Toronto Offering Loans for Home Efficiency Upgrades

Published on October 26, 2018

Dervish Mitrovica, a homeowner of a semi-detached home in Toronto’s east end, has been undertaking renovation and restoration projects in his home over the last three years. With the City of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program (H.E.L.P), Mitrovica has been able to afford the energy efficiency upgrades that work to improve his at-home comfort and reduce his home’s energy usage.

Mitrovica, in an interview with Global News, affectionately calls his new home energy setup his “starship enterprise,” and points out that he now has a tankless water heater, a high efficiency furnace, and a heat recovery ventilator.  

“Without H.E.L.P, I couldn’t have done the HVAC - period” Mitrovica said.

The H.E.L.P program is designed to provide a low interest loan option that Toronto homeowners can take advantage of, allowing them to borrow up to $75 000 in order to make water and energy efficiency improvements in their homes.

Stewart Dutfield, Program Manager at Public Energy Initiatives City of Toronto, talks about the interest rates on the loans, with lowest rate on a 5 year term being 2%. A rate which is “pretty incredible” he said.

“On a 15 year term it’s 3.5%, and on the 10 year term its 2.75%,” Dutfield said.

A loan from H.E.L.P. is different from traditional financing, as it is attached to the home and not the individual. This means that if the homeowner decides to move before all payments have been completed, the new owner will take on the rest of the payments.

The loan is also able to be paid off without penalty before the end of the term.

“I’m on a 15 year period, but it doesn’t mean I can’t pay it off in 5 years if I choose to.. without getting dinged” Mitrovica said.

Mitrovica also adds that his interest rate will remain the same if he chooses to pay it off early.

Upgrading Home Efficiency

For homeowners in Toronto who are considering applying for a loan from H.E.L.P, or any other residents of Ontario who wish to capitalize on one of the many available rebates from Union Gas, having a Registered Energy Advisor conduct a Home Energy Assessment, or an Air Tightness Test of your home is always a good place to start.

Barrier Sciences Group is able to conduct these assessments, and they provide our Registered Energy Advisor with all the information they need to help you decide which energy saving solutions are the best fit for your needs. This may include advice as simple as sealing leaky areas with caulk - areas which may have been difficult, if not impossible to detect without an Air Tightness Test.

Barrier Sciences Group is proud to provide Ontario with energy management services such as Home Energy Assessments and Air Tightness Tests, and our Registered Energy Advisors are always happy to sit down with you and go over all of your efficiency needs and goals.