The CleanBC Energy Savings Program After July 6, 2026
The Energy Savings Program is the province's income-qualified stream, delivered under CleanBC Better Homes. It is where the large numbers live, and it is also where the 2026 cuts landed.
What the cuts changed
The Home Performance Contractor Network's July 2026 program update, sent to registered contractors, lists three changes effective July 6, 2026:
- Heat pump rebates for homes heated with oil, propane or natural gas were reduced at all three income levels.
- Heat pump rebates for electrically heated homes at Income Level 2 were discontinued. Level 1 electric homes keep a $5,000 offer.
- A grace period ran from July 6 to 31, 2026 for participants with eligibility codes whose quote reached the program by July 5. That window has closed.
Ecotrust Canada's July 24, 2026 response adds two points the contractor document does not spell out: heat pump amounts fell by $1,000 to $7,000, and insulation, window and door rebates were removed from the Energy Savings Program entirely. Ecotrust is an advocacy group rather than the program itself, so treat its summary as secondary; the per-measure amounts below come from the program table.
The current heat pump table
Amounts from the HPCN July 2026 update, for homes converting from fossil fuel unless noted:
| Upgrade |
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
| Central ducted, from gas or propane |
$13,000 |
$7,000 |
$3,500 |
| Central ducted, from oil |
$13,000 |
$7,000 |
$3,500 |
| Multi-split, 3 or more heads, from gas, propane or oil |
$13,000 |
$7,000 |
$3,500 |
| Two-head multi-split or two mini-splits, from gas or propane |
$11,000 |
$5,500 |
$1,000 |
| Two-head multi-split or two mini-splits, from oil |
$11,000 |
$5,500 |
$3,000 |
| Single-head mini-split, from gas or propane |
$5,500 |
$4,500 |
$1,000 |
| Single-head mini-split, from oil |
$7,000 |
$5,000 |
$3,000 |
| Dual fuel, from PNG natural gas |
$8,500 |
$1,500 |
$1,500 |
| Dual fuel, from tanked propane |
$12,000 |
$5,000 |
$3,000 |
| Air-to-water, from fossil fuel |
$13,000 |
$7,000 |
$3,500 |
| Combined space and water heating, from fossil fuel |
$16,500 |
$11,500 |
$7,000 |
| Any heat pump type, from electric heat |
$5,000 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Combined space and water heating, from electric heat |
$8,500 |
Not available |
Not available |
Three patterns in that table decide most projects.
Oil is treated better than gas at the small end. A Level 3 household replacing oil with two mini-splits gets $3,000; the same household replacing gas gets $1,000. If you heat with oil and your house suits two heads, the split matters.
Level 3 support is now modest. At Level 3 the best space-heating number is $3,500 for central or three-plus-head systems, and $7,000 for a combined space and water heat pump. For many Level 3 households the federal rebate will be as large as the provincial one.
Combined space and water systems carry the top number. At $16,500 for Level 1, they pay the most of any line. They also cost the most and need a contractor who has installed them before. Ask for references.
How the money moves
The Energy Savings Program does not send you a cheque. The contractor's invoice must show the CleanBC rebate as a line item and deduct it from what you owe, so you pay the net amount. The steps run in this order:
- Pre-register online and confirm your income level. You receive an eligibility code.
- Hire a contractor registered with the program. Self-installation is not eligible.
- Complete the work within 6 months of approval; the code expires after that.
- The contractor deducts the rebate on the invoice, and the application goes in within six months of the invoice date.
Homes must be a year-round primary residence at least 12 months old: a detached house, an individually metered secondary suite, a fixed mobile home, or a duplex, triplex, row home or side-by-side townhome with separate meters. Condominiums, apartments and high-rises are not eligible. Renters can take part with a Landlord Consent Form signed by the owner. The utility account must be in the resident's or homeowner's name, not a strata's or landlord's.
Rebates Without an Income Test
If you earn above the Level 3 limits, or your home fails the assessed-value test and you would rather not take Level 3 amounts, you are in the Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Program. You cannot draw from both: BC Hydro's fuel-switching page says you cannot apply for the Energy Savings Program and the Home Renovation Rebate Program together.
Electric heat to heat pump: still open everywhere
BC Hydro's heating system rebate guide, revised October 2026, lists two amounts for homes with hard-wired electric heat:
- $1,500 for a heat pump covering at least 50% of conditioned space (partial home).
- $4,000 for a heat pump covering at least 80% of conditioned space (whole home).
The rebate is listed as BC Hydro and FortisBC, so it covers customers of either electric utility. Installation must be by a Home Performance Contractor Network member listed for the rebate. Applications go in within six months of the paid invoice, and FortisBC notes processing can take up to 90 days. There is no pre-approval step for this offer, but there is a technical one: the guide requires a heat load calculation on CSA F280-12 verified software, submitted with the application. Ask the contractor for it in writing before you pay.
The 50% versus 80% line is worth planning around. A single-head mini-split in an open main floor may hit 50% of conditioned space; it rarely hits 80% in a house with closed bedrooms. Adding a second head or choosing a ducted system to cross 80% moves the rebate from $1,500 to $4,000, a $2,500 difference that can cover part of the extra head.
Gas, oil or propane to heat pump outside the north: ended
On April 11, 2025, CleanBC Better Homes ended its non-income fuel-switching heat pump rebates for homes converting from natural gas, oil or propane, everywhere except the northern region. The same change ended the electric service upgrade rebates and the Home Energy Improvement Bonus. That is why BC Hydro's October 2026 guide shows no CleanBC amount for a Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island or Okanagan gas home outside the income-qualified program.
One BC Hydro web page still describes up to $3,000 for switching from fossil fuel ($1,500 CleanBC plus $1,500 BC Hydro). That page conflicts with the October 2026 rebate guide and with the April 2025 program notice, so this guide does not count it. If a contractor tells you the $3,000 offer applies to your southern BC gas home, ask them to show the current rebate page that confirms it, or ask a Better Homes BC energy coach (contact details are on betterhomesbc.ca) before you rely on it.
Northern BC: the strongest non-income offer
Homes north of and including the District of 100 Mile House (latitude 51.628 N) on BC Hydro service keep a separate set of CleanBC offers:
| Northern offer (existing fuel) |
Amount |
| Ductless mini-split or multi-split heat pump (gas, oil or propane) |
$6,000 |
| Central ducted heat pump (gas, oil or propane) |
$6,000 |
| Dual fuel ducted heat pump, PNG gas customers |
$4,500 |
| Air-to-water or combination air-to-water (gas, oil or propane) |
Up to $7,000 |
Better Homes BC's program overview advertises "up to $8,000" for northern gas and propane homes, which appears to include bonus amounts the page names but does not price. The table above uses the per-measure amounts from BC Hydro's October 2026 guide. In the colder northern climate zones the guide also allows an existing oil furnace to stay as backup.
Dual fuel: keep the furnace, add a heat pump
A dual fuel system pairs a ducted heat pump with a gas furnace that takes over below a set outdoor temperature. FortisBC lists $4,000 for a dual fuel ducted heat pump with natural gas backup, in all regions, and the same amount for piped propane backup in Revelstoke. The program requires a heat load calculation and a switch-over temperature of 5 C or lower on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, or 2 C or lower in the Southern Interior and the north, held for the life of the product. Only one primary space heating rebate is paid per home, so you cannot claim a furnace rebate and a heat pump rebate on the same install.
Dual fuel is the one non-income path left for a southern BC gas home. It does not remove the gas bill, but it moves most heating hours onto electricity.
Windows, doors and insulation
The Home Renovation Rebate Program overview lists window and door rebates up to $2,000 and insulation rebates up to $5,500, for any heating fuel. The same page carries an election-period notice saying it is not being updated, so confirm the current measure page before you count either amount. In the Energy Savings Program, Ecotrust reports these envelope rebates were removed on July 6, 2026.
Municipal Top-Ups: Check, Do Not Assume
Better Homes BC still publishes a municipal top-up table for heat pumps replacing fossil fuel heat. The amounts it shows, read November 13, 2026:
| Municipality |
Listed top-up |
Status shown on the page |
| City of Vancouver |
$4,000 |
Fully subscribed |
| City of North Vancouver |
$2,000 |
Fully subscribed |
| District of North Vancouver |
$1,500 |
Nearly subscribed |
| City of New Westminster |
$2,000 |
No status shown |
| City of Kelowna |
$2,000 |
No status shown |
| City of Chilliwack |
$2,000 |
Nearly subscribed |
| Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Sidney, View Royal, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Whistler and others |
$350 each |
Mixed; Saanich and Nanaimo fully subscribed |
Two cautions. First, these top-ups were built to sit on the CleanBC fuel-switching rebate, which ended outside the north in April 2025, and the table carries no expiry dates. Second, several of the largest are marked fully subscribed. A top-up on a page is not money in your account. Before you count one, get written confirmation from the municipality or a Better Homes BC energy coach that it is open and stacks with the program you are using.
