Effective October 15, 2008 until March 30, 2009
Quote13. My furnace broke down. Am I still eligible for a grant?
Yes, in the case of an emergency furnace replacement (furnace or boiler) during the period noted above, the property owner must call a service organization within three business days of the system replacement to schedule a pre-retrofit assessment, and the assessment must take place within 30 days of the new heating system installation.
In order to qualify for a grant, you must keep sufficient information regarding the older furnace (see eligibility criteria and process below).
Calling a service organization LATER THAN three business days after the heating equipment has been replaced will not be considered for a retrofit grant.
Eligibility criteria
As a rule, property owners are required to have an ecoENERGY pre-retrofit evaluation performed prior to replacing or installing anything, including heating equipment, if they want that upgrade to become eligible towards a grant.
However, NRCan has an Emergency Furnace Replacement policy specifically to assist property owners who are faced with replacing their heating equipment for health and safety reasons:
the heating system must have been 'red tagged' or deemed unsafe by the utility, service technician or building inspector; or,
the furnace cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
Process for qualifying for a grant:
Please read and follow these instructions carefully.
The existing equipment must be replaced with equipment meeting the requirements listed in the ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes Eligible Improvements/Retrofit Table.
In addition, new gas-fired furnaces MUST have an efficiency (AFUE) of 94% or better and oil-fired furnaces MUST have an AFUE of 85% or better to qualify under the emergency heating equipment replacement
A copy of your invoice for the new heating system should include the following information and given to the energy advisor at the time of the pre-retrofit evaluation:
Supplier's business name, address and phone number
Date of installation
Manufacturer's name and model number of heating equipment; and
The AFUE of the product or a note indicating that it is ENERGY STAR qualified.
The heating contractor must provide you with information about the equipment being removed, and you must give this information to the energy advisor at the time of the pre-retrofit evaluation:
Fuel type (natural gas, propane or oil)
Type of system (forced air, hydronic or radiant)
Type of venting (e.g. chimney, side vent, barometric damper)
Rated efficiency, output, input from the nameplate
Last upgrade, if any (e.g. oil burner gun/assembly)
This means in the case of a heating emergency, the homeowner can replace the furnace before the audit but a warning tag must be issued by the heating contractor. The audit must be booked within 3 days and completed within 30 days of the install. In the case of a heating emergency the furnace AFUE must be at least 94%. Normally a AFUE of 90% WITHOUT a DC variable speed motor would qualify for a $600 rebate, and a AFUE of 92% WITH a DC variable speed motor would qualify for a $1000 rebate. There now would only be one option should the customer have a heating emergency.
Visit the EcoEnergy website and read the Questions & Answers page - Here (http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/questions-answers.cfm?attr=4)