
A key part of the City's Burlington Climate Plan is the goal of becoming a net carbon neutral community by 2050 by improving our buildings' energy efficiency. Many buildings use fossil fuels for heating, cooling and lighting, which produces harmful greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce the impacts of fossil fuels by using more energy efficient technology in our buildings.
Improving the energy efficiency of your home can save money, improve comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As a Burlington resident, you have access to programs and incentives from businesses and different levels of government to save money and upgrade your home.
Check each website for funding requirements and timelines before you begin any application.
| Home Renovation Savings Program |
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Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas, supported by the Ontario government, have partnered to deliver this new program to help Ontarians improve their home efficiency and comfort. Whether you heat your home with natural gas or electricity, this program offers significant rebates for energy-efficient upgrades like insulation, heat pumps, smart thermostats, solar panels and more. You can choose to complete a home energy assessment and bundle up, or you can also complete single upgrades that help you save. |
| Home Solar Accelerator |
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Home Solar Accelerator from The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) is a non-profit concierge-style service that guides homeowners through the solar process – from assessing your roof to choosing a vetted installer. Homeowners receive:
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| Enbridge Sustain |
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Enbridge Sustain offers custom energy solutions, end-to-end services and financing to help homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient. Energy solutions include:
Financing:
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| MyHeat Thermal Map |
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The MyHEAT Thermal Map is an educational resource for Burlington residents to help you see your home’s heat loss from a bird’s-eye view and compare it to similar homes in your neighbourhood. Enbridge Gas has partnered with MyHEAT to collect aerial rooftop infrared heat loss information in the cities of Burlington, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham. This information was used to build a heat loss map and heat loss rating for each residential home in these communities. Enter your address in the “Search for your address” search bar. You will be redirected to a webpage containing a free, detailed home heat loss report, which includes the following: heat map, heat rating and calculator, heat loss exploration tool, and energy upgrade energy savings calculator |
| Smart Thermostat Program |
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Enbridge Gas customers who live in a detached, semi-detached or row townhomes can get an instant rebate towards a qualifying smart thermostat purchase at specific retailers. Burlington residents could be eligible to receive: $75 instant discount when you buy a smart thermostat. |
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Peak Perks |
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Participants in Peak Perks save with their smart thermostats by participating in brief, time-limited thermostat adjustments during periods of peak electricity demand that can occur on the hottest summer days. You will receive a $75 virtual prepaid MasterCard® when you enroll in the program, and a $20 virtual prepaid MasterCard® for each additional year you stay enrolled. |
| Energy Affordability Program |
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The Energy Affordability Program offers free energy-efficiency upgrades for income-eligible homeowners and tenants, and eligible social housing providers, as well as an in-home energy assessment to help uncover more ways to save. |
| Home Winterproofing Program |
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The Home Winterproofing Program can help you lower your natural gas bill and make your home more comfortable. If your home and household income levels qualify, you’ll get free insulation, draft proofing and a smart thermostat to reduce energy costs up to 30 per cent. |
| Low-Income Energy Assistance Program |
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If you’re behind on your electricity or natural gas bill or are in arrears and may face having your service disconnected, you may qualify for emergency financial help through the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). There are also special customer service rules available for low-income households. You need to meet certain criteria to qualify for these programs, and must go through one of the identified intake agencies in Ontario. |
Visit our Home Flood Prevention page for more information.
Learn more about technology, techniques, and renovations that help make your home better for your family, your wallet, and the environment.
| Heat Pumps - Air Source |
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Space heating accounts for 60 per cent of the energy used in the average Canadian home. For propane, oil, and electrically heated homes, you may be able to reduce your heating costs by up to 50 per cent if you install an all-electric air-source heat pump while also reducing GHGs. An air-source heat pump is an electrical device that uses the difference between outdoor air temperatures and indoor air temperatures to cool and heat your home. Acting as a high-efficiency air conditioner in the summer, and a heater in the winter, an air-source heat pump uses a refrigerant that responds to temperature. In summer, a heat pump will move heat out of your home and release it outdoors. In fall, it brings heat into your home from outside, even when it’s chilly (0°C). Things to Consider
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| Heat Pumps - Ground Source |
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Ground-source heat pumps, also known as geothermal heat pumps, use the earth, groundwater or both to heat your home in the winter and cool it in the summer, and supply hot water. Ground-source heat pumps are more effective at heating homes during Canadian winters and provide greater energy savings than air-source heat pumps because in the winter underground temperatures are higher than air temperatures. Ground source heating produce less CO2 than other forms of space heating systems. Things to Consider
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| Heat Pumps - Ductless Mini-Split |
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A ductless mini-split system is an energy-efficient heating and cooling system that doesn’t require ductwork, making them ideal for older electrically-heated homes and/or homes with no ductwork. Also known as ductless heat pumps, they take advantage of the difference in temperature between outdoor and indoor air to heat or cool a room. The temperature can be adjusted through a wall-mounted console, remote control or smartphone app. Ductless units require only a very small hole to be drilled into an exterior wall, making them less vulnerable to air leakage and security problems. Mini-splits also avoid the energy losses associated with ductwork, which can account for more than 30 per cent of the energy used to heat or cool indoor air. Things to Consider
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| Air Sealing |
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Air sealing impacts the building envelop of your home. The building envelop is the physical separator between the conditioned and unconditioned environment, including the resistance to air, water, heat, light, and noise transfer. Older homes typically have more air leaks, around windows and doors, electrical outlets, and cracks in the foundation and walls. You can seal air leaks in your home with weather-stripping and caulking or by applying gaskets and tapes. Things to Consider
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Solar energy is a renewable resource that captures sunlight and converts it into electricity, providing clean power for your home’s lights, appliances, and more.
Learn more about what solar panels can do for your home - and your electricity bill.
The following links can help you find contractors to retrofit your home:
Check out these resources for more information on different ways to retrofit your homes to be more energy efficient:
Increasing the energy efficiency of new buildings is more cost effective than trying to retrofit a building after construction. Our Sustainable Building and Development Guidelines include actions to achieve new low carbon buildings.
To learn more about how energy efficient buildings are constructed, check out:
Learn how we are improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and fleet vehicles.
We are exploring sustainable energy options to produce electricity in Burlington, such as solar PV and geothermal heating and cooling. We are also looking at options for energy harvesting and sharing between facilities. To learn more about renewable energy sources, check out:
The Ontario Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) program requires owners of large commercial, industrial and multi-unit residential buildings to report their building's energy and water consumption data to the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. This lets you compare your building's energy and water consumption usage against industry trends. You can then identify energy and water efficiency opportunities and save money by tracking usage.