Own a cottage, rental or second home? What the heat pump rebates say about homes you don't live in
Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program lets you take part for each property you own, if each one qualifies. The federal rebate does not require a primary residence either, but it is limited to one per household.
You may own a cottage, a rental or a second house. Can a heat pump rebate apply to a home you do not live in? The Ontario and federal programs answer this differently. Here is what the official pages say today.
Ontario: Home Renovation Savings
Home Renovation Savings, from Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, is the program open now. Its heat pump FAQ says you can take part for each property you own, even if not all of them are your primary residence. You must meet all the eligibility criteria for each application. The program's requirements allow one rebate per eligible home.
So each home is checked on its own:
- Ownership: you own the home and pay for the purchase and installation. If the home has tenants, the owner applies. Tenants cannot.
- Type of home: single detached, semi-detached, row house, townhome, or mobile home on a permanent foundation. An individual unit in a stacked townhome, duplex or triplex can also count, if it has its own independent heating system and, for Enbridge customers, its own meter.
- Heat source: you are an Enbridge customer with an active account and the home is primarily heated by a natural gas furnace or boiler. Or the home is connected to the Ontario electricity grid and heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood.
- No heat pump yet: a home that already has a heat pump for space heating is not eligible.
- Not a new build: a new home needs at least six months of occupancy.
What about a cottage?
The heat pump FAQ does not mention cottages by name. A cottage would have to pass the same checks as any other home. Two are worth reading closely. A home heated with oil, propane, wood or electricity must be connected to the Ontario grid. And a natural gas fireplace does not count as primary heating.
The amount follows each home's heating
For a cold climate air source heat pump, the rebate is $500 per ton up to $2,000 in an Enbridge natural gas-heated home. It is $1,250 per ton up to $7,500 in a home heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood.
You work with a participating contractor, who submits the pre-installation application. Pre-approval is mandatory. Installations done before approval are not eligible.
Federal: National Heat Pump Rebate
This is a separate program, and it is not open for applications yet. Canada.ca says the home does not need to be your primary residence. It can be a property you rent out. You must live in Canada and own the home.
The limit is different from Ontario's. Only one rebate is available per household, even if you own more than one property. Federal funding also cannot have been provided before for a heat pump at that address.
Households above the median income may be eligible for $2,000. Those at or below the income limit may be eligible for up to $10,000. Installs from November 1, 2026 may qualify, and applications open through an online portal in early 2027. Funding is not guaranteed until an application is approved, and the details may still change.
The difference in one line
Ontario counts homes. The federal rebate counts households. If you own two homes, each could be looked at under the Ontario rules, but your household could receive only one federal rebate.
For more on both programs, see heat pump rebates in Ontario, explained.
You can check a home's Ontario rebate and ask for a free quote on our home page.
This post is based on this article.