A government program that provides “green” grants to homeowners for making eco-friendly improvements to their properties has not received as many applications as expected, about 60% below the target..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the department of Natural Resources said it faced “challenges” with the program..“The Canada Greener Homes grant aims to support up to 700,000 homeowners with grants of up to $5,000 for retrofits,” the department wrote in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the Commons..“The department is confident the program will reach this target.”.The program launched two years ago and only 287,198 homeowners have applied, which is approximately 41% of the target. Out of those applicants, 59,350 homeowners have received a grant..Figures were released at the request of New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley, BC), who asked “With regard to homeowner applications received by the Greener Homes program since its inception, what percentage of applications have been approved?”.According to the Inquiry, around 73% of the applications were approved even with incomplete data. Only a small fraction, less than half of 1%, were rejected..Homeowners are required to have an EnerGuide Assessment by a federal inspector for renovations “to improve their homes’ energy and emissions performance.”.Qualifying homeowners can receive up to $5,000 to subsidize the cost of energy-efficient renovations like new windows, upgraded furnaces, roofing, insulation, and other eco-friendly renovations..“A homeowner will have renovations undertaken by the local renovation contractor of their choice,” wrote staff..After completing the renovations, homeowners must schedule a second inspection to verify that the necessary work has been done..The department stated there are currently 1,635 inspectors working on the program. However, applicants may experience long delays in the inspection process..“Starting from when a homeowner first applies to the program until the grant payment is made, the average homeowner journey on the national portal has been 286 calendar days,” said the Inquiry..“The number skews high, reflecting challenges encountered at the start of the program.”.A similar program called ecoEnergy Retrofit Homes was launched in 2007 but was discontinued in 2012 due to costs totalling $821 million..“During this time of fiscal restraint, the Government of Canada must demonstrate prudent management of government funds,” the department of Natural Resources wrote in an Access to Information memo at the time..“Some homeowners will be angry if they missed the opportunity to register for the program.”.During the ecoEnergy Retrofit Homes program, 580,000 homeowners applied for grants with a maximum value of $5,000. The actual payouts averaged around $1,330 per homeowner. At its highest point, the program employed over 2,000 home inspectors..In a 2017 report, the Commons Finance committee suggested using tax credits instead of grants to promote home energy refits. This approach would incentivize homeowners to report payments to contractors to “limit the underground economy.”
