N.B. working on deal to join federal home

N.B. working on deal to join federal home-retrofit program

Program that helped people move from heating oil to heat pumps expired in N.B. on June 30

New Brunswick is working on a deal to join Canada’s greener homes retrofit program, a government spokesperson says.

The federal Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program provides low- to median-income homeowners and tenants with no-cost upgrades, such as insulation and heat pumps.

The program began in 2025, and Manitoba was the first province to join it. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and British Columbia joined at the end of June.

Alycia Bartlett, a spokesperson for New Brunswick’s Energy Department, said the province’s "intention is to participate” in the program.

“We are currently working with the Government of Canada on our contribution agreement,” Bartlett said in an email. “We hope to have it concluded soon.”

The new program succeeds an affordability effort that helped people switch from heating oil to heat pumps, which ended for New Brunswickers on June 30.

Natural Resources Canada will fund most of the new program for provinces and territories.

The department said it funds each province and territory based on population, and each jurisdiction matches at least 30 per cent of that amount.

Details on who is eligible and what home upgrades are offered will be negotiated with the federal government.

What’s available to homeowners and tenants won’t be the same in every province, the department said.

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The federal government intends on bringing all provinces and territories on board.

Program is meant to be more inclusive

In 2021, the federal government launched the Canada Greener Homes Grant Program, which provided grant money for energy efficiency upgrades similar to the new program.

The grant program had homeowners pay the upgrade costs before being reimbursed.

Warren Mabee, director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University, said the new program has many elements from the earlier program.

He said opening support up to renters is a big change. How tenants are involved in the program may be different in each jurisdiction.

Of the provinces that have joined, only Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have excluded tenants. According to Efficiency Nova Scotia’s website, the province is “exploring rental options.”

Natural Resources said there could be heat pumps or air-sealing upgrades for renters. The department said provinces and territories could decide to upgrade social housing units instead.

Mabee said he's not sure exactly how the tenant benefits will roll out. He knows there are worries that landlors will charge higher rent if tenants receives upgrades.

“I think that there's some unknowns about this. I do applaud the idea of having renters more involved because there's such a large proportion of Canadians that right now aren't involved in home ownership.”

Federal greener homes program returns with focus on affordability

Mabee is also glad to see participants don’t face upfront costs, which were a requirement in past programs.

Each province and territory will use funds to pay for all upgrades as they happen.

In the past, homeowners paid for their house to be assessed for improvements and then paid for upgrades. After paying for the work, the homeowner submitted their expenses to receive an incentive.

“That had been one of my concerns is that there was a kind of an entry fee to play within these programs,” Mabee said.

“Having a system where essentially the province fronts that money and does some of that work takes away that barrier to participation.”

What New Brunswick decides to do should be available once an agreement is signed.

Mabee said offering these efficiency upgrades will help people have more efficient homes causing less energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Other programs still offered in N.B.

N.B. Power offers two other savings programs that offer upgrades to insulation and heating systems and addresses air leaks

There is also a program for new builds that provides incentives for builders to construct more efficient homes.

According to N.B. Power’s SaveEnergyNB website all of its programs are delivered with funding support from the province and federal governments.

Mabee said replacing programs after a couple of years makes it more difficult for people to participate.

He favours having one program run for a longer term, so people don’t miss out or delay upgrades with the hopes a new incentive will come along.

Oliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.ca