CleanBC Better Homes Home Renovation Rebate Program and a boiler replacement

The Home Renovation Rebate Program, funded by BC Hydro and FortisBC in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, is the province-wide rebate stream for households at any income level. It covers envelope upgrades and electric heating upgrades rather than gas appliances. Insulation pays based on the R-value added, with a maximum of $5,500 across locations; windows and doors pay $100 each for qualifying Tier 2 products up to $2,000; a heat pump water heater pays $1,000; and a heat pump conversion from electric resistance heating pays up to $4,000.

For homes north of and including the District of 100 Mile House, at latitude 51.628°N, the program adds conversion rebates for fossil-fuel-heated homes: up to $6,000 for an oil-heated home converting to a heat pump, up to $8,000 for a natural gas or propane-heated home, $4,500 for a northern dual fuel ducted heat pump, $6,000 for a northern air-to-water heat pump and $7,000 for a northern combined space and water heat pump. The northern heat pump water heater rebate is up to $1,000.

The home must be a year-round primary residence at least 12 months old, and one of the eligible ground-oriented home types: a single family home; a secondary suite in a single family home where the home and suite are individually metered; a permanently fixed mobile home; a duplex, triplex, row home or townhome where each unit has its own natural gas and/or electricity meter; or a multiplex of up to five individually metered units with their own exterior entrances, three storeys or less and no shared hallways or central mechanical systems.

Condominiums, high-rises and apartment buildings are not eligible except for strata unit owners installing a FortisBC rebate-eligible natural gas fireplace, and neither are garages or outbuildings, newly constructed homes less than 12 months old, additions that increase square footage, converted spaces such as garages or solariums, or homes defined as substantially reconstructed under the Homeowner Protection Act. The home must be connected to a residential account with an eligible utility, including FortisBC natural gas, FortisBC Inc., BC Hydro, City of New Westminster, City of Penticton, City of Grand Forks, Nelson Hydro, District of Summerland or Pacific Northern Gas.

The home must be primarily heated by an eligible source: natural gas, pipe-propane, tank propane or oil; BC Hydro, FortisBC or eligible municipal electricity; or wood or solid fuel for the limited water heater rebate. All upgrades must be installed by a licensed contractor with a GST number and a valid B.C. business licence for the trade, self-installations are not eligible, and heat pump and insulation rebates specifically require a Home Performance Contractor Network member. Homes within the City of Vancouver municipal boundary are excluded from the Tier 2 window and door rebates.

The published process has four steps: read the eligibility requirements, get quotes from program contractors, install the upgrade, then apply for the rebate within six months. Most rebates require a program registered contractor. Depending on the utility, applications go through BC Hydro or FortisBC, and there are add-on and top-up bonuses: the two upgrade bonus, the home energy improvement bonus and the BC Hydro rebate bonus, each with its own eligibility conditions shown on the linked rebate pages.

Rebates cannot exceed the invoice cost and the paid cost of the upgrade. The program also states that its rebates cannot be combined with funding from the CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program or the income-qualified programs, and that each rebate can only be claimed once. The requirements were updated effective for invoices dated on or after May 15, 2026, so older projects may fall under past requirements.

The core document is the paid invoice, which must show a $0 balance owing or other proof of full payment and must meet the sample invoice requirements. Window and door rebates also require a photo of a manufacturer label from each installed window or door. Whole-home heat pump rebates require a heat load calculation summary sheet and heat load report, and the contractor must use CSA F280-12 verified software.

Northern conversion rebates require proof that the fossil fuel system was removed, which can be a local government permit or inspection report showing the inspection date and address, or an invoice from the removal or heat pump installation company showing the work completed and the date of removal. If the upgrade is financed or leased, the agreement may be requested and must result in full ownership. Applications and documentation are due within six months of the invoice date.

The program does not pay a rebate for replacing a gas boiler with another gas boiler. Where the home converts from a fossil fuel furnace or boiler to a heat pump, the requirements state that the home's primary fossil fuel heating system must be removed, and if the primary system is a fossil fuel combination boiler providing domestic hot water and hydronic space heating, the applicant must contact the program by email for instructions and pre-approval on removing the hydronic space heating equipment.

In Greater Vancouver, a gas-heated home does not qualify for the conversion rebates, because the fossil fuel heat pump rebates apply north of and including 100 Mile House. A boiler replacement in the Lower Mainland can still sit alongside eligible envelope upgrades, such as insulation and windows, and those upgrades can count toward the bonus structure. The boiler itself, however, is not a rebated item in this program.

Three points decide whether the program matters to a boiler project. First, the fuel: gas boiler replacement is not rebated, while a conversion to a heat pump is, in the north. Second, the envelope: insulation, windows and doors are rebated anywhere in B.C. and can be planned with a boiler replacement to improve comfort and reduce the load the new boiler carries. Third, the stacking rules: HRR rebates cannot be combined with the income-qualified Energy Savings Program for the same upgrade.

Because program values and requirements are revised, the rebate position should be confirmed at quote time against the current requirements page rather than from an older article or a contractor's summary. The Better Homes find-rebates questionnaire is the official way to screen a specific home before work begins.