Good News for Homeowners Considering Renovations

We all know that home improvement projects are valuable and worthwhile investments, but the economic burden can be severely prohibitive. Luckily, an increasing amount of financial assistance is being offered to help homeowners upgrade and repair their homes. The largest source of this funding comes from incentive programs that encourage improving your home’s efficiency. By taking advantage of these, you get to upgrade your home, contribute your part to a greener planet, and lower your energy bills, while also getting rebate money back. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there, so I am going to tell you about what kind of rebates and tax credits exist.

Rebates for Replacing Old Appliances

The vast majority of financial credits available for home improvements come from our federal government’s ecoENERGY Retrofit Program. For homeowners looking to renovate, quite a few of the potential rebates apply to appliance upgrades. So if you are looking to replace some ailing devices, go for the energy efficient ones, and you will likely be eligible for a reimbursement. In Alberta, Climate Change Central is responsible for running the ecoENERGY rebate program, and they offer money back on the purchase and installation of certain appliances, including:

• $400 – $600 for high–efficiency heating systems like furnaces and boilers
• $100 for any ENERGY STAR clothes washing machine
• $250 – $300 for energy efficient hot water heaters

On top of these, our fine City of Calgary also offers a $50 reward for eligible homeowners who replace old toilets of 13L or more with new low–flow models.

Getting Money Back for the Work You Put in

Between February 2009 and February 2010, the Canadian government is offering a home renovation tax credit of up to $1,350, which can be used for anything from maintenance to home renovations to repairs, or even the purchase of an efficient new home heating system or other appliances.

One of the easiest ways to increase the efficiency of your home and lower your energy bills is by enhancing and updating your insulation. And although it may be a costly project, the federal government offers a rebate of up to $3,150 to qualifying homeowners who perform insulation upgrades. On top of that, our provincial government provides an extra 75% of that grant for the upgrade of insulation in your ceilings, exterior walls, exposed floors, basement header and foundation.

Shop Around for Local Incentive Programs

If you are considering some home improvements, be sure to investigate what local businesses are doing to help you out. Here at ClearView Plumbing & Heating, we have developed our own Home Heating Stimulus Package. We are offering our valued customers a program that includes:

• Free financing
• No payments and no interest for six months
• No repair bills for five years
• A free whole house humidifier

Now really is the perfect time to renovate and improve your home, and there are always great deals and rebates available that you can explore.