one bundle can therefore meet both tests, with the follow-up assessment documenting the result for the rebate and the loan.
Cambridge's housing
The 2021 Census counts 51,270 households in Cambridge. 48% live in homes built before 1981 and 12,780 are owner-occupied detached houses of that age. 57% live in detached houses, 77% in an eligible type and 69% own. 5.2% report needing major repairs.
Who the loan reaches
RetrofitWR's loan is for GrandBridge Energy customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries. It is repaid on the GrandBridge bill over 10 or 15 years. Free coaching from the Region is open to homeowners across Waterloo Region, including Kitchener and Waterloo, where the loan does not apply.
Wall insulation arithmetic
If you insulate 60% of an exterior wall area to more than R-20, the rebate is 60% of $3,600, which is $2,160, and a semi-detached house gets 75% of that figure first. Those are our calculations from the program's tables. Before borrowing, ask the contractor what R-value the wall will reach and how much area will be covered.
How to claim in Cambridge
- Ask GrandBridge Energy and the Region about the RetrofitWR loan before booking the assessment.
- Choose a stream: pre-register for the attic stream, or book a home energy assessment for the full bundle.
- Get quotes that state the R-value you start with, the R-value you reach and the share of each surface you will insulate.
- Do not start any work until the in-home visit or first assessment has happened.
- Keep invoices and your property tax bill for the paperwork, and finish before the November 30 and December 31, 2026 dates.
Common questions
Who can use the RetrofitWR loan?
GrandBridge Energy customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries.
How much energy must the project save?
At least 25% for the loan.
Is the program rebate separate?
Yes. The rebate comes from Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy.
Is a semi reduced?
Walls and basements are paid at 75%.
What to do next
See Cambridge window and door rebates and the Ontario rebate calculator.
By Sam Menard. Sources, last read October 3, 2026: Home Renovation Savings: assessment upgrades, Home Renovation Savings: attic insulation, Home Renovation Savings eligibility requirements (PDF), Attic stream requirements (PDF), Retrofit Waterloo Region, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Cambridge rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →
