What the Home Renovation Savings program pays for windows and doors in Ottawa
We re-read the program's page and its eligibility requirements on October 3, 2026. Windows and doors are paid only inside the assessment stream, so every amount here comes with an assessment and at least two upgrades.
Windows and doors
One payment per opening in an outside wall, not per unit. A bay window with three panes in one opening earns $100.
Smallest qualifying job
Three window openings, or one door, sliding door or skylight opening, count as one qualified measure. Two windows alone earn nothing.
Home energy assessment
$600 comes back when the program is completed. Covers the cost of the first and the follow-up assessment once the program is completed.
Three or more upgrades
Windows count as one upgrade. Insulation, air sealing and a heat pump water heater are the others in this stream.
Program cap
$10,000 for homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood, and $5,000 for homes heated by Enbridge gas.
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 program is run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy. Post-audits must be scheduled by November 30, 2026 and completed by December 31, 2026, or within 180 days of your first assessment, whichever comes first.
Cold-climate reason to look at windows
The January average low in our climate data is -13.2°C and the coldest day from 2015 to 2024 was -32.2°C, colder than Toronto on both measures. 44% of the 407,250 Ottawa households live in homes built before 1981, and 64,225 are owner-occupied detached houses from that era. Those are the likely candidates for window work. The program only rebates ENERGY STAR certified models, so check the label for the climate zone that covers Ottawa before you sign.
How many Ottawa homes the program covers
About 69% of Ottawa households live in an eligible house type, and 64% own their home, compared with an owner rate of about half in Toronto. Apartments in buildings of five or more storeys make up 19% of households and are not covered. Ottawa's major-repair rate is 5.4%.
Better Homes Ottawa as financing
The City's Better Homes Ottawa loan is repaid on the property tax bill, up to the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of assessed value, over 20 years. We recorded a 4.33% fixed rate and 0% for households under income thresholds. It excludes gas upgrades. Windows are a plausible use for it, but re-check the terms on the City's page before relying on them.
A bundle example
An Ottawa owner with an electrically heated bungalow might replace ten windows and a patio door (eleven openings, $1,100), add attic insulation, and receive the $500 three-upgrade bonus if a third upgrade such as air sealing is completed. Those figures are our arithmetic from the program's table, not a quote, and each other measure has its own conditions.
How to claim in Ottawa
- Confirm you own the home, it has been occupied for six months and it is one of the eligible house types.
- 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 windows, and get quotes that count rough openings the way the program does.
- Ask the City about Better Homes Ottawa if you want a low-interest way to pay.
- Have a professional install complete windows or doors with frames, keep the ENERGY STAR labels on until the follow-up assessment, and book it.
Common questions
Is Ottawa colder than Toronto?
Yes. The January average low is -13.2 degrees Celsius against -7.1 in Toronto.
Does the Better Homes Ottawa loan cover windows?
It covers energy upgrades repaid on the tax bill, but excludes gas upgrades. Confirm window eligibility with the City.
Do townhomes qualify?
Yes, row and townhomes are eligible, except stacked townhomes.
What is the maximum I can get?
$10,000 for electric, oil, propane or wood heat, $5,000 for Enbridge gas.
What to do next
See Ottawa insulation 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 →
