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- The program offers no-cost home upgrades like heat pumps and insulation—but solar panels are often excluded at the provincial level.
- Manitoba, the first province to launch CGHAP, has explicitly left solar out of its eligible retrofits despite federal guidelines.
- Alberta and other provinces have high solar potential, but without inclusion in local CGHAP rollouts, distributed solar adoption could stall.
The federal government has launched the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (CGHAP), a revamped initiative aimed at cutting emissions and energy bills, this time by removing the financial barriers that derailed earlier efforts.
Efficiency Manitoba is a Crown corporation devoted to energy conservation. Our goal is to make reducing your energy bills easy and affordable (Efficiency Manitoba).
Unlike its predecessor, CGHAP covers full retrofit costs for low- and middle-income households, including renters.
Delivered through provincial partnerships, the program prioritizes direct-install retrofits, meaning households won’t have to pay upfront. Qualifying upgrades may include insulation, air sealing, heat pumps, windows, and solar panels, though eligibility varies by province.
The first rollout is in Manitoba, where $29.8 million in federal funding (matched provincially) will support Efficiency Manitoba’s administration of the program. However, provincial guidelines there exclude solar panels, limiting support to insulation, sealing, and heat pumps.
Policy Uncertainty
For Alberta and other provinces not yet onboard, CGHAP represents a policy opening, but also a test of local readiness.
Alberta’s grid remains ~81% fossil-fueled, but solar is rapidly scaling. By the end of 2022, over 1,100 MW of solar capacity was online, with major projects such as Travers Solar (465 MW) showcasing the province’s potential.
Still, distributed rooftop solar, a key solution for low-income households, faces hurdles, including upfront costs, limited inclusion in programs like CGHAP, and permitting complexity. Even if federally eligible, local administrators may sideline solar.
Workforce Capacity
Workers install solar panels on a home in the community of Belmont in southwest Calgary on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Gavin Young/Postmedia (via Calgary Herald)
The program’s launch also highlights a broader challenge: workforce and supply chain constraints.
As demand for retrofits grows, so will pressure on qualified installers and manufacturers. Companies that invest early in training and partnerships with utilities may gain a critical edge.
From a climate lens, building emissions remain a major source of Canada’s footprint—13% of the national total in 2023. CGHAP aims to chip away at that by targeting homes that otherwise wouldn’t retrofit.
Outlook for Industry
For retrofit firms, solar installers, and clean-tech manufacturers, CGHAP opens new doors, but only in provinces that implement it well.
The Alberta government has yet to announce its participation. Until then, stakeholders should watch closely, prepare for workforce ramp-ups, and push for solar inclusion in local adaptations of the program.
If done right, CGHAP could help Canada hit its 2030 climate targets, one home at a time. If mishandled, it risks repeating the gaps of the past.
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