Guide to HHEU program for homeowners

The 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. 

Navigator

At each stage of the HHEU program, you will have the option to reach out to a program Navigator. The Navigator is a third-party contractor that has been hired by the Halifax Regional Municipality to manage projects. 

The navigator is a free resource that guides participants through the program. With consent, the Navigator will have access to project information for registered homeowners, enabling them to monitor progress and offer guidance.

How do I determine if I am eligible to participate in the program? 

You are eligible for the program if the following conditions are met:

• all residential taxes are paid in full, as well as any other fees and charges which are invoiced separately through the tax account (e.g., false alarms, unsightly premises or deferred regional development charge)

• any lien placed on your home by the municipality (e.g., for sewer line replacement) is either paid in full or being paid per the annual billing cycle or other authorized payment plan

Visit our registration webpage to determine whether your home qualifies to participate in the HHEU program, then follow the link to register.

Not sure if your account is up-to-date? Register for the program and the municipality will confirm for you. 

Please note: while you are eligible to participate in the program if the above conditions are met, approval for financing is not determined until Stage 3 (see below). 

How do I participate in the program?

Stage 1: Intake and Registration

• Review the Registration webpage to determine whether your home qualifies to participate in the HHEU program and register on the same webpage. The Program administrator will confirm if your property is eligible.

• After registering, you will receive an email confirming that your information has been received and your property is under review. If your property is eligible, you will receive another email and a call from a Navigator to provide a project identification number (ID) and instructions on how to proceed.

Stage 2: Home Energy Assessment

Home Energy Profile

• Along with a project ID, your eligibility confirmation email will include an energy profile that provides estimates of the potential energy reduction, cost savings and payback period for your home. These estimates are based on publicly available information about our region's housing stock, energy use and common upgrade options.

Home Energy Assessment

• Your eligibility confirmation email will include a guide on how to book a home energy assessment (HEA). The HEA determines how much energy your home uses and how much energy can be saved. 

• Submit the HEA report to energyupgrade@halifax.ca and staff will confirm that the report demonstrates that a 50 per cent or greater energy reduction is achievable.  

Stage 3: Quotations and Participant Agreement

Second Energy Profile report

• If the HEA indicates that a 50 per cent or greater energy reduction is achievable, you will receive an updated energy profile for your home. This second, revised energy profile will identify the suggested efficiency upgrades and provide guidance on how to obtain quotes from contractors.
• It is advisable at this stage to consult your insurance provider to stay informed about how energy upgrades could affect your coverage.

• It is advisable to reach out to the program Navigator by email or phone to discuss any questions or concerns.

Contractor Quotes

• The program administrator will provide an information sheet with instructions on how to find contractors and collect quotes.
• The property owner will contact contractors to obtain quotes for the suggested efficiency upgrades outlined in the second energy profile. 

• If you are interested in selecting a single contractor to perform all your upgrades, there are several efficiency preferred partners who offer multiple services. 

• Once you have chosen your contractor(s), the program administrator will reach out to them by email and request that they submit your quotes and any other supporting documentation as listed in the contractor guide. 

• All quotes will be reviewed by the program administrator. 

Stage 4: Financing approval & installation

Execute agreement

• If all submitted documentation meets program criteria, the energy profile is again revised to account for selected equipment and quoted costs, then forwarded to you along with a Participant Agreement for review and signature.
• The Participant Agreement must be signed by all legal property owners and returned to the program administrator within 30 days.
• The Participant Agreement must be signed and executed by the municipality before any installations begin. 

Please note: it is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure the work completed is of high quality and meets industry standards. 

Stage 5: Project close out 

Completion Report

• Contractor completes and sends the signed certification of completion to the program administrator, along with proof of passed final inspections.

• Program administrator reviews and approves the completion documents, which include: a Certificate of Completion signed by the contractor and all legal property owners, the final invoice(s), all applicable permits and proof of final inspections

Stage 6: Repayment

• The HHEU program reimburses contractors for efficiency upgrades upon approval of the close out documents.

• The property owner receives a Local Improvement Charge (LIC) invoice and a schedule of payments from the municipality.

• The first payment is due six weeks after the invoice has been mailed. Interest is calculated on the total principal, due at a 4.75 per cent annual interest rate that is applied to the account on a daily basis. This lienable charge is amortized over a ten-year period and is separate from your property tax account.

• There is no online payment option, but you may contact the revenue department to discuss other options available, including bi-weekly or monthly are-authorized payments.

• An email address and contact phone number will be listed on the letter that accompanies the LIC invoice and staff will assist you with your payment decision.

• The municipality collects payments in the same manner as property taxes and the charge is subject to the same penalties, remedies and lien priorities. 

Stage 7: Post-install home energy assessment

• After all efficiency upgrades are installed, homeowners must schedule another Home Energy Assessment (HEA) to confirm if the energy-saving goal has been reached. (Note: this is also a requirement for any Provincial or Federal grant or loan programs.) Submit this HEA to energyupgrade@halifax.ca in order to receive your home energy upgrade logbook.

• Homeowners will be provided with a new EnerGuide rating and label based on the upgraded home’s performance.