Rénoclimat - Frequently asked questions

We would like to inform the population of the existence of fraudulent calls regarding energy efficiency and the Rénoclimat program. Some of these calls seem to come from telephone number 418-627-6379, which is the number for the Bureau de la transition climatique et énergétique (MELCCFP). 

The Government of Québec would like to remind you that it does not use telephone solicitation or door-to-door campaigns to promote its energy efficiency programs.

It would like you to remain vigilant should you be contacted by someone trying to offer you services or products in this field on behalf of TEQ, MERN, MELCCFP, Gouvernement du Québec or of the Rénoclimat program. If you believe you are a victim of fraudulent solicitation, this is what you can do:

• File a complaint with the Office de la protection du consommateur. 
• Call your local police department.
• Register your telephone number on the National Do Not Call List by dialing 1 866 580-DNCL (3625) or by visiting lnnte-dncl.gc.ca. In doing so, you should not receive calls from telemarketers any longer.
• Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495-8501 or visit the antifraudcentre.ca.?

Telephone scams are a method used quite commonly by ill-intentioned people. Their objective can be to sell products under pressure to other persons or to lead them to reveal personal information. These scammers voluntarily assume the identity of persons who work for renowned companies in order to obtain information from people who believe they are dealing with real employees.

You can consult the list of organizations mandated under the Rénoclimat program.

If you have further questions about our programs, please contact our customer service department.

The Rénoclimat program helps you improve the energy efficiency of your home by providing you with personalized advice and financial assistance to carry out eligible work. 

Consult the list of eligible work.

To find out the eligibility criteria for Rénoclimat, click here. 

Don’t forget! You must join the program and have an advisor visit your home BEFORE the renovation work starts.

Rénoclimat does not set a time limit to complete your renovations.

• You don’t have to rush to finish your renovations and request a post-retrofit energy evaluation.
• It is not mandatory to carry out all the recommended improvements in the report produced by the energy advisor in order to receive financial assistance.
• You may participate in the Rénoclimat program a number of times by completing retrofits in several steps. Read the explanations on subsequent energy evaluations.

Until May 1, 2024, the program offers free pre and post-retrofit energy, including subsequent evaluations. After that date, a fee of 150$ plus taxes will apply for subsequent energy evaluations and for the first pre-retrofit energy evaluation. The fee for the pre-retrofit energy evaluation will be reimbursed if you are eligible for financial assistance upon the completion of your project.

The Rénoclimat program does not require the work to be carried out by a contractor. However, some work is regulated by code and must be given to a qualified professional, such as plumbing and electricity work.

If you would like to hire a contractor for your renovations, please consult some of our tips in the section devoted to General Questions (How to choose a contractor to carry out renovations?)

Financial assistance is not available under the Rénoclimat program to:

• install electronic thermostats;
• install or repair air-conditioning units, air-source heat pumps, or geothermal energy systems;
• carry out expansion work;
• renovate a space adjacent to the dwelling such as an unheated garage, veranda, cold room, or porch that is excluded from the heated volume;
• replace an electrical panel;
• replace a garage door; 
• replace roof coverings or exterior walls;
• carry out any other measure that does not enhance the dwelling’s energy efficiency.

The Canada Greener Homes Grant is now closed to new applicants. If you did not have a pre-retrofit energy evaluation completed between April 1, 2020 and February 19, 2024, you are not eligible for the federal grant. The Rénoclimat program is still ongoing and if you apply, you could be eligible for financial assistance upon the completion of your retrofits.

• You must complete your work, have your post-work evaluation done, and receive your financial assistance from the Government of Québec before your file can be sent to the federal government for the Canada Greener Homes Grant. At present, no deadline has been announced for completing your work and having your second energy evaluation done.
• If you have several energy-efficient projects to complete (e.g., installing a heat pump or windows), make sure you complete all the work before requesting your post-work evaluation. Your participation in the CGHG will end after the post-work evaluation.
• Keep an eye on communications from Natural Resources Canada to ensure you meet the deadlines for completing your work and submitting your application.

• The processing of your file is in progress. When the Rénoclimat process is completed, it will automatically be sent to the Canada Greener Homes Grant team as usual if your pre-retrofit energy evaluation was conducted between April 1, 2020 and February 19, 2024.
• When you receive your Rénoclimat cheque, check your inbox and junk mail for communications from Natural Resources Canada indicating that your file is being processed.

If your last Rénoclimat pre-work energy evaluation was completed between April 1, 2020, and February 19, 2024, and you meet all the conditions of the federal program, you will automatically be registered for the federal grant.

No. Some eligibility requirements are different in both programs. Be sure to check the criteria that apply to your situation before registering for Rénoclimat.

• Eligibility criteria for the Canada Greener Homes Grant 
• Eligibility criteria for the Rénoclimat program

No. The Canada Greener Homes Grant is only available for a primary residence. Exceptions apply to housing for Indigenous people. 

This eligibility requirement is different in the Rénoclimat program: Rénoclimat is available for both primary and secondary residences.

• Canada Greener Homes Grant eligibility requirements
• Rénoclimat program eligibility criteria

As of September 30, 2024, the installation of geothermal heating systems and air source heat pumps is no longer eligible for financial assistance from Rénoclimat. Be sure to select a system that is on the federal list of eligible heat pumps, and that you meet all of their other eligibility criteria.

• List of eligible heat pumps under the Canada Greener Homes Grant

The Canada Greener Homes Grant does not require work to be done by a contractor. That said, certain types of work (such as plumbing and electrical work, as well as the installation of mechanical systems like air- and ground-source heat pumps) are governed by a code and must be done by a qualified professional.

If you would like to hire a contractor for your renovations, please consult some of our tips in the section devoted to General Questions (How to choose a contractor to carry out renovations?)

The financial assistance from the federal program can reach up to $5,000 for eligible projects, but is not automatically added to the financial assistance provided by Rénoclimat.

For each participant, the financial assistance provided by the Rénoclimat program will be adjusted based on the work done and the amounts set out by the federal program. This way, once both financial assistance amounts have been applied, you will receive an amount equal to or greater than what was originally set out in Rénoclimat.

In Québec, you had to register for the Rénoclimat program to be  apply for the Canada Greener HomesGrant. Access to the grant is now closed to new applicants. Those who have completed a pre-retrofit energy evaluation between April 1, 2020, and February 19, 2024 might be eligible for the grant if their application meets the federaleligibility criteria.

Yes. You can request an appointment that takes into account the date you will take possession of your future home.

• You must be the legal owner of your new home as of the date of the visit by the Rénoclimat advisor.
• For the purposes of the Rénoclimat program, the notarial act is proof of the date the home was taken possession of as the legal owner.
• Prior to the start of the visit, you will be required to present the notarial act demonstrating your possession of the home. Without this document, we will not be able to complete the energy evaluation of your home.

Obtain your appointment

You may be asked for a document that demonstrates the date that the home will be taken possession of at the time of the appointment (e.g. accepted offer to purchase, letter of authorization from the current homeowner, confirmation of appointment with a notary, etc.).

Two energy evaluations are necessary to measure the annual energy consumption of your home and verify the improvement after the work has been completed.

Each evaluation is conducted by a Rénoclimat energy advisor and includes a blower door test.

• The first energy evaluation serves to determine the ÉnerGuide rating of your home before the work starts. 
• The second energy evaluation serves to validate the work that was carried out and determine the ÉnerGuide rating of your home once the work is completed. 

When both results are compared, it will be possible to observe if the ÉnerGuide rating of your home improved or not. It will also determine if you are eligible for financial assistance.

It is even possible to ask for an additional evaluation for any work that is carried out after the second evaluation.

Learn more about the energy evaluation process.

The EnerGuide rating is the energy efficiency measurement of a home: it lets you know your home’s annual energy consumption. The ÉnerGuide rating is based on the results of the blower door test and on the characteristics of your home as collected by an accredited energy advisor. The rating is produced using energy simulation software.

To learn more, consult the EnerGuide Rating page.

Note: The previous EnerGuide rating scale ranged from 0 to 100 and served as an indicator of a home’s energy efficiency. As of October 1, 2019, the EnerGuide rating is expressed in gigajoules-per-year (GJ/year): it represents the home’s annual energy consumption.

It is important for the Rénoclimat energy advisor to be able to evaluate and measure the exact energy performance of your home before the work starts.

The purpose of the blower door test, which is performed during evaluations, is to determine the airtightness of your home by measuring the rate of air flowing through a ventilator installed for this purpose. If you have already started the renovation work, the test will be falsified because it may not reflect the regular airtightness of your home. That is why it is important to wait for the Rénoclimat energy advisor to visit your home before starting any work. Otherwise, we will not grant you financial assistance for your energy-based renovations.

In each region of the province of Québec, organizations are mandated by Québec Government to offer energy evaluation services under the Rénoclimat program.

Only the advisors belonging to the organizations included in the list released on this website are duly authorized to conduct energy evaluations.

When we receive your application to participate in the Rénoclimat program, we assign your application to one of the duly mandated organization in your region and provide them with your contact information. This organization is the only organization that is authorized to contact you to make an appointment for the energy evaluation of your home.

When the energy advisor shows up at your home, he/she will use a Rénoclimat identification card with photo to confirm their identity.

When in doubt, you can check if your advisor is in fact authorized by consulting the current list.

Yes. You can contact your region’s organization directly with questions about the program or how to improve energy efficiency in your home, or if you wish to make an appointment for an energy evaluation or follow up on your file once you have registered.

If you have questions about your application for financial assistance, please contact our customer service directly.

Participation in the Rénoclimat program and the evaluation apply to an entire building. Accordingly, in the case of a multiple unit residential condominium building, the authorized representative of the syndicate of co-owners acts on behalf of the co-owners to participate in the Rénoclimat program. The dwelling units cannot be evaluated individually. Registration must be made in the name of the syndicate of co-owners, which will benefit from the financial assistance.