Ontario Commercial Energy Incentive Programs
Rebates, incentives and financing for apartment, commercial, institutional, industrial and new construction projects across Ontario. Updated October 2026.
Own an apartment building? See how we help you qualify for federal apartment retrofit financing.
Apartment and Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
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Announced on October 8, 2026, the federal government will help apartment and multi-unit residential building owners across Ontario and Canada retrofit 280,000 units over the next eight years. Financing is delivered through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Mortgage Loan Insurance Select program (up to 250,000 units) and the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s Building Retrofits Initiative (30,000 units), with the renewed Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative supporting owners at every stage.
Program Highlights:
Better Financing Terms: Mortgage Loan Insurance Select rewards energy reductions of 15%, 25% or 40% against the building’s baseline with points that can unlock up to 95% loan-to-value, amortization up to 40 or 50 years and lower insurance premiums.
Savings-Based Repayment: The Canada Infrastructure Bank Building Retrofits Initiative finances retrofit capital costs, repaid from the energy and operating savings the project produces.
Energy Audit and Modelling Required: Mortgage Loan Insurance Select requires a professional energy audit and energy model by a qualified engineer or energy advisor.
Verified Results: Canada Infrastructure Bank projects require independent Investor Ready Energy Efficiency certification, so measurement and verification of savings is essential.
Who Qualifies: Owners of apartment and multi-unit residential buildings, including market rental and affordable housing.
Next Level Consulting provides the baseline monitoring, energy audit, energy modelling and measurement and verification these programs require. Read our full guide · Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation multi-unit mortgage loan insurance · Book a free consultation
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Enbridge Gas offers two incentive programs for natural gas savings in Ontario multi-unit residential buildings: the Commercial Multi-Residential Program for condominiums and apartment buildings, and the Affordable Housing Multi-Residential Program for purpose-built affordable rentals.
Program Highlights:
Commercial Multi-Residential: Up to $0.40 per m³ of natural gas saved, covering up to 75% of upgrade costs, capped at $100,000 per project. For condominiums and apartment buildings three storeys or higher.
Affordable Housing Multi-Residential: Up to $2.50 per m³ of natural gas saved, covering up to 85% of upgrade costs, capped at $200,000 per project. For purpose-built rentals where at least 30% of units rent below 80% of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) median market rent, or buildings in a government affordable housing program in the past five years.
Deadline: Equipment must be installed, commissioned and submitted by October 31, 2026, and incentives depend on available budget.
Enbridge Gas multi-residential programs · Book a free consultation
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Hi-RIS offers Toronto apartment building owners low-cost financing for energy, water and resilience retrofits, repaid through a charge on the property tax bill.
Program Highlights:
Financing: Up to 10% of the property’s current value assessment or $2.5 million per building, whichever is less, with 0% interest during construction.
Repayment: Fixed terms of 5, 10, 15 or 20 years through the property tax bill. The obligation stays with the property if it is sold.
Who Qualifies: Toronto multi-unit residential buildings at least 20 years old with seven or more units, including private rental, social housing and housing co-operatives.
Energy Assessment: Projects need an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audit or higher, and up to 30% of funds can go to resilience measures such as flood protection and cooling.
City of Toronto High-Rise Retrofit Improvement Support · Book a free consultation
New Construction: Builders and Developers
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Savings by Design helps Ontario builders and developers design commercial and multi-residential new construction that performs well beyond the Ontario Building Code, through a free integrated design process.
Program Highlights:
Free Design Expertise: A no-cost visioning session and integrated design workshop with energy modelling of design options.
Technical Assistance Incentive: Up to $4,000 to help offset design team consulting fees for workshop time.
Who Qualifies: Part 3, 10 or 11 new construction or major renovation projects of 25,000 sq. ft. or more in the Enbridge Gas service area, at the design phase, targeting at least 25% better energy performance than code.
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Enbridge Gas helps builders and developers of new commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings find and fix air leakage before the building envelope is complete.
Program Highlights:
Testing Incentive: Up to 80% of airtightness testing costs, capped at $30,000 ($0.50 per sq. ft.), paid on submission of the final test report.
Implementation Incentive: Up to 50% of the cost of fixing air leakage, such as sealing and envelope improvements, capped at $15,000.
Who Qualifies: New construction of 25,000 sq. ft. or more, built to Ontario Building Code Part 3, 10 or 11, in the Enbridge Gas service area. Testing must happen before the envelope is fully constructed.
Enbridge Commercial Airtightness Testing · Book a free consultation
Existing Commercial, Institutional and Industrial Buildings
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The Save on Energy Retrofit Program offers Ontario businesses incentives for upgrading to energy-efficient equipment and control systems in commercial, institutional and industrial buildings.
Program Highlights:
Equipment and Controls: Incentives for efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, building controls and other eligible upgrades.
Regional Adders: Incentives are doubled in listed grid-constrained regions, including Niagara, Kingston and Barrie/Muskoka.
Lower Operating Costs: Reduces electricity bills and peak demand while improving occupant comfort.
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Enbridge Gas offers custom incentives for natural gas efficiency upgrades in commercial, multi-unit residential, educational and institutional buildings across its Ontario service area.
Program Highlights:
Incentive: Up to $0.40 per m³ of natural gas saved, covering up to 75% of upgrade costs.
Project Caps: Up to $100,000 per project for commercial buildings and $500,000 for institutional buildings.
Pre-Approval Required: Projects must be pre-approved by Enbridge Gas before work starts. Incentives are available year-round.
Enbridge Commercial Custom Retrofit · Book a free consultation
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The Existing Building Commissioning Program helps Ontario building owners tune up heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), building automation and control systems so existing buildings use less energy and stay comfortable.
Program Highlights:
Incentive: Up to $150,000 to hire a commissioning provider to investigate, implement and verify improvements.
Who Qualifies: Buildings using at least 750,000 kWh of electricity a year.
Focus on Controls: Targets building automation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) scheduling and control sequences, with savings verified after implementation.
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The Energy Performance Program is a multi-year, pay-for-performance program that rewards Ontario commercial, institutional and industrial organizations for measured, whole-building energy savings.
Program Highlights:
Pay for Performance: Incentives are paid on verified electricity savings over several years, rewarding continuous improvement.
Savings Threshold: Each enrolled facility must achieve at least 5% electricity savings.
Measurement and Verification: Savings are measured against a modelled baseline, so metering and monitoring are central to every project.
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The Peak Performance Program pays Ontario commercial, institutional and municipal buildings to reduce heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) loads on peak electricity demand days each summer.
Program Highlights:
Incentives (2026): About $54,845 per MW of average curtailment over the season, plus a one-time enabling incentive of $20 per kW toward upfront costs.
How It Works: Events run on summer business days, typically between 3 and 7 p.m., with notice the day before. At least 75% of each facility’s contribution must come from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
Who Qualifies: Non-residential accounts aggregating at least 500 kW, directly or through an aggregator. Commercially owned multi-unit residential buildings with non-residential electricity accounts can take part.
Monitoring Required: Participants must be able to monitor, collect and report energy data. Applications for the next season open January 1.
Save on Energy Peak Performance Program · Book a free consultation
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XLerate is Save on Energy’s large-scale, pay-for-performance program for industrial, municipal, institutional and healthcare organizations in Ontario. It replaced the Industrial Energy Efficiency Program (IEEP) in November 2025.
Program Highlights:
Pay for Performance: $300 per MWh of verified annual energy savings, or $450 per MWh in grid-constrained areas.
Large Projects: Projects must save at least 600 MWh per year. Incentives cover up to 75% of eligible costs, up to $15 million per project.
Feasibility Support: 50% cost-share funding for feasibility studies.
Verified Savings: Incentives are paid on measured results, so metering and measurement and verification are built into every project.
Municipalities, Non-Profits and First Nations
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The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund supports municipalities and affordable housing providers with grants and loans for building retrofit studies and capital projects.
Program Highlights:
Affordable Housing Studies: Retrofit pathway study grants of up to $65,000 per building or $200,000 per portfolio, covering up to 80% of eligible costs.
Municipal Building Retrofits: Combined grants and loans covering up to 80% of eligible costs, up to $10 million per project.
Who Qualifies: Municipalities, their partners and affordable housing providers.
Green Municipal Fund funding offers · Book a free consultation
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The Atmospheric Fund offers grants for climate projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, with low-carbon buildings among its priorities.
Program Highlights:
Priorities: Low-carbon buildings, electricity grid decarbonization and clean transportation, especially projects that scale and deliver social benefits.
Who Qualifies: Municipalities, non-profit organizations and registered charities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). For-profit organizations qualify only in rare cases.
Intake: Two grant cycles a year, each starting with an expression of interest.
The Atmospheric Fund grants · Book a free consultation
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This Save on Energy program funds energy-efficiency upgrades in band-owned community buildings in on-reserve First Nations communities across Ontario, at no cost to eligible communities.
Program Highlights:
Funding: Up to $330,000 for upgrades in band-owned commercial and institutional facilities.
Energy Assessments: On-site assessments and audit reports for up to 15 community-selected facilities, plus a benchmarking report.
Who Qualifies: On-reserve First Nations communities in Ontario connected to the provincial grid, with an executed Band Council Resolution.
Save on Energy First Nations program · Book a free consultation
