Resiliency measures to protect your home
The Canada Greener Homes Grant is no longer accepting new applicants. Homeowners who are already participating are encouraged to proceed in a timely manner with their retrofits and will continue to be eligible for funding and support through the Canada Greener Homes portal.
If you are an Ontario, Quebec or Nova Scotia homeowner participating in the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus, the Rénoclimat or the Home Energy Assessment program, please contact your provincial program for more information.
The Canada Greener Homes Loan and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program remain open. Thank you for your interest.
Climate change and its effects often hit close to home. Many environmental factors related to climate change can have an impact on your home causing fire, flooding, wind damage and loss of power. Your home and its location can help you identify your specific vulnerabilities to climate change.
If you are in the process of making upgrades to your home, you should consider additional retrofits that could help protect your home and your family from environmental damages at the same time. A number of measures are eligible for a grant if they are done in combination with energy-efficiency measures. These are clearly marked throughout the eligible grants page.
In addition to the incentives funded through the Canada Greener Homes Grant Initiative, we are providing additional information on measures that you can implement.
Did you know?
You can contact your insurance company about potential savings on your policies if you undertake some or all of these measures.
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Fire
Make your home more resilient against potential fires by:
- Installing non-combustible or fire-resistant exterior cladding materials when insulating 80 percent to 100 percent of exterior walls (e.g. stucco, concrete and fibre cement board, metal siding and brick)
- Installing non-combustible metal mesh covers and screens (3 mm) in gutters, eaves and vents to reduce accumulation of flammable vegetation and limit areas exposed to sparks and embers
- Replacing existing roofing and eave projections with fire-retardant roofing materials, such as metal, asphalt, clay and composite rubber tiles with Class A UL/ASTM rating
- Replacing existing soffits, eave projections and other roof projections with fire-retardant roofing materials, such as metal, concrete and fibre cement board
- Replacing service opening and vents in exterior walls with fire-resistant materials
Additional resources for wildfire protection
Flooding
Make your home more resilient against potential flooding or water infiltration by:
- Installing an alarm with an additional emergency battery backup to a sump pump system
- Installing backwater valve and alarm to prevent sewage backup during flooding
- Installing flood alarms connected to shutoff the main house water supply valve
- Installing flood alarms (water leak detection system)
- Practicing landscape water management (rain water and flood control), including covering over window wells, backfilling grading away from foundations
- Adding extended downspouts to 1.8 m
- Installing rain screen and strapping on exterior walls (for nearly everything other than vinyl)
Explore more resources on how to protect your home from flooding through Intact Centre’s Home Flood Protection Program.
Wind
Make your home more resilient against wind damage by:
- Adding hurricane-resistant shutters (roller shutters roll up and down) and windows (aka impact windows or coastal windows)
- Installing window blinds and films (security or solar)
- Installing hurricane straps or special self-tapping screws (making sure roof trusses are securely fastened to wall below)
- Adding fasteners (screws) to roof sheathing, wall sealant, and flashing under roof shingles
- Adding hurricane anchors between walls and foundation
- Incorporating roof and wall fastening (re-nailing)
- Installing sealant and flashing under roof shingles
Power
Make your home more resilient to power failures by:
- Adding a standby emergency battery backup-stand alone system
- Adding a standby non-portable emergency power sources (e.g. generators)
