If you’ve been looking for Save On Energy coupons and rebates, we’ve got you covered!

In our ultimate guide to this generous energy savings program, we answer the question “What is the Save ON Energy program and what can it do for you?”

By the time you’ve read through this article, you’ll be an expert on the Save ON Energy program and how you can make it work the best for YOU!

About the Save On Energy Program

The Save ON Energy program was designed and launched in 2010 in an effort to help Ontario residents save energy and money. Its programs and incentives are offered in some way by Enbridge Gas, Union Gas, Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, and all other Ontario utility companies.

The programs themselves are powered by the Government of Ontario and the Independent Electricity System Operator, which is an independent group that oversees and manages all things electric in the province of Ontario. There are rebate and energy conservation programs for every Ontario community.

Here’s where things get a little confusing: not all of the Save ON Energy programs and incentives are offered in all Ontario communities, so the best place to start on your hunt for energy-related rebates is your local utility company’s website.

It will list every program offered in your community, and when you click on the rebate that interests you, you will be taken to the webpage that the Save ON Energy program has created specifically for your community.

Take a look today to learn about all the programs available to you, the benefits of becoming energy efficient, and all the rebates just waiting for you in your particular community!

Save on Energy Program for Low-income Households

Home Assistance Program

Saving energy and reducing our Canadian carbon footprint only works if everyone has the opportunity to participate, so the Save ON Energy program wants to help everyone improve their energy efficiency, regardless of income.

Because improving energy efficiency also means saving money, those who take part in this program end up with a double, even triple win: reduced personal and overall energy usage, a cozier and healthier living environment, and money savings!

You can participate in this program if you have a low income. Low income begins at $32,843 for a household of 1.

The allowable income level rises after that along with the number of people living in your household. And remember, household income generally includes income earned by everyone over 18 living in the home more than 6 months of the year. Also important to know is your income is specifically your income before the taxes are taken off.

If the low-income qualification isn’t quite applicable to your situation, you could also qualify if you’ve received one of these benefits in the last 12 months:

• Allowance for the Survivor
• Guaranteed Income Supplement
• Allowance for Seniors
• Ontario Works
• Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
• Healthy Smiles Ontario Child Dental Program

You could even still qualify for this program if you’ve received a LEAP grant or Ontario Electricity Support Plan payment within the past 12 months or if you’ve qualified to participate in a natural gas low income DSM program within the past 12 months.

Everyone who fits one or more of those categories qualifies whether you live in eligible non-profit housing, own your home, or rent a home; but if you rent, you will have to get your landlord’s approval first.

If you choose to take part in this program, you could benefit from a variety of free, energy-efficient products after an advisor comes to your home to take a look at where improvements could best be made. You could end up getting some or all of these items—for free—that will result in a cozier home and money back in your bank account:

Save On Energy Programs for Energy Efficiency

Whole Home Program

The name of this program says it all: it helps you to make your whole home save energy and money for you. From top to bottom, attic to basement, you can take advantage of this program to drastically reduce your carbon footprint and your monthly hydro bill.

It doesn’t matter how your home is heated, whether natural gas, propane, oil, wood, or electricity, there are improvements and rebates for everyone.

Here are some fun facts for you: Ontario gave $100 million to start this program, which is expected to save about 1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and help an estimated 37,000 homeowners.

The first stage in your energy-efficiency journey is the home energy assessment. Done by a certified energy advisor fully trained in energy efficiency, it will show you all the ways you could be saving energy.

It only takes about 2 hours and will give you all the information you need. Your advisor will look at everything from your light bulbs to potential draft locations to the kind, type, and amount of insulation you have and where.

Just contact a certified energy advisor to get started. You can find one here if you’re an Enbridge Gas customer, here if you’re a Union Gas customer, and here if you’re not sure which company delivers the Whole Home program in your area. 

The second stage is to work on purchasing, installing, and completing any or all the measures your advisor recommended. This program gets more and more helpful as you complete more upgrades because if you make 2 or more upgrades, you’ll qualify for additional rebates above and beyond the individual rebate for each measure or product.

Not all communities offer the same rebates though, so pop your postal code in here to find out what rebates are available in your home.

The final stage involves a post-assessment. Your chosen advisor will come back to your home, take a look at the changes you’ve made, and give your home a new energy rating. This one only takes about an hour, and when it’s finished, you’ll be able to send away for your rebates, so it’s an important step.

Here’s some quick, fun videos to help you learn more about saving energy in your home.

Heating & Cooling Incentives Program

Does knowing that 60% of your energy costs are eaten up by heating and cooling your home make you want to plug that dollar drain right away?

If so, this is the program for you. All known Ontario utility companies offer this Save ON Energy program, so head to their website to apply. To learn more though, just keep reading!

If you’ve had a home assessment done, the chances are good that you were told that your old furnace needs to go, unless of course you live in a much newer home. Or perhaps you already know that without having had a home assessment done. Today’s furnaces are much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, so with a rebate of $250, now is a great time to invest in one.

Make sure it’s an eligible furnace though, which means it must be equipped with an ECM (electronically commutated motor).

Perhaps the cost of a new furnace is still daunting even with the $250 rebate. If so, know that you’ll save about $22/month with a new furnace, and that means you’ll save almost $4,000 over the average life span of your new furnace. In most cases, that more than pays for itself! 

Never fear, those with electrically heated homes can also benefit from an energy-efficiency rebate! Buy a high-efficiency heat pump and you’ll get a $4,000 rebate. So that’s $4,000 in your pocket plus all the money you’ll be saving in the years to come, not to mention how much warmer your home will be each winter.

Another aspect of heating your home includes heating your water. Have you ever thought about how much money you’re spending or how much energy you’re using while you’re doing any of those things that require hot water, such as washing dishes or showering?

Now that you’re thinking about it, why not buy an ECM circulator pump for your hydronic heating system? You’ll get a $30 rebate when you do! Just keep in mind that it must have a variable-speed motor to qualify.

And then there’s your thermostat. If you’re like me, you don’t give it much thought. It’s no more than a regular fixture on your wall unless it’s so cold you need to turn the heat up.

Today’s thermostats are helpful little gadgets though. Not only can an adaptive thermostat save you money on your monthly bill by adjusting to your schedule, but a smart thermostat can even tell you when to replace your filters.

And you can control your smart thermostat from anywhere with your phone or tablet. The bottom line is this tiny little gadget could save you hundreds of dollars each year, and if you buy a smart thermostat now, you’ll even get a $50 rebate! There is a bit of a list of eligibility requirements for qualifying thermostat models, so check out the list before you buy.

The other half of the money-sucking culprit on your electricity bill is cooling your home. Old air conditioners guzzle even more energy than furnaces and yet we don’t give them much thought.

If you had a home assessment done through the Whole Home Program, your advisor will definitely have thought of it though, so if they recommended you upgrade to a new one, take advantage of the $600 rebate on a new, qualifying ENERGY STAR® central air conditioning system.

To be a qualifying model, according to Save ON Energy, it must be “ENERGY STAR® certified with a minimum seasonal energy efficiency (SEER) ratio of 18 and a minimum energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 13,” and it must have a qualifying indoor coil.

Even if you didn’t have a home assessment and are interested in upgrading your air conditioner, do it right away to take advantage of the $600 rebate before it disappears on December 31, 2018, though you’ll still have until February 19, 2018, to submit your application form. You could save as much as 40% on your utility bill with a new air conditioner!

As with the Whole Home program, all you need to do to get started is find yourself a certified contractor. Save ON Energy has a list of verified, trained contractors who will know exactly what models you need and what models qualify for the rebates. If you had a home assessment done, your advisor will have listed what you need, but you still have lots of options when it comes to models, so a contractor’s knowledge will be invaluable in choosing what to buy.

Once they’ve purchased and installed your products(s), they’ll fill out and submit the rebate application forms for you, so the whole process is smooth and easy for you.

You can be assured that you’ll know when your rebate application forms were submitted because you’ll get an email for your review and approval. Once you send your approval and receipt, you’ll get your rebate.

You should know, too, that if you’ve considered taking part in other renovation programs such as the Enbridge Home Reno program, you can’t take part in this program.

You’ll have to choose between the two. A good rule of thumb to remember when choosing programs is that the Save ON Energy Heating & Cooling Incentives program is meant for individual purchases, or multiples, while home reno programs are meant for larger, all-inclusive renovation projects.

Poolsaver™ Program

Your pool could be costing you a $1,000 or more every single year, just for the electricity!

Heating the water, cooling the water, running the pump, it all takes electricity. Ontario summers can get pretty hot and run longer than in other parts of Canada, so many Ontarians rely on their pool for a good portion of the year. Isn’t that a great reason to do all you can to upgrade its energy efficiency?

That pool would be a lot more enjoyable if it wasn’t costing you so much money!

If you have a pool that you love but is draining your bank account, check this program out. It could save you a tonne of money.

The Poolsaver™ program gives you the opportunity to switch out your constant-speed pump with a variable-speed pump and get a $400 rebate when you do. Once you’ve switched, you could save $1,000 in just 3 years!

To start saving money on your pool electricity costs, just hire a certified vendor. They know what models are best for you. Once you choose your model, they’ll install it for you and you’ll see your rebate immediately on your invoice.

As with a couple other Save ON Energy programs, only certain communities offer this program. Those offering it this year are listed below:

Burlington Hydro	HydroOttawa	Renfrew Hydro
Energy + Inc.	Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro	Toronto Hydro
Halton Hills Hydro	Milton Hydro	Veridian Connections
HydroOne	Oakville Hydro	Waterloo North Hydro
Whitby Hydro

First Nations Conservation Program

This Save ON Energy program is only offered through Hydro One, and only First Nations living in a First Nations community can participate. You must also either own your home or have the consent of your landlord and be the primary electricity account holder to be eligible.

Because this program is very similar to the Independent Electricity System Operator’s Aboriginal Conservation Program that ran from 2013 to 2015, if you participated in it, you won’t be eligible for the Save ON Energy/Hydro One First Nations Conservation Program.

But if you are eligible to take part, you’re in line to get a lot of free energy-efficient stuff and save a whole bunch of money in the end. Be kind the environment? Save money? Sounds great!

Should you choose to participate, you’ll get to start off with a free home energy assessment. That’s right, it’s free too, so jump on this program!

To begin the process, a certified energy advisor will take a look around your home and give you a list of ideas and recommendations about what needs to be done, what should be done, and what you can do to improve your energy efficiency and make your home more comfortable year round.

The advisor will look at everything from your light bulbs to your insulation. Even your appliances! Once they’ve completed their inspection, they won’t just up and leave you to your own devices. They’ll actually install free energy-efficient upgrades where needed, show you how to get the most out of your new products, and give you tips on steps you can take yourself to improve the efficiency of your home.

If you’re not entirely convinced yet, take a look at all the free stuff they’re ready to give you if your home needs it:

• programmable thermostats
• block heater timers
• weatherstripping to reduce drafts
• water-saving showerheads
• faucet aerators
• light bulbs
• hot water tank wrap and pipe insulation
• possible ENERGY STAR® refrigerators or other appliances
• possible insulation in attics and/or basements
• smart power bars

If you’re ready to apply, simply email them or call 1 (844) 349-8972

New Home Construction Consumer Program

The New Home Construction Program was designed with the homeowner, the province, and the country in mind. Its primary goal is to improve Ontario’s energy efficiency going forwards into the future, and the best way to do that is to ensure new homeowners can save money with more efficient homes that last and work for them, rather than against them.

This program was created to be flexible and buyer-oriented. It can not only work for you when you’re building a new home, it can also work for you when you’re doing a major renovation. Plus, it has 3 different paths to choose from, depending on your needs and what works for you.

Regardless of what path you choose, start by getting pre-approval by downloading and submitting the application form before you undertake any structural work. Then, once you have approval, you can decide what path you want to take.

The first option is the Performance Path. If you aim to have your home be ENERGY STAR® certified, this is the path for you. Save ON Energy will give you a $1,000 rebate in this case This is also a good path to choose if your goal is to achieve an EnerGuide 83 or 84 rating because you’ll still get a $500 rebate. Either way, the Performance Path is more of a big picture, all-inclusive path.

The Prescriptive Path is a piece-by-piece, pick-and-choose sort of path. When you go this route, you’ll get individual rebates according to what energy-efficient products you choose to include in your new home or renovation. Take a look at the options (per house) available to you when you choose this path:

• get $50 back for a master all-off switch that controls all electrical sockets in the house (hard-wired)
• get $30 for an ENERGY STAR®-certified central air conditioner, minimum 15 SEER and 12.5 EERR
• get $3 to $10 for ENERGY STAR®-certified indoor light fixtures (hard wired; 1 or 2 sockets is $3 per and 3 or more sockets is $10 per)
• get $5 for each ENERGY STAR®-certified light bulb, recessed lighting (must have GU24 replacement), under-the-counter lighting, and LED lighting
• get $3 for lighting control products with hard-wired indoor and outdoor timers and motion sensors and hard-wired dimmer switches

If neither of the first two options appeals to you or works for you, you could still be eligible for custom incentives, which are based on energy savings seen in the first year of the home or renovation.

While the Performance and Prescriptive Paths include measures such as lighting and appliances, custom incentives are measures associated with space heating and cooling, water heating, and the building envelope.

To be eligible, the measures you choose to address must be more efficient than the standard set out by the Ontario Building code and you must have a Total Resource Cost test. In the end, the maximum rebate available on this path is capped at 50% of the project cost.

Start your construction or renovation project by getting pre-approval for your chosen rebate. To do that, download and fill out the Preliminary Application Project Worksheet. Then complete your construction as usual and download and submit the Final Application Project Worksheet. Submit it with the appropriate supporting documents for the incentive path you chose to participate in.There are many utility companies around the province that offer this program, but not necessarily all, so here are links to a few communities that do:

HydroOne	Burlington Hydro	Halton Hills Hydro
Waterloo North Hydro	Oakville Hydro	Greater Sudbury Hydro

Deal Days

Ahhhh deal days. Sounds like a summer fair doesn’t it?

While it may not be, it is an event that’s nearly as fun. Because who wants to pay full price for anything?

Save ON Energy’s Deal Days is a small window of time that opens up just a few times a year and offers up money-saving opportunities on lots of different energy-saving items.

Rather than cutting coupons, all you have to do is head to a participating retailer and purchase any of the qualifying items listed on Save ON Energy’s website. Participating retailers vary, but you can generally count on Canadian Tire to carry all the products.

Which products can you save money on you ask? They’re never quite the same, I’m afraid, but in the past they have included LED light bulbs, light fixtures, and ceiling fans. Other possible energy-efficient items could include weatherstripping, insulation blankets, and power bars, or timers, dimmer switches, and motion sensors. You could even get money off electric baseboard heaters or clotheslines.

The trick is to watch for when each window opens up, which is easy to do if you follow Save ON Energy on Facebook or Twitter. They’ll announce ahead of time when the next window of opportunity is, but you won’t know until the window opens what products will be offered at a reduced price.

How Much Energy Can You Save with Small Changes?

Since the main purpose of the Save ON Energy program is to save energy and reduce our impact on the environment, and of course save money, here is how much energy you could save just by investing in some of the smaller energy-efficient household items usually offered during Save ON Energy’s Deal Days:

Smart power bars

Save up to 10% of your monthly energy usage with one of these. They automatically detect when a device is in sleep mode and turn it off.

This reduces the worst kind of energy drain—the phantom power drain. If you’re going to use energy, at least use the energy when you’re using something, right?

Outdoor timers

Hooking up a timer to outdoor items such as your swimming pool pump can save you $50/month on your electricity bill by being programmed to only run in the evening to keep the water circulating when it usually isn’t, or any other time in your household that the water isn’t generally being circulated.

General ENERGY STAR®-certified LED light bulbs

Simply switching out those old, incandescent light bulbs we loved so well with LED light bulbs can reduce your energy drain by 70% to 90% in comparison to incandescents.

ENERGY STAR®-certified light fixtures

Who knew a light fixture could help reduce your energy consumption?

ENERGY STAR®-certified light fixtures use a quarter of the energy of old light fixtures, and they distribute the light far more evenly.

ENERGY STAR®-certified ceiling fans

Replacing your old ceiling fan with an ENERGY STAR®-certified ceiling fan not only uses 50% less energy, but it also moves around 25% more air.

Insulation blankets

While it’s not something often thought of, it makes a lot of sense. A small investment in an insulation blanket to wrap around your hot water heater will keep your water hot longer, resulting in less energy used to reheat the water the next time you need it.

An insulation blanket could reduce heat loss by 40%!