Heating can account for more than half of a home’s hydro bill, and up to one-third of heat from a home escapes through windows. What a waste! If you are thinking about replacing your old windows with new, more efficient ones, many provinces offer rebates or other incentives to households which buy qualified windows. But you need to follow the regulations and procedures of each province in order to get the most benefit from the incentives.

5 Tips for Window Rebates

Some programs offer homeowners loans or grants to upgrade their windows with more efficient, qualified, windows. However, they may require that you have an energy assessment of your home completed before and after your upgrades.

• Keep your assessment records and files in order and together as some programs require that you send in a copy of your pre-upgrade assessment outlining recommended upgrades, a provincial checklist for the work completed and a copy of the post-upgrade assessment before qualifying for a rebate.
• Make sure that your property is eligible for the upgrade. If you are planning to upgrade your windows in a vacations home or cottage, you might not be eligible for the rebate.
• Keep all your original receipts and product information as some grants require that you provide the original receipt and product model number of your windows. Keep your retailer invoice which had the information you need like the installation address, the number of windows installed, the brand of window bought, the name of the manufacturer, the type of windows bought, and the date of installation.
• Each province, hydro companies and other retailers who offer rebates on new windows may have different requirements. Make sure that your new windows meet the specific minimum requirements set out by each individual program. Most programs will provide a list of eligible windows for you to choose from.

Why not look into upgrading your windows? It will help to lower your heating and cooling costs, increase your homes comfort, and reduce your emissions output. Check out the rebates in your area and start along a greener, more energy efficient path!

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