Eligibility & requirements. The Canada Greener Homes Loan was available to homeowners in Canada pursuing energy retrofits recommended through an EnerGuide home energy evaluation. The program states: "Program closure: Funding for the Canada Greener Homes Loan is now fully committed. New loan applications cannot be approved."
What you get. Approved applicants received an unsecured, interest-free loan of between $5,000 and $40,000, repayable over 10 years. Funds were intended for eligible home energy retrofits identified in the homeowner's EnerGuide evaluation report.
Deadlines. There is no application window open. Because funding is fully committed, no new loan applications can be approved.
How it works. Under the program's former rules, a homeowner completed a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation, applied for the loan against the recommended retrofits, completed the work, and repaid the interest-free loan over 10 years. A post-retrofit evaluation documented the results.
Important notes. This is a loan, not a grant - the full amount had to be repaid. The program is closed to new applicants; homeowners seeking financing should check with their province or utility for current loan or rebate options.
Program details change - verify current rules on the official program page before applying.
If You Already Have a Canada Greener Homes Loan
The closure notice on the official program page is about new applications: funding is fully committed, so no new loan can be approved. It does not cancel loans that already exist. This was a loan, not a grant, and the full amount had to be repaid over the 10-year term, so an existing borrower's repayment schedule continues under the loan agreement they signed.
Keep the paperwork that supports the loan file together: the pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation, the post-retrofit evaluation that documented the finished work, contractor invoices, and the loan agreement itself. Those records are the proof that the borrowed money went to the retrofits named in the evaluation report, and they are the first documents to reach for if a balance, payment, or eligibility question ever comes up. Questions about an active loan belong with the program's official channel, not with a contractor or a lender who did not issue the loan.
The Sequence Borrowers Followed
Under the program's former rules, the order mattered. A homeowner first completed a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation. The loan application was then made against the retrofits that evaluation recommended, for an unsecured, interest-free amount between $5,000 and $40,000. After approval, the work was completed, a post-retrofit evaluation documented the results, and the homeowner repaid the loan over 10 years.
That sequence is worth understanding even now, because it explains the questions borrowers still bring to this page. The loan amount was tied to an evaluation report rather than to a contractor quote alone, and the post-retrofit visit closed the loop between what was planned and what was installed. Anyone comparing a current provincial or utility loan against this closed federal one should check whether the newer program also requires an evaluation before work starts; starting work first is the classic way to lose eligibility under evaluation-based programs.
Where to Look Now
There is no federal successor loan to point to on this record, and this page will not invent one. The program's own guidance for homeowners seeking financing is to check with their province or utility for current loan or rebate options, and that is still the right first move.
One federal program is active and linked from this site: the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (CGHAP), which covers up to 100% of retrofit costs for low-to-median income households, including tenants. It is grant-style support rather than a repayable loan, and it is not a drop-in replacement for this loan - eligibility, measures, and delivery differ. Homeowners who borrowed under the Greener Homes Loan to fund a specific measure can also compare the current provincial offer for that same measure before assuming financing is the only route.
Worked Example (Hypothetical)
The arithmetic of an interest-free loan is simple, which was much of its appeal. Suppose a hypothetical homeowner borrowed $24,000 for evaluation-recommended retrofits. Spread evenly over the 10-year term, that is $200 a month of principal with no interest added, and $24,000 repaid in total. At the program maximum of $40,000, the same even spread is about $333 a month; at the $5,000 minimum, about $42 a month. This example is hypothetical and uses even monthly payments for illustration; an actual borrower's schedule comes from their own loan agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Canada Greener Homes Loan still open? No. The official program page states that funding is now fully committed and new loan applications cannot be approved. This page stays published because closure questions, repayment questions, and replacement-program questions still need a sourced answer.
Does the closure cancel my existing loan? Nothing in the closure notice does that. The loan was unsecured and interest-free, and the full amount had to be repaid over 10 years; existing borrowers should follow their loan agreement and use the official program channel for account questions.
Was any part of the loan forgiven? The record describes a loan, not a grant, with the full amount repayable. Treat any third-party claim of forgiveness with suspicion and confirm it only through the official program page linked from this record.
What should I do instead of this loan now? Start with your province or utility, as the program itself directs, and check whether you fit the income-qualified Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program before pricing private financing.
Program details change - verify current rules on the official program page before applying.