Residential
City of Edmonton
Residential property owners in the City of Edmonton can finance up to 100% of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
The Clean Energy Improvement Program, or CEIP, is an innovative financing tool for property owners in Alberta. Access competitive interest rates and make repayment convenient through your property’s regular tax bill.
Waitlisting pre-qualification submissions.
Highlights
City of Edmonton’s Clean Energy Improvement Program for Residential Property
For full program details, please review the City of Edmonton’s CEIP Terms and Conditions: Residential Property.
Participant & property eligibility
Must be the legal owner of an existing low-rise residential property located in the City of Edmonton and meet all requirements listed in the City of Edmonton’s CEIP Terms and Conditions: Residential Property.
3 or more eligible upgrades
To receive financing under the City of Edmonton’s Clean Energy Improvement Program for Residential Property, at least 3 Upgrades must be installed.
All eligible energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades are posted under Residential Upgrades. Upgrades must have a minimum cost of $3,000 to qualify for financing.
Payment terms
The maximum payment term is the lesser of 20 years or the effective useful life (EUL) of the eligible upgrades. The EUL is the average time in years where the upgrade is expected to result in energy savings and is noted under Residential Upgrades.
Interest rate
The interest rate provided by the City of Edmonton for residential CEIP projects will not exceed 3.5%.
Full program details
For all the details on eligibility, payment terms, interest rate and full program details, please read the program’s terms & conditions.
Commercial CEIP is now available
The commercial retrofit pilot is now available for commercial property owners.
Available incentives
To help you get your retrofit off the ground a little more easily, take advantage of financial incentives from other energy efficiency programs.
Canada Greener Homes Initiative
Clean Energy Improvement Program financing can be combined with rebates from the federal government’s Canada Greener Homes Initiative.
Watch the Webinar
Learn how the City of Edmonton’s Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) helps residential property owners finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. Upgrades range from lighting, to insulation, heating and renewable energy sources that can create savings on your utility bill. Find out how CEIP lets you finance up to 100% of eligible retrofit upgrades and repay conveniently via your property tax bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
A waitlist will be created that will allow applicants to proceed to the next round of funding, expected in spring of 2024. Waitlisted applicants will be contacted to see if they are still interested in participating in the program when the next round of funding opens.
It is not clear the exact amount of greenhouse gasses that will be saved in Edmonton as a direct result of this program but on average measures like this have catalyzed three-tonnes of savings in single family homes. Approximately 38% of emissions are generated by residential, institutional and commercial buildings (commercial/Institutional, 20%; residential 18%).
The City has set an aggressive target to be carbon neutral in its corporate operations by 2040 and for the entire community to produce net zero GHG emissions by 2050. CEIP is one tool to help them meet their targets. The requirement for multiple upgrades to qualify for CEIP financing ensures deeper green retrofits are supported.
The pilot program was forecasted to allow approximately 80 residential properties and 20 commercial properties.. Administration costs are defined and set through agreements with the federal government and Alberta Municipalities.
Yes, Clean Energy Improvement Program participants can qualify for and receive additional rebates and incentives. We encourage applicants to pursue all other applicable government (municipal/provincial/federal), utility provider/manufacturer rebates.
The City of Edmonton’s Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator Program and Solar Rebate Program are now fully subscribed and there is no available funding. Rebates were used to reduce financing when the pilot opened to increase the City of Edmonton’s borrowing ability to finance more residential properties through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
The City of Edmonton Administration will provide results of the pilot program to Council and among other things will:
- Determine if there is demand for this type of incentive by property owners (it has been clear within the first days of the program that this demand may exist),
- Measure impact on GHG reduction and renewable energy generation resulting from the upgrades, and the corresponding potential for a full-scale program,
- Measure the cost and effort should Council want to consider a full-scale program.
Council will use these details to inform decisions on the program moving forward.
Start your Clean Energy Improvement Program journey
Temporarily Closed: Edmonton’s CEIP pilot is at full capacity and closed to all new pre-qualification submissions. If you submitted a pre-qualification and were placed on the waitlist, your submission will be processed (in the order it was received) if space becomes available in the program. All submissions waitlisted, and not processed, in the pilot will be given the first chance to participate in Edmonton’s full program projected to open in 2024.
For notifications, please sign up for email updates.
Read the your municipality’s CEIP Terms and Conditions, then complete the Pre-Qualification Form with your property’s details. The Pre-Qualification Form is used by the Municipality and Alberta Municipalities to confirm that you and the property meet the basic program eligibility criteria.
When submitting the Pre-Qualification Form you must upload:
- Proof that the property to be upgraded is insured (i.e., home insurance with personal liability coverage of at least $1 million). Accepted proof includes an insurance binder letter or copy of a current insurance policy that clearly states the policy provider, policy number, property address, personal liability coverage, and duration of the policy. If the policy submitted is an offer to renew, it must be accompanied by proof that the full premium has been paid.
After Pre-Qualification is confirmed, complete an EnerGuide Home Evaluation and use the results to choose your upgrades.
- Schedule a pre-project EnerGuide Home Evaluation using a Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Energy Advisor. Choose from the Energy Advisors listed on the Qualified Contractor Directory. If you have completed an EnerGuide Home Evaluation (version 15), you may not need to complete a new one. Check your municipality’s CEIP Terms and Conditions to confirm which EnerGuide Home Evaluation version is eligible.
- Using the Renovation Upgrade Report provided by your Energy Advisor as a guide, decide which three (3) eligible upgrades you want to finance through CEIP. The upgrade must be listed on the Residential Upgrades list and must meet all eligibility requirements.
Select a Qualified Contractor and submit the Project Application provided by Alberta Municipalities.
- Contact contractors to get quotes for eligible upgrades. We recommend getting quotes from at least three different contractors for each upgrade.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: Upgrades financed through CEIP must be completed by a CEIP Qualified Contractor. You can find a list of Qualified Contractors on our Directory OR have a contractor you want to work with sign up to be a Qualified Contractor before you submit your Project Application. - With the help of your Qualified Contractor(s), complete the Project Application, submiting the completed form and all required supporting documents to Alberta Municipalities as outlined for each Residential Upgrade.
If the Project Application is approved, we will confirm the approved financing amount and provide the Clean Energy Improvement Agreement and the Project Agreement for your review and signature. Both agreements must be signed by all required parties before upgrade installation(s) can begin.
What are the program agreements?
- The Clean Energy Improvement (CEI) Agreement is an agreement between the property owner and the municipality. It sets out the financing terms, disclosure requirements in the event of property sale, eligible project costs and project completion deadline.
- The Project Agreement is a tri-party agreement between the property owner, the Qualified Contractor, and Alberta Municipalities. It defines the scope of the project and sets out the terms relating to the Qualified Contractor’s installation of the upgrades. For projects where you are hiring more than one Qualified Contractor, a Project Agreement will need to be signed with each Primary Qualified Contractor. For more detail on the project agreement, see your municipality’s CEIP Terms and Conditions.
After all agreements are signed, Alberta Municipalities will send an Installation Authorization Notice, at which point upgrade installation(s) can begin. All upgrades that are part of the project must be completed within six months of receiving the Installation Authorization Notice.
When the installation of an approved upgrade is complete, you must submit an Upgrade Completion Form confirming final upgrade details and costs to Alberta Municipalities for review. If your CEIP project has multiple upgrades completed at different times, multiple Upgrade Completion Forms will need to be submitted.
Once the Upgrade Completion Form is processed and approved, Alberta Municipalities will pay your Qualified Contractor(s) directly.
Once all upgrades in your project are complete, an updated Clean Energy Improvement Agreement will need to be signed with your municipality, to confirm the final amount to be financed.
After all approved upgrades in a CEIP project are installed, a post-project EnerGuide Home Evaluation must be completed to determine the energy savings and verify the installation. Property owners will receive a new EnerGuide rating and label. This label, the updated Renovation Upgrade Report, and the invoice for the evaluation must be submitted to Alberta Municipalities.
Once the project is deemed complete, the approved project cost will be recorded on the property’s tax account. Any CEIP incentives the project is eligible for will be applied to this financing amount, reducing the total amount owing.
You will repay the cost of the project over time through the Clean Energy Improvement Tax added to your property’s tax bill. The outstanding balance may be paid at any time.
City of Edmonton Qualified Contractors
Find a local contractor to upgrade your property.
Browse the Contractor Directory to get started with a professional who already understands your financing requirements.
About the Program
The City of Edmonton’s Clean Energy Improvement Program for Residential Property is a pilot-scale initiative designed to accelerate energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to existing homes as part of Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan.
The Clean Energy Improvement Program is just one tool in the City’s toolbox that aims to help the City achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target by 2050. This residential pilot program will finance an estimated 80 residential projects.
The program was made possible by the Government of Alberta’s Bill 10: An Act to Enable Clean Energy Improvements (passed June 6, 2018) and the City of Edmonton’s Clean Energy Improvement Tax Bylaw passed on Aug. 19, 2021. This bylaw enables and governs the implementation of the Clean Energy Improvement Program in the City of Edmonton.
The City of Edmonton collaborated with Alberta Municipalities to design and launch its program, and received financial assistance from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for capitalization and operations. The program opened on March 29, 2022.
This program is carried out with assistance from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, an endowment created by the Government of Canada.
The Clean Energy Improvement Program is made possible by the Government of Alberta.
This program is administered by Alberta Municipalities.