Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program in B.C.: free upgrades through ECAP

The Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (CGHAP) is a federal program that provides low-to-median-income homeowners and tenants with no-cost home retrofits, such as insulation and heat pumps. It uses a direct-install approach: selected organizations deliver the program directly to participants and handle the logistics and costs of planning and completing the retrofits. The program began delivery in 2025 through participating provinces and territories.

In British Columbia, the federal government does not accept household applications. Residents apply through the utility program for their area, and NRCan's program page directs B.C. residents to BC Hydro or FortisBC depending on which utility serves them. Those applications land in the Energy Conservation Assistance Program (ECAP), which BC Hydro and FortisBC describe as delivered with funding support from the Government of Canada through CGHAP and from the Province of B.C. through CleanBC.

ECAP provides a free home energy evaluation, personalized energy-saving advice, and free installation of recommended energy-efficiency upgrades. During the evaluation visit, an evaluator assesses how the home uses energy, identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, recommends upgrades based on the home's condition and heating system, and provides advice; only upgrades identified during the visit can be offered. A program representative then schedules installation, qualified professionals install the approved upgrades, and some upgrades may require more than one visit. A follow-up may check that everything is working properly.

The published list of possible upgrades includes carbon monoxide detectors, connected thermostats, dual fuel heating systems for single family homes, townhouses, row homes and duplexes/triplexes/quadruplexes, draftproofing, insulation, ventilation or bathroom fans, electric air source heat pumps, ductless or central heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, air conditioners. Which upgrades a household actually receives depends on the housing type, the fuel and system heating the home, the utility provider and the individual characteristics of the home.

The program is open to homeowners and renters 19 years and older. The home must be the primary residence for homeowners, and applicants must live in one of the eligible housing types: a detached single family house, duplex/triplex/quadruplex, rowhouse, townhouse, manufactured or mobile home, or apartment/condominium, with apartment and condominium offers available to BC Hydro electricity account holders who contact BC Hydro directly. Applicants must have a residential gas account with FortisBC, a residential electricity account with FortisBC or BC Hydro, or a residential municipal electricity account with New Westminster, Grand Forks, Summerland, Penticton or Nelson Hydro.

Income is the gate. Combined household income must be below the maximum shown for the household size: $51,100 for one person, $63,600 for two, $78,200 for three, $94,900 for four, $107,600 for five, $121,400 for six and $135,100 for seven or more. Proof of income is required, and the home's assessed value may also be considered for homeowners. BC Hydro notes the program is available on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to available funding, and may change at any time.

The first step is to check the income requirements for the household size and utility. Applicants then apply online or by mail, providing proof of income for all household members aged 18 and older. If the application is approved, a program delivery contractor schedules the free home energy evaluation, and the upgrades identified in that evaluation are installed at no cost to the participant. BC Hydro published a program update on August 25, 2026 confirming that Pacific Northern Gas customers can now also submit an application.

Because the program is delivered through the utilities, the application route depends on the home's accounts: BC Hydro electricity customers apply through BC Hydro, while FortisBC gas and electricity customers apply through FortisBC. The NRCan page is the authoritative federal description of CGHAP, and the utility pages carry the current application forms and income tables.

Applicants must provide proof of income for every household member aged 18 or older. BC Hydro's page lists accepted documents including CRA documentation showing line 15000, verification of income or disability assistance, and a Guaranteed Income Supplement notice, and notes that the application can use a Social Insurance Number and name to allow the CRA to confirm whether the household meets the income requirements. An Income Tax Summary is not accepted as proof of income.

The program does not require banking details or advance payments. BC Hydro and NRCan both publish scam warnings: neither utility nor the Government of Canada solicits over the phone, by email or door-to-door asking to enter homes to inspect, sell or rent heating and cooling products, and EnerGuide home energy evaluations are performed by licensed service organizations only at the request of homeowners.

CGHAP and ECAP are not like-for-like boiler replacement programs. They improve the home's efficiency and, where a household heats with natural gas, oil, propane or wood, they may offer a switch to an electric heat pump; BC Hydro's page states that natural gas, oil, propane or wood heated homes may qualify to switch to an electric heat pump, and that home energy upgrades, particularly heat pump installations, may involve either removing existing fossil fuel equipment or installing a dual fuel hybrid system, depending on technical requirements and local climate conditions.

For a household planning a boiler replacement, that means the program can be relevant when the decision is fuel switching or a dual fuel hybrid arrangement, and it is not a source of funding for a new gas boiler. Because ESP rebates cannot be combined with ECAP for the same upgrade, and because ECAP is delivered by the same utilities, the right move is to confirm program fit and stacking at quote time before committing to equipment.