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.
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!
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 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 (unless fewer than 3 upgrades are needed for the property to reach net zero).
All eligible energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades are posted under Residential Upgrades. Projects must have a minimum total 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 vary, depending on when upgrades are complete and paid by the program, as per the table below:
| Time Period Upgrades Completed and Paid by CEIP | Interest Rate |
| March 2022 – September 2024 | 3.16% |
| October 2024 – TBD | 3.16% to 6%* |
Intake rounds
The first intake round for the City of Edmonton Residential CEIP opened on October 17, 2024 and will accept 150 submissions.
The City of Edmonton is pausing intake of pre-qualifications after the first round to ensure we can effectively process the large volume, avoiding long wait times and ultimately delivering a better experience for Edmontonians who are using this program.
Homeowners will work with an Energy Advisor and CEIP Qualified Contractors as they prepare their Project Application. We want to ensure that the flow of pre-qualified participants does not exceed the capacity available in the market.
The next intake round will take place in April 2025.
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 insulation to lighting, heating and solar photovoltaic that can create savings on your utility bill. Find out how CEIP lets you finance up to 100% of eligible upgrades and repay conveniently via your property tax bill.
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 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 Form 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 Form, submitting it 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, the total amount to be financed will be finalized.
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.
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 of an upgrade may be paid at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Working closely with the City of Edmonton, Alberta Municipalities will be responsible for administering CEIP from end-to-end including reviewing and approving applications. Applicants will have access to the program on a first come-first served basis. A pre-qualification step has been incorporated to ensure participants self-evaluate their eligibility for the program. If their pre-qualification submission confirms basic eligibility, they can then choose to proceed with an application.
The financing planned for the permanent program is $20 million to start. Twenty million dollars will support approximately 300 residential and 16 commercial projects. Application intake will be “gated” to facilitate a steady pipeline of projects at various stages between 2024 to 2027. Should demand for CEIP funding exceed the planned amount, City Administration will return to Council for direction. A waitlist will be created that will allow applicants to proceed to the next round of funding should the program become oversubscribed.
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. A property may still be eligible with fewer upgrades if they require only one or two for their property to meet net zero or if they have previously completed three upgrades with CEIP financing on this property.
No. Retroactive financing for existing clean energy improvements is not available through the Clean Energy Improvement Program. Only projects that originate under the program can access financing as the program is designed to accelerate/bolster new investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
One time start-up implementation costs for the permanent CEIP are projected at $1.8 million. Costs to offer and administer the program are $1M annually from 2024-2027 and include software maintenance, internal resources and fees paid to the program Administrator. These costs will be funded within the approved 2023-2026 budget.
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 for residential homes are now fully subscribed. Currently, the City of Edmonton is offering a Solar Rebate Program for owners of multi-unit residential properties (MURBs). For more information, visit the City’s website.
If a homeowner is on the monthly payment plan for their municipal taxes, they will pay off their CEIP Tax monthly as well. All upgrade charges will be split into 12 payments per year. CEIP charges are added to the monthly bill in June of each year. The first year the CEIP taxes are added, they will be split into six payments until December of that year. Year two of the payments will be 12 equal payments.
For more information on how to enroll in the City of Edmonton’s Property Tax Monthly Payment Plan program, visit the City’s property tax webpage.
A CEIP participant can choose to pay out one or more of their upgrades (each is a separate tax, which can be paid out individually) in a lump sum. They will avoid any future interest charges once the lump sum is paid. They can do this at any time during their financing but it has to be the full amount of each tax, cannot be partial payments.
The pilot program is winding down and all upgrades for participating buildings are expected to be complete by 2025. As of September 13, 2024, the Pilot Program has 64 residential projects with a projected retrofit value of $2 million. Of these, 35 projects have completed construction. Three non-residential projects have been approved. Of these, one project has completed construction to Net Zero with a total CEIP financing value of $1 million.
The three most common upgrades across both residential and non-residential included 74% of homes upgrading windows and doors, 63% increased insulation and 56% installed solar PV (as of April, 2024).
Required permits will vary depending on the upgrade. For more information on the permitting process and what’s required, including how to book an appointment or have your questions answered by email or phone, click here.
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 an 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.
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 May 13, 2024. 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 pilot version of the program opened on March 29, 2022. The permanent program opened October 17, 2024.
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.