BetterHomes London: $40,000 at 2.5% Plus Up to $10,000 in Incentive

BetterHomes London is the City of London's home-energy retrofit financing program, a $6.66 million initiative supported by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund and tied to the city's Climate Emergency Action Plan. The figures here are the published terms as of July 2026; terms and cap amounts change as regional funding is committed, so verify them on the program's official website before you apply.

The loan maximum is $40,000 at 2.5% fixed, with a maximum incentive of $10,000 and a minimum required reduction of 25% in energy use. Repayment is made through your property tax bill, which keeps it tied to the property rather than to you personally.

The path through the program is straightforward. You apply and confirm eligibility, a free Retrofit Coach is assigned, and a pre-retrofit EnerGuide assessment sets the baseline. A Property Owner Agreement must be signed before any work begins. You complete the renovations and keep all receipts, then a post-upgrade EnerGuide assessment confirms the savings achieved. Final payment is released with the incentive deducted from the loan balance, and repayment starts on the property tax bill.

Eligibility requires that the home is in London with taxes up to date and that it is a full-time primary residence. Detached homes, semis, townhomes, duplexes and triplexes are included, and landlords may qualify under certain conditions. At least 25% energy use reduction is required, and at least 80% of project costs must be spent on energy efficiency, with up to 20% available for other eligible upgrades.

Covered work includes insulation, air sealing, windows and doors; heat pumps and efficient water heating; solar PV, battery storage and EV chargers; and ventilation with related electrical upgrades. Appliances, cosmetic work and routine maintenance are not eligible.

Because the incentive is tied to verified savings rather than handed out as a flat award, the order of your upgrades affects what you ultimately receive — Solify's residential incentives guide is a useful reference for planning the work so the post-retrofit assessment measures in your favour.

The most common questions have clear answers. There is no credit check, because the loan is secured against the property rather than your personal credit. If you sell, the loan stays with the property and transfers to the new owner. Permits are still required where applicable. And the incentive is not a flat award — it is based on the verified savings measured by the post-retrofit EnerGuide assessment, up to the $10,000 ceiling, so the design of your project directly determines what you receive.

The City of London publishes betterhomeslondon.ca for the BetterHomes program. This article is an independent explainer and is not affiliated with the City; confirm details there before committing to work.