Existing Homes Incentive Program

The following Terms and Conditions establish the program eligibility requirements for an application to the Existing Homes Incentive Program (Program). The Program is designed to assist property owners with the cost of energy-saving retrofits in existing homes, where an existing home is defined as any home built more than six (6) months prior to installations, replacements, and/or upgrades.

Program Applications are subject to approval under the HAT Smart Initiative. A completed application is neither a guarantee of eligibility for a rebate under the Program, nor payment of the rebate itself, and is subject to the following Terms and Conditions:

1. The Program will be in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2025 (Program Term).
   • Applicants are eligible for one (1) rebate per residential address during the Program Term and up to the maximum amount of $5,000 for the duration of ownership of the property.
2. The Existing Homes Program has a Reservation of Funds requirement; requests for Reservation of Funds will be available until Program funds are fully subscribed.
   • Funds are reserved on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, and rebates will be reserved in the order a request for Reservation of Funds with complete and accurate information is received.
   • Applications will be declined if they are incomplete or illegible. A new application will be required and will be processed in the order it is received.
3. The Applicant must be in good standing with the City of Medicine Hat. The City of Medicine Hat reserves the right to define what good standing entails, and this includes, but is not limited to: 
   • The Applicant must have never been in collections for a property in the City of Medicine Hat. 
   • If the Applicant has any current or previous enforcement, compliance, licensing, legal, or other issues with the City of Medicine Hat they may be deemed ineligible. 
4. To be considered for an Eligible Project and qualify for a rebate under the Program, a Reservation of Funds request must be submitted to The City’s HAT Smart system for review and approval by the HAT Smart team.
   • Applicants will receive notification of application rejection, confirmation of approval of reservation of funds, or notification of “waitlist”.
   • Upon receipt of confirmation of Reservation of Funds, Applicants will be required to complete the following:
     • Submit a valid pre-renovation EnerGuide Evaluation within 60 days of confirmation of Reservation of Funds.
       • An EnerGuide Evaluation includes the EnerGuide Label, Home Owner Information Sheet, and Renovation Upgrade Report.
     • Submit all required Project paperwork within 180 days, or 6 months, of submission of the EnerGuide Evaluation or by December 31, 2025, whichever comes first.
   • Applications received after all Program funds are reserved will be ‘waitlisted’; should funds become available, applicants ‘waitlisted’ will be notified at that time.
   • ‘Waitlisted’ applicants are responsible for retaining all relevant documentation for their Project and will have 10 working days following notification, or by December 31, 2025, whichever comes first, to submit the necessary documentation.
5. An EnerGuide Evaluation must be obtained under the EnerGuide Rating System v.15 and must be completed by a Natural Resources Canada registered energy advisor with a current City of Medicine Hat Business License; a list of service providers can be found on Natural Resource Canada’s website.
   • The EnerGuide Evaluation report package, which includes the Renovation Upgrade Report, Homeowner Information Sheet, and EnerGuide label must be completed after April 1, 2020.
   • If the application property had an EnerGuide evaluation by a previous owner, or the evaluation was not obtained under the EnerGuide Rating System v.15 a new EnerGuide Evaluation may be required and may be eligible for the EnerGuide Home Evaluation incentive.
   • Eligible retrofits are only those recommended by a registered NRCan Energy Advisor and described in the property EnerGuide Evaluation.
     • Retrofits must be completed within the Program Term as evidenced by the corresponding invoices and receipts attached to any Request for Rebate submitted into The City’s HAT Smart system;
     • All materials associated with the retrofit must be purchased during the Program Term as evidenced by the corresponding invoices and receipts attached to any Request for Rebate submitted into The City’s HAT Smart system.
       • Online purchases are only eligible if they are ordered from an online distributor in Canada.
6. To be eligible for a rebate under the Program:
   • Requests for Rebate must be completed by the property owner as confirmed through the City of Medicine Hat billing system.
     • Residential customers living in a condo are not eligible for the Program if utilities are paid for through condo fees or by the condo association since the condo building itself would then be considered a commercial enterprise.
   • Applicants must either receive a City of Medicine Hat residential Electric and/or Natural Gas utility statement for the Project address in their name or, for rental properties, be named as the property owner on the land title or property assessment roll.
7. Funds will be disbursed, to a maximum of $5,000 over the lifetime of the HAT Smart program, based on the total number of upgrades Applicants intend to complete within the Program Term. The HAT Smart website has a list of eligible retrofits, associated criteria, rebate amounts, and Required Documentation.
   • A new request for Reservation of Funds application is required for additional retrofits not included on the original application which are intended to be completed within the Program Term. New requests for Reservation of Funds will be processed in the order they are received and are subject to processing as described in these Terms and Conditions.  The maximum rebate for combined applications is $5,000.
   • If additional retrofits are completed, and there is no approved Reservation of Funds for these retrofits, rebates will not be paid out under this Program or any other HAT Smart Initiative.
8. Rebates are paid to a maximum of $5,000, are based on retrofits completed during the Program Term, and rebates will be calculated and paid up to a maximum of the reserved amount.
   
   Rebate requests which exceed the approved amount for Reservation of Funds will be paid only up to the maximum value of the qualified rebate amount and will not exceed the value of the approved Reservation of Funds.
   
   HAT Smart rebates are paid based on pre-tax amounts. Applicants are responsible for all taxes and any additional amounts above the maximum qualified rebate amount. Applicants are responsible for the full cost of retrofits.
   • Should the Existing Homes Program be repeated in subsequent years, rebates for installation of additional windows and doors, as well as insulation, in areas not previously retrofitted will be eligible. Rebate amounts will be based on the maximum for the application year, less the rebate amount previously paid up to the maximum $5,000.
9. The Applicant should allow four (4) weeks to process the application and final payment following submission of required documentation. If approved, the rebate will be paid by cheque, direct deposit, or as a credit on the utility account. All rebate cheques issued must be cashed within 180 days from the cheques’ issuance date and will not be re-issued after this time.
10. The Applicant is solely responsible for:
    • researching and ensuring they qualify under applicable eligibility criteria as outlined on the HAT Smart website;
    • meeting all Program requirements and complying with any laws, regulations, or by-laws regarding permits, codes, restrictions, and/or inspections in relation to products or equipment installed;
    • any direct or indirect taxes, duties, levies, fees, or like charges incurred as a result of participation in the Program;
    • retaining a copy of the Application form and all required documentation; these will not be returned to the Applicant by HAT Smart; and
    • ensuring contractors are appropriately certified and qualified to conduct the work.
11. The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that, as a result of projects completed as recommended by a Natural Resources Canada registered energy advisor and described in the EnerGuide Evaluation Report, HAT Smart:
    • is not responsible for, and accepts no liability nor makes any representations with respect to estimated or possible energy savings;
    • is not responsible for, nor liable for, the selection, purchase, installation, and ownership/maintenance of the products included in the submitted rebate application; and
    • makes no representation or warranty, whether expressed, implied, direct or indirect, with respect to the products, services or other measures that the Applicant has purchased.
12. The Applicant further agrees:
    • the Eligible Project has been completed in the specified property by a service provider with a current City of Medicine Hat Business License and that purchases and installations are of new condition and for non-commercial use only;
    • that HAT Smart is not affiliated in any way with the manufacturer, distributor, dealer, and/or installer of the product(s);
    • that combined incentives from government programs shall not exceed 100% of Eligible Project costs;
    • to disclose rebate amounts received, or to be received, from complementary municipal, provincial, and/or federal government programs; and
    • any other rebate(s), discount(s) and/or incentive(s) offered and/or provided by any government agency, institution, manufacturer, distributor, dealer and/or installer are separate and distinct from the Program and HAT Smart shall not be responsible for the administration or payment of the same nor be responsible for the erroneous submission of other rebate(s), discount(s) and/or incentive(s) to HAT Smart.
13. In submitting this application, the Applicant consents:
    • to the disclosure of personal information, as well as the rebate amount awarded to the Applicant, to HAT Smart, its contractors, employees, partners and others who have a need to know; and
    • to the collection, use, disclosure and retention of such information for five years, following which such information will be destroyed or made anonymous.
14. HAT Smart reserves the right to change or terminate the Program at any time without notice or explanation. HAT Smart will use reasonable efforts to process a completed eligible application received prior to changes or Program termination according to Program requirements in effect on the date the application was received.