Saskatchewan Residential Financial Incentives for Insulation
The Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)
PROGRAM UPDATE APRIL 2022:
HELP is now full. They are still accepting applications which will be added to the waitlist to be processed in the order they are received if additional funding becomes available. However, they do not have an estimated timeline for when that might be.
In the meantime, they encourage you to look at Canada Greener Homes, the Residential Equipment Replacement Rebate Program, the Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit, and talk to your financial institution to finance your retrofit.
The Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) was developed to help Saskatoon homeowners improve energy efficiency, install renewable energy, or reduce water use by offering low interest loans to cover the upfront costs of these upgrades. Loans between $1,000 and $60,000 are available to homeowners residing in the city of Saskatoon for eligible retrofits. These loans are offered at a low interest rate and are repaid through property taxes over 5, 10, or 20 year terms. HELP is not intended for smaller changes such as switching to LED lights, or installing a low-flow shower head. Instead, it is meant for larger home upgrades.
Eligible projects for this program are included in the table below. Any home upgrades outside of this list are ineligible for a HELP Loan.
Project Category Eligible Projects:
- Energy Efficiency
- High-efficiency furnaces/boilers/central air conditioners*
- Window & exterior door replacements*
- Basement/attic/exterior wall insulation*
- Air sealing (e.g. weather stripping or caulking)*
- Gas tank-less water heaters/gas storage water heater/electric heat pump storage water heaters*
- Drain-water heat recovery systems
- HRV (heat recover ventilation) system installation*
- Smart thermostats*
- Renewable Energy
- Air-source heat pumps*
- Geothermal heat pumps*
- Solar water heater*
- Solar PV panels
- Solar inverter*
- Water Conservation
- Low-flow toilet replacements
- Low-flow fixture and faucet replacements
- Irrigation control systems
- Permanently affixed rainwater catchment sized to hold 50 gallons or more
- Other
- Level 2 EV charging station system and installation costs
- Battery storage system (paired with renewable generation)
- Window glazing and embedded markers for birds
*Denotes products must be ENERGY STAR rated for locate climate region