19 Ontario Energy Efficiency Grants

We have you covered if you are looking for any energy efficiency grants for your business in one place.

There are two outcomes from being more energy-efficient, it helps to fight climate change, and, over time, it will decrease your expenses. Fighting climate change may be a big goal that we would like to achieve, we can all agree we want to save money.

With that in mind, it is worth considering investing in energy efficiency for your business. More often than not, it will require some money upfront, however, in the end, it will start to pay for itself, and in many cases, pay rather quickly, and as enough time passes, it will pay for itself over and over again. It’s definitely a long-term strategy.

So, look no further because we have the incentives to get you started with the initial investment that you need to improve the energy efficiency of your business.

Federal Business Energy Efficiency Incentives

There are options out there for you to consider even though a few of the provincial governments recently scrapped many of the energy efficiency rebate programs that were previously put in place, most of these available programs are from the Canadian government.

Take a look through our list and see if there are one or more programs that will give you the incentives that you need.

New Energy Efficiency Incentives

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) – Seed Fund

Promising early-stage clean tech entrepreneurs in Canada can receive support with one-time grants for innovative technological projects that have environmental benefits.

Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada – Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) – Onshore Program

This program features repayable and partially repayable contributions with a flexible period of five years for projects that are aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and partially repayable contribution projects that are aimed to eliminate emissions.

Government of Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry – Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program (FSIIP) – Business Projects

The FSIIP program provides funding for strategic investments within the forest sector to for-profit processors and manufacturers of wood and forest biomass in Ontario. These strategic investments must improve innovation and productivity, support new market access, enhance competitiveness, provide benefits to the broader forest sector in Ontario, and strengthen regional economies.

Environmental Solutions – Farm Credit Canada

Farm Credit Canada offers to finance solutions related to environmental challenges that will help farmers make environmental upgrades to their operations and switch to resources that consist of renewable energy.

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) – Restoring the Lake Simcoe Watershed Program

Landowners within the Lake Simcoe watershed can receive funding from this program to help complete projects that have environmental benefits, supporting improved water quality, soil conservation, or natural heritage enhancement.

Environment and Climate Change Canada Climate Action Incentive Fund: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Project Stream

This program provides support to small and medium-sized businesses within the building, industry, transportation, agriculture, waste, and more, for retrofit projects. It is available to businesses that are operating in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Ontario.

Federal Business Energy Efficiency Grants

Impact Canada Cross-Canada Flight Competition

The first fuel producer in the aviation sector to provide 2,500 litres of Canadian-produced sustainable fuel to be used as a part of a commercial flight across Canada with a minimum blend of 10% sustainable aviation fuel will be awarded a grant as a prize for their efforts.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) – Clean Tech Fund

The mandate of the SDTC is to fund projects that will support small and medium-sized businesses in Canada that are advancing innovative technologies that have the potential to demonstrate quantifiable and significant economic and environmental benefits in one or more areas, including clean air, climate change, clean soil, and clean water and is pre-commercial.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Tech Adoption Program

This program encourages aquaculture and fisheries industries in Canada to reduce the possible impacts of their activities on the environment. This is done by implementing clean tech measures. Eligible participants can receive funding from the program to help implement market-ready clean tech, sustainable practices, and processes into their regular operations.

Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC)

CIPEC provides assistance to help fund the energy management projects of industrial facilities. Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) projects, Computational Fluid Dynamics studies, ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standards projects, and Process Integration (PI) projects may be eligible for assistance.

Other Federal Business Energy Efficiency Incentives

FinDev Canada – Financing and Investment

Businesses that are operating in developing countries that demonstrate sustainable economic and social benefits with a focus on women’s economic empowerment, job creation, and climate change mitigation for the local communities can receive financial solutions such as equity, debt, and guarantees.

Grand Challenges Canada – Transition to Scale

This program supports Canadian innovators and innovators from low and middle-income countries who are positioned to take the bold ideas that they have created to make a big impact on global health. Grand Challenges Canada, through the Transition to Scale program, will broker smart partnerships that will mobilize domestic public resources and private capital to generate sustainable and scalable solutions that will deliver measurable social impact.

Ontario Business Energy Efficiency Grants

The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) TAF Grants

Non-profit organizations, charities, and municipalities can receive grants for their projects that can show the ability to produce results towards the considerable reduction in air pollution and carbon emissions. The program is available for these organizations that are located in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas.

Save On Energy – Retrofit Program

No matter what sector your business is in or whether it is non-profit, for-profit, or public, you can take advantage of this program to improve the energy efficiency of your company. The program is split into two categories, the prescriptive and the custom. The prescriptive is a perfect fit for faster, smaller system upgrades and the custom track is for more comprehensive projects.

Save On Energy – Small Business Lighting Program

If your small business in Ontario has less than 50 employees and you have not participated in another energy efficiency program already, you can receive funding to install lighting in your business that is more energy-efficient.

Save On Energy – Energy Manager Program

Small and medium-sized businesses can increase their capacity, through this program, to identify and adopt any opportunities for energy efficiency in their businesses by hiring an energy manager. This program will provide funding to cover the costs of hiring an energy manager and will continue to fund the costs that are associated with your manager.

Save On Energy – Energy Performance Program

Ontario businesses, institutions, and non-profits that are able to make operational and behavioural changes that support capital investment projects that will enable them to grow their energy savings over a number of years will be rewarded through the Energy Performance Program.

Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) – Grid Innovation Fund

This program helps to advance innovative opportunities to help achieve electricity bill savings for ratepayers in Ontario by financing projects that will either reduce the costs that are associated with maintaining reliable operation of the province’s grid or that enables customers to help better manage their energy consumption.

Lake Erie Area Energy Efficiency Incentives

Lake Erie Agriculture Demonstrating Sustainability (LEADS)

Farms that are located within the Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie watersheds can receive support from LEADS for the implementation of best management practices that will help sustainability and profitability.

Bottom Line

After going through this list, the improvement of your business’s energy efficiency should now seem more attainable and realistic.

It’s never fun to be spending money out of pocket, but when you decide to start using these funding programs and layering them together, the amount that you will spend will eventually become smaller and smaller.

Your energy bills will start to shrink too, and then one day, the initial investment that you made in your business’s energy efficiency will start to pay for itself and increase profitability.

Even if it wasn’t your main priority, you can also have the pleasure of knowing that you are doing your part for the environment.