The HalifACT Home Energy Upgrade (HHEU) program allows property owners to enter into an agreement with the municipality to access funds that offset the capital costs of installing efficiency upgrades on their property. The municipality places a voluntary Local Improvement Charge (LIC) on the property after all installers are paid at the end of the project. The LIC is an annual charge and is separate from the property owner’s property tax bill. This LIC mechanism is described in detail in By-law S-500.
The LIC payments are made over a period of 10 years at a fixed interest rate (4.75 per cent) with the option of paying the balance in full and removing the lien at any time without penalty. 
The charge is applied to the property, rather than to the individual.  If a homeowner moves before the financing is repaid, they have the option of paying the remaining balance in full without penalty, or transferring the charge to the next property owner as long as both parties agree to the transfer.
Eligibility
Residential home owners may participate in the HHEU program, provided the property is within the municipal boundaries and is in good financial standing with the municipality.
Measures that are eligible for financing
Measures must be recommended in your Home Energy Assessment and result in at least a 50 per cent reduction in energy use.
Eligible insulation measures include:
- attic insulation
- basement header insulation
- crawlspace insulation
- basement wall insulation, including:
- Electrical, plumbing in-frame wall as required
- finish drywall
- exterior wall insulation, including:
- removing existing cladding/siding
- seal and flash around doors and windows
Non-eligible insulation measures include:
- new exterior cladding/siding
Eligible fuel switching measures include:
- heat pumps that are listed on Natural Resources Canada's cold climate heat pump list
- Heat pumps that are designed according to a recognized sizing method such as CSA F280-12 (R2021)
- Decommissioning existing equipment (e.g., oil tank, furnace)
- Electrical service upgrade, if required for heat pump install
- Electrical and refrigerant lines run as appropriate
- Distribution system changes, like resizing ducts, adding new ducts, system balancing or adding Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) if needed
Please note: the addition of renewable energy systems like solar panels is not included. For such measures, please use our Solar City program
The HHEU program administrator will determine what is ultimately eligible for financing, which may change from time to time and differ from the list above.