What Home Renovation Savings pays for insulation in Ottawa
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.
Better Homes Ottawa loan
Repaid on the property tax bill over 20 years. Excludes gas upgrades. Up to the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of assessed value, over 20 years.
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
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- 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
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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.
Why Ottawa homes lose heat
The January average low in our data is -13.2°C and the 2015 to 2024 record was -32.2°C. Of 407,250 households, 44% live in homes built before 1981 and 64,225 are owner-occupied detached houses of that age. 69% live in an eligible house type, and 64% own. The Census also counts 5.4% of households with a home needing major repairs.
Which stream for an R-20 attic
Suppose an attic starts at R-20. The attic stream pays 50% of the after-tax cost up to $1,000 for that starting range, and requires you to reach R-50 across the whole roof assembly. The assessment stream pays up to $1,200 for the same starting range, pro-rated if you insulate less than the whole roof, with a 50% minimum. The attic stream is simpler. The assessment stream can pay more but requires a second measure and two audits. Compare both against your quote.
Do not insulate on top of nothing
If your roof assembly already contains insulation when the first visit happens, any new insulation must be added in the same location. New material on an attic floor needs to go on the attic floor, and new material at an attic ceiling goes at the ceiling. A contractor who proposes a different location may leave you outside the rebate.
Better Homes Ottawa
The Better Homes Ottawa loan is repaid on the property tax bill and excludes gas upgrades. We recorded up to the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of assessed value, over 20 years, at 4.33% fixed, with 0% for households under income thresholds. Check the City's page for current terms before you rely on them.
How to claim in Ottawa
- Check that your house is an eligible type and you have six months of occupancy.
- 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
Is Ottawa colder than Toronto?
Yes. The January average low is -13.2 degrees Celsius against -7.1.
What if my attic is above R-35?
The attic tables cover starting values up to R-35. A higher starting R-value is outside the table, so confirm with the program.
Can I add insulation anywhere in the attic?
If there is existing insulation, new insulation goes in the same location.
Does the loan cover gas upgrades?
No.
What to do next
See Ottawa 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), Better Homes Ottawa loan program, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Ottawa rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →
