Equipment upgrade funding for social housing
Funding for heat pumps, windows, water heating and more
Funding is available to implement equipment upgrades in your buildings. This offer is available as part of the Social Housing Energy Savings Program.
You can select from the measures listed below, or if your building requires a more complex solution, you can apply for a custom incentive.
We provide 50% of the value of the incentive when you start your project and the remaining 50% upon completion of the work.
The offer
Funding up to 75% of the eligible incremental project cost with a maximum of $600,000 per site is available for retrofits in three areas: envelope, lighting and controls, and HVAC equipment. These retrofits must reduce electrical energy consumption and can include upgrades for:
- Space heating
- Ventilation
- Common area water heaters
- Lighting
- Refrigeration
Additional implementation support of up to $11,000 is available to help cover costs associated with consultants assisting with project definition, procurement and management for more complex projects.
For a full outline of the requirements, download the Incentive Application Guideline [PDF, 348 KB].
Equipment upgrades for electrically heated buildings
| Product | Funding |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps - single-head | $5,000 per heat pump |
| Heat pumps - multi-split | $3,500 per head |
| Heat pump - central system | $6,500 per ton of capacity |
| In-suite heat pump water heaters | $3,500 per unit |
| Central heat pump water heaters | $3,500 per suite served |
| Windows (high efficiency glazing) | $20 per square foot of window or up to maximum $600 per rough opening |
| Ventilation make-up air unit | Up to $5,000 per ton of capacity |
Other energy efficiency equipment upgrades
| Product | Funding |
|---|---|
| Variable-speed drives | Up to $450 per horsepower (motor HP) |
| Parkade carbon monoxide (CO) controls | Up to $550 per unit |
| LED lighting (common areas) | $10 to $195 per luminaire |
| Lighting controls (common areas) | $20 to $45 per unit |
| In-suite lighting | Up to $400 per suite |
| In-suite fridge | Up to $750 per suite |
We also offer funding for custom projects, including envelope upgrades, other central heat pump systems, and heat recovery ventilation system upgrades, without pre-determined incentive amounts.
How it works
- Talk to your Key Account Manager. Your Key Account Manager is your main point of contact and will help you complete your application.
- Gather documentation and approvals. As required based on your building's ownership type, gather the approvals and funds for your project.
- Hire a contractor to get quotes. Engage a contractor who's qualified to perform the work. You can request a referral from our Alliance of Energy Professionals, and we recommend getting at least three quotes.
- Online application. Apply online before purchasing any equipment or removing any original equipment. You'll need the required documents, completed by your contractor.
- Application review. We'll review your application. If it’s pre-approved, you'll sign a funding agreement, and your contractor can complete the project. If you didn’t include documentation showing that the project has started, we’ll ask you to provide it. Once your agreement is signed and we’ve received proof that your project has started you’ll receive 50% of the funds at this stage.
- Submit documentation. After your project's complete, return to your online application and submit the required documents. This must be done within 12 to 18 months of your pre-approval date, depending on the measures installed.
- Reimbursement. We'll review your documents. If approved, we'll process the remaining 50% of your funding in accordance with your agreement.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a custom social housing incentive you’ll need to meet the following requirements.
- Be a registered non-profit, non-profit co-operative, local government/provincial housing authority or Indigenous housing provider operating a multi-unit residential building.
- Building or facilities must be in BC Hydro’s service area [PDF, 177 KB].
- Spaces being retrofitted must be common areas or in suite, as defined by the conservation measures. Recreational spaces can qualify.
- All proposed equipment must be new. Proposed retrofits must seek to reduce energy consumption for space heating, ventilation, common area water heating, kitchen equipment, lighting, refrigeration and/or pool heating in the premises.
- Your engineering consultant must be a member of our Alliance of Energy Professionals.
How to apply
Applications are completed online once you've hired your contractor and you have the required documents ready.
You'll be prompted to log in to the Conservation and Energy Management (CEM) Hub first.
Don't have a CEM Hub profile yet? Register now.
To apply, have the following documents complete and ready to upload.
- Program workbook (required) – Completed by your contractor, includes your project’s measures, costs, energy savings, cost savings, and more. Download the program workbook template [XLSX, 741 KB]
- Feasiblity study report (optional) – The final feasibility study report from your consultant outlining the options and costs for the specific system you're planning to upgrade.
- Opportunity assessment report (optional) – The final report of your opportunity assessment, prepared by your consultant.
- Product specification sheets (optional but preferred) – A copy of the manufacturer's specification sheet(s) for the equipment to be installed.
- Energy calculations (required for custom lighting and mechanical projects) – The custom energy and/or lighting calculations to determine the energy savings for your project. Completed lighting calculator per site for custom lighting projects and a custom calculation per site for mechanical projects. Download the lighting calculator template [XLSX, 741 KB].
Once your project is complete, open your existing application to declare that it's complete and provide your final documents.
You'll be prompted to log in to CEM Hub first.
You'll need to have the following documents ready to upload.
- Invoices (required) – Copies of all paid, itemized invoices for your project including equipment purchase and installation and other associated costs.
- Schedule B (required) – A summary of your project and the applicant's project declaration. This form will have been provided with your agreement.
- Schedule C (required) – A reconciliation of actual project costs compared to expected. This form will have been provided with your agreement.
- Revised program workbook (optional if your project was completed as proposed) Required – If your project changed since your initial application, upload the revised version.
- Revised energy calculations (optional) – If your project changed since your initial application, upload the revised custom energy and/or lighting calculations. For custom lighting projects, provide a completed lighting calculator per site using the template provided. For custom mechanical projects, provide a custom calculation per site in your preferred format. Download the lighting calculator template [XLSX, 741 KB].
- Product specification sheets (optional) – A copy of the manufacturer's specification sheet(s) for the equipment installed.
Custom projects
We also offer funding for projects that involve a more customized approach without pre-determined incentive amounts. These projects require in-depth energy and costing calculations, which requires a feasibility study. We'll work with you to determine funding amounts.
The same building eligibility criteria applies. For more details on custom projects, please refer to the participant guide [PDF, 1.8 MB].
If your project includes any of the below upgrades, it's a custom project:
- In-suite or central heat recovery.
- Central domestic hot water or hydronic heat pump with supplemental electrical resistance.
- Heat pumps that are not air-to-air systems. This includes water-to-air, air-to-water, or water-to-water heat pumps.
- Comprehensive building envelope upgrades, e.g., window upgrades with additional envelope work.
- Lighting redesign that includes changes to the light quantity and/or mounting locations, or projects that add a networked lighting control system within a digital, intelligent network to enhance energy efficiency.
Resources
Explore tools and resources designed to guide you through the program.
- Social Housing Energy Savings Program participant guide [PDF, 1.8 MB]
- Request your building's peak demand data. For multi-unit residential or mixed-use buildings looking to check overall building capacity to add new electrical load.