What Home Renovation Savings pays for a heat pump water heater in Peterborough
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.
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.
Peterborough homes
68% of households live in an eligible house type and 59% own. 11,240 are owner-occupied detached houses built before 1981. 18% live in low-rise apartments and 2,570 in duplexes, which are excluded. 6.1% report needing major repairs.
Which tank
For a gas home the old tank has to be a natural gas water heater. For a home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood, it can be an oil, propane or electric water heater. A rented tank may need to be bought out first.
Cold winters
January lows average -11.4°C. A heat pump water heater takes heat from the surrounding air, so ask the installer where the unit will sit and how warm the room stays in winter.
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 Peterborough, 41% 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.
What the first assessment is
The first assessment is an EnerGuide home energy evaluation done by a registered energy advisor licensed by Natural Resources Canada, working for an authorized service organization. It must happen before any work, and the program recommends using the same advisor for the follow-up. After it you receive a report of recommended upgrades, from which you choose at least two to complete.
Choosing the second upgrade by the numbers
The partner measures pay different amounts. An attic can pay up to $1,500 in the assessment stream, exterior walls up to $3,600, windows and doors $100 per rough opening with a minimum of three windows or one door-type opening, and air sealing $200 or $250 if the home reaches a target in your report. Because the water heater is the smallest of these, many owners treat it as the add-on that completes a bundle.
Paperwork and payment
At the follow-up assessment the advisor needs the invoices for both assessments and for each upgrade, plus a copy of your property tax bill. Once the advisor has submitted everything, the rebate arrives within 60 days by cheque or within 30 days by Interac e-Transfer. A Peterborough owner should choose the payment method early and keep copies of every document.
How to claim in Peterborough
- Check the tank you have and who owns 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
Can I replace a rented tank?
Ask your supplier about buying it out first.
Do duplexes qualify?
No.
Is the rebate $500?
Yes.
Do I need an assessment?
Yes.
What to do next
See Peterborough 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, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Peterborough rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →
