How much greener did Canada’s homes get? Report takes a closer look at federal rebate program [Video]

The federal government provided $2.6 billion for heat pumps, solar panels, insulation and other green upgrades to Canadians’ homes through the Canada Greener Homes Grant. But what difference did that actually make? 

A new report released this week by the non-profit Green Communities Canada suggests the program didn’t do enough to meet Canada’s targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s because “the savings aren’t deep enough and because we’re not doing enough retrofits,” said Kai Millyard, the group’s energy manager and co-author of the report.

What was the Canada Greener Homes Grant?

The federal grant program launched in December 2020, with stated goals of helping Canadians lower their energy bills, create new jobs for energy advisers and fight climate change. Natural Resources Canada says buildings account for 18 per cent of Canada’s emissions, making them the third-largest emitting sector of the economy, after oil and gas and transportation.

The program offered up to $5,000 per household for green retrofits that could be added to other funding, such as provincial and territorial …