For businesses that are looking to become more energy efficient, there are a number of rebate & incentives programs available across Canada to help offset the initial investment costs.
The programs will vary by province/territory and can change throughout the year.
Below we've summarized the different rebate & incentives programs for businesses, specifically for lighting upgrades within each province/territory.
To quickly find your province, hit CTRL+F.
British Columbia
BC Hydro Incentives
Business Energy Savings Incentives
- BC Hydro will provide funding to cover approximately 25% of the upfront costs on your upgraded lighting through energy-saving incentives.
- Incentives are only available for simple, one-for-one replacements, as opposed to complex re-design projects.
- To get started, you’d need to register on BC Hydro's CEM (Conservation and Energy Management) Hub and start an online application.
For a limited time, small to medium-size businesses can get up to 20% in additional funding for energy upgrades. This funding is in addition to the 25% rebate offered by the Business Energy Savings Incentive program. Last day to submit your application is January 16, 2023.
Self-Serve Incentives
If you are an industrial customer, you may be eligible for up to 75% upgrade funding if your facility uses more than 500 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.
Custom Project Incentives
Distribution Customers
- Incentive Rate: 2¢ to 5¢ per kWh, depending on your project payback period.
- Maximum Incentive: $500,000, a one-year payback amount, or 75% of project cost, whichever is least. See sample calculation
Transmission Customers
- Incentive Rate: 4¢ per kWh
- Maximum Incentive: $1 million or 75% of project cost, whichever is less. See sample calculation
Plant Wide Audit
- If you are new to energy efficiency and want to identify opportunities within your facility to be more efficient, this initiative is a powerful step forward.
- This audit is designed for all industrial customers who use more than 2 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.
- The offer can include up to 100% funding towards your energy audit.
Incentives for Commercial Builders & Developers
There are a number of incentives available for new commercial construction, replacing old technologies and building energy efficient homes
More info on each of these individual incentive programs can be found here.
FortisBC Incentives
Commercial Lighting Rebates
- Rebates to help offset the incremental cost of upgrading to high-efficiency commercial LED lighting, signage and controls.
- Must be a commercial, industrial or irrigation FortisBC or municipal electricity customer of Grand Forks, Penticton, Summerland, or Nelson Hydro.
Alberta
Emissions Reduction Alberta - Energy Savings for Business
This program will help eligible Alberta businesses reduce emissions, decrease operating costs, grow their operations and become more competitive
ESB will give businesses fast access to incentives for cost-effective efficiency measures:
- Up to $250,000 is available per project
- Up to $1 million per parent company is available to cover the cost of products and services
- Minimum incentive amount of $500 *NEW
The project completion deadline for the Energy Savings for Business program has been extended until September 30, 2023.
Learn more about the program and products eligible for incentives
Manitoba
Efficiency Manitoba - Business Lighting Program
This program offers financial incentives for energy-efficient lighting upgrades to your business.
For a limited time as well, the BLP is offering bonuses for customers; they are increasing their current incentives by 25% for BLP applications completed before March 31, 2023.
Incentives are available for various fixtures including: LED Lamps, LED fixtures, LED Backlit Signs, Lighting Controls, and more.
Ontario
Save on Energy - Retrofit Program
You can receive incentives for a variety of energy efficient measures available under three streams: Lighting, HVAC, and Manufacturing.
To participate, your project must be pre-approved with a minimum incentive of $500
Retrofit incentives are available to owners or lessees of:
- Commercial buildings
- Industrial facilities
- Institutional buildings
- Multi-family buildings
- Agricultural facilities
City of Toronto Energy Retrofit Loans
The City offers fixed, long-term, low-interest financing to enable building owners to invest in low-carbon, energy-efficient capital improvements, including lighting retrofit. These loans cover up to 100% of a project's cost at a rate equal to the City's cost of borrowing, with repayment terms up to 20 years.
New Brunswick
Business Rebate Program
This program offers you 25% back on energy efficient products and equipment for your business; including switching to LED lighting.
Incentives are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis until December 31, 2023 or until all funds are depleted. There is a lifetime cap of $250,000 per eligible project site.
Learn more about these incentives & eligibility criteria.
Newfoundland & Labrador
takeCHARGE Business Program
This program offers both product rebates and custom solutions for businesses looking to make energy efficient upgrades, including upgrading to LED lighting.
- Product Rebates: rebates available on select LED tubes, bulbs, high bays, exit signs, luminaires, pole lighting, wall packs, occupancy sensors, and more.
- Custom Solutions: takeCHARGE will rebate $0.10/kWh of your first year energy savings up to a maximum of $50,000. Demand savings may also qualify.
Northwest Territories
The Arctic Energy Alliance - Energy Efficient Products
The Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) provides rebates to northerners who purchase new, more energy efficient models of products that they use every day, including LED Lighting.
Residents, businesses, non-profit organizations, and NWT community and indigenous governments are eligible for this program.
- Rebate amount for communities with hydroelectricity: 50% of purchase cost, up to $200 per fiscal year
- Rebate amount for non-hydro communities: 50% of purchase cost, up to $400 per fiscal year
The program is available until March 31, 2023.
Nunavut
Nunavut currently does not have an incentive program for energy-efficient lighting, however they do offer a Commercial Power Subsidy for businesses earning less than $2 million in a calendar year. You can find out if you are eligible here.
Prince Edward Island
Business Energy Rebates
This program supports businesses, non-profits and institutional organizations, as well as industrial/agricultural facilities in choosing high-efficiency products, including lighting.
Applicants can receive up to 50% of the costs to purchase and install high-efficiency products and equipment.
Yukon
The Good Energy Program
Energy Efficient Upgrades
The Good Energy Program offers rebates for energy efficient upgrades done in commercial, institutional and community buildings.
The rebate covers a percentage of eligible project costs, including a 25% rebate for businesses and up to 75% for municipal governments and first nations governments.
Upgrades must result in a reduction in energy use or carbon emissions.
Learn more about how to apply for this program
Commercial Grade Energy Audit
The Good Energy Program offers rebates for energy efficient upgrades done in commercial, institutional and community buildings. Learn more about this program here.
This page has been updated as of December 2022.
Quebec & Saskatchewan currently do not have rebate & incentive programs for businesses. We will update this page as additional information becomes available.
If you’ve been considering upgrading your lighting to LED, our team can make the process easier for you.
From an initial site visit to quotation, product ordering, coordinating installation and helping with the rebate/incentive process, our Lighting Consultants will take all the complication out of your project for you.
It all starts with a free consultation; reach out to our team today to get started!
