What Home Renovation Savings pays for a heat pump water heater in Ottawa
We re-read the program's page and its eligibility requirements on October 3, 2026. There is no stand-alone water heater rebate in Ontario's program. The $500 comes with an assessment and at least one other upgrade.
Heat pump water heater
Paid for replacing a gas, oil, propane or electric water heater with an ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heater on NRCan's list, installed by a licensed professional.
Not a stand-alone rebate
The $500 is only paid inside the assessment stream, which requires at least two qualified measures. A water heater counts as one.
Home energy assessment
$600 comes back when the program is completed. The first and follow-up assessments cost money up front, and $600 comes back when the program is completed.
Three or more upgrades
A third qualified upgrade, such as insulation, windows or air sealing, earns another $500.
Program cap
$10,000 for homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood and $5,000 for Enbridge gas homes, across all measures.
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
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
The post-audit must be scheduled by November 30, 2026 and completed by December 31, 2026, or within 180 days of your first assessment, whichever comes first.
Where the unit sits
A heat pump water heater draws heat from the air around it, so a cold utility room changes how it performs. Ottawa's January average low is -13.2°C, and a basement in an older house can be cool. The program does not set a location rule, so ask the installer where the unit will go and how it will be vented or ducted.
Pairing with attic work
Of Ottawa's 407,250 households, 44% live in homes built before 1981 and 64,225 are owner-occupied detached houses of that age. For those, attic insulation is a natural partner. The attic can pay up to $1,500 in the assessment stream, and together with the $500 water heater it clears the two-measure minimum.
Fuel and the replaced tank
For gas homes, the old tank has to be a natural gas water heater. For oil, propane, wood or electrically heated homes, the old tank can be oil, propane or electric. Check which category your home and tank fall into before the installer quotes.
Better Homes Ottawa
The City's 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, with 0% for households under income thresholds. Confirm current terms with the City.
When the house has tenants or a suite
The program requires you to own the home, and where an owner has tenants the owner must apply. In Ottawa, 36% of households rent. A house built as a single dwelling that later gained a secondary suite is eligible if the audit covers the whole home and a central heating system serves it. A house built as a multi-family dwelling is not eligible.
The calendar, in order
Sequence the steps: first assessment, then installation, then follow-up. The post-audit has to be scheduled by November 30, 2026 and completed by December 31, 2026, or within 180 days of the first assessment, whichever comes first. A water heater can be installed in a day, but the follow-up visit depends on the advisor's calendar, so book both early.
How to claim in Ottawa
- Confirm your home is an eligible type and find out what fuel heats it.
- Book the first home energy assessment with a registered energy advisor before any work starts.
- Choose at least one more upgrade to pair with the water heater, such as insulation, windows or air sealing.
- Choose an ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heater from NRCan's list and have a licensed, trained professional install it.
- Keep invoices and your property tax bill, and book the follow-up assessment before the December 31, 2026 deadline.
Common questions
Is $500 the rebate in Ottawa too?
Yes, the program is provincial.
Does the unit location matter?
The program does not set a rule, but performance depends on it.
Does the City loan cover gas upgrades?
No.
Do I need a second upgrade?
Yes.
What to do next
See Ottawa insulation rebates, heat pump rebates and the Ontario rebate calculator.
By Sam Menard. Sources, last read October 3, 2026: Home Renovation Savings: assessment upgrades, Home Renovation Savings eligibility requirements (PDF), Save on Energy: Home Renovation Savings, Better Homes Ottawa loan program, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Ottawa rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →
