Novoclimat: up to $4,000 when you buy a certified new home
Québec pays the buyer, the builder or the developer of a new home built to stricter requirements than the Code, then certified after inspection. Pick your project below and we add up the grant line by line, heat pump included.
of a certified home
a first-time homeowner
small social housing building
Novoclimat no longer funds heat pumps. Projects registered since that date no longer get the $50 per 1,000 BTU/h. For a new home, LogisVert’s builder stream now pays: $140 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C, claimed by the construction company.
See the mathYou are…
How much Québec pays for your project
Three streams, three ways to count. Pick yours: the total updates on every click, with who gets what.
The 5 years count back from the project’s registration date (Home stream framework).
All ENERGY STAR cold-climate certified. The heat pump must come with an air exchanger; the grant is paid to the construction company, not to the buyer.
CMHC (Eco Plus), Sagen and Canada Guaranty refund 25% of the premium for a new Novoclimat-certified home. Apply within 2 years of the mortgage closing.
Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and buildings of three storeys or less, with at most 600 m² of ground area. Main heating: electricity, natural gas or residual forest biomass. Novoclimat-certified general contractor and ventilation specialist, three inspections.
New buildings over 600 m² or 4 to 10 storeys. A major renovation may be accepted as an exception, after the ministry approves it. Mixed use: at least 33% of the floor area must be residential. A Novoclimat-certified ventilation specialist is mandatory.
What separates an ordinary new home from a Novoclimat home
Tap a point on the house. Every requirement comes from the Novoclimat technical requirements in force since January 1, 2024, for regions under 6,000 degree-days such as Greater Montréal. R-values are “effective”: thermal bridges included.
Warm air rises: the roof is the first barrier against heat loss. Novoclimat requires a thick, continuous layer of insulation in the attic.
“Effective” means the wood studs and other thermal bridges are counted: it is the performance of the whole wall, not just the insulation.
ENERGY STAR windows and glazed doors. Openings may not exceed 30% of the above-grade wall area: plenty of light, without turning the house into a sieve.
An evaluator measures leaks with a blower-door test before the walls are closed, while fixes are still easy. The Construction Code does not require this test.
The joint between the foundation and the ground floor is a classic leak point. Novoclimat insulates it to the same level as the walls.
A well-insulated basement becomes a real room, not a cold cellar. A foundation wall exposed over more than half its height is treated as an above-grade wall.
A continuous thermal break separates the slab from the foundation wall: at least R-4 (RSI 0.7) in a basement, R-7.5 (RSI 1.32) for a slab on grade or heated slab.
An airtight house has to breathe. The HRV swaps stale air for fresh air while recovering part of its heat. It is installed and balanced by a Novoclimat-certified ventilation specialist, and its ducts stay on the warm side of the envelope.
Main heating must be electric (a heat pump counts as electric) or residual forest biomass. Heating and cooling ducts run on the warm side of the envelope, no exceptions. Novoclimat stopped paying for heat pumps in March 2024: LogisVert took over.
A Novoclimat home costs more to build. Here is how many years it takes to pay for itself.
The numbers come from the table published by the government: a two-storey 28 × 30 ft cottage, two adults and two children. Move the slider and watch the energy savings catch up with the extra cost.
Cumulative savings vs. real extra cost
AirGreen estimate from the government’s table: $541 in savings the first year, then 1.17% more each year (the table’s assumption, which gives $567 in year 5). The table also lists $297 of interest on the loan for the extra cost (6.5%, 25 years, 5% down); this simple calculation leaves it out. In “your numbers” mode, savings are estimated at 20% of the bill, the average figure the government gives. Your house, your rate and your household change the result.
First-time buyer of a new home: what can stack on the $4,000
In 2026, Novoclimat is not alone. A first-time buyer of a new home can also get the GST back, part of the mortgage insurance premium and, depending on the bank, a cash rebate. Enter the price and we add it up.
All three insurers refund 25% of the premium for a new Novoclimat-certified home. Apply within 24 months of the mortgage closing.
Cash rebate of up to $2,000 for a Novoclimat home: financing of at least $125,000, a house or a building of 4 units or fewer lived in by the buyer, mortgage kept 5 years at Desjardins.
Announced on April 17, 2026 for purchases made since January 1, 2026: it refunds part of the transfer duties (the “welcome tax”). Revenu Québec will say how to claim it.
Estimate, not tax advice. GST: 5% of the price, at most $50,000, in full up to $1M then reduced to zero at $1.5M (Revenu Québec, form FP-2190.APH, within 2 years; the builder can credit it). Under $450,000 (GST) or $300,000 (QST), the regular new-home rebates may also apply. Confirm with Revenu Québec or your notary.
Seven conditions, one bonus question. Answer and we’ll tell you where you stand.
Answer the 7 conditions
0 of 7 answered.
Indicative answer. The ministry confirms eligibility during the preliminary review, at registration.
From contract to cheque, in six steps
A Novoclimat or Sélect certified contractor
Only a certified contractor can obtain certification. Check the name on the official list of Novoclimat or Novoclimat Sélect certified contractors on quebec.ca.
The Novoclimat option, in writing
Some certified builders do not include Novoclimat by default: the option must be in the purchase contract. The builder files the registration; the ministry does a preliminary review and confirms by email that work can start. The builder then has 18 months to finish.
Visit and blower-door test
An evaluator mandated by the ministry inspects the site before the walls are closed and measures the home’s airtightness: at most 1.5 air changes per hour at 50 Pa for a detached house. The test may be redone twice at most.
Compliance checked
At the end of the job, the evaluator checks compliance with the requirements. The builder then sends the certification request.
The forms arrive by email
When the certificate arrives, the owner and the builder receive the forms to claim the grant by email.
Paid by cheque
The ministry sends the cheque within 10 weeks at most of the forms being filed. Separately, the construction company has 9 months after the end of work to claim the LogisVert grant for the heat pump.
Three deadlines not to miss
Novoclimat: 10 weeks at most after the forms are filed. LogisVert builder stream: 9 months after the end of work. CMHC Eco Plus: 2 years after the mortgage closing. Deadlines as published by each organization.
Seven points to check with your builder
Eight ways to lose the grant
Every amount, on one page
Novoclimat, plus everything that stacks on new construction: LogisVert’s builder stream, mortgage insurers, the first-time buyer GST rebate and the Desjardins offer. Filter by category.
The program has moved. Here are the dates that matter.
The program’s words, in plain language
Certification
Official recognition that a home meets every Novoclimat requirement, granted after the inspections. No certificate, no grant.
Blower-door test
A fan mounted in a doorway depressurizes the house to measure its air leaks. Novoclimat requires it; the Code does not.
CAH50
How many times all the air in the house is replaced in one hour at a pressure difference of 50 pascals (ACH50). Lower is tighter. Novoclimat: 1.5 at most for a detached house.
Effective R-value
The thermal resistance of the whole assembly, studs and thermal bridges included. R in imperial, RSI in metric (R ≈ RSI × 5.678).
HRV
Heat recovery ventilator: it exhausts stale air and brings in fresh air while recovering part of the outgoing heat.
Warm side of the envelope
The inside of the home’s insulated envelope. Since 2023, ventilation, heating and cooling ducts must run there, no exceptions.
Novoclimat Sélect contractor
A certified contractor who commits to registering at least 90% of the eligible buildings they sell. They get $2,500 per home instead of $1,500.
Evaluator
The professional mandated by the ministry who inspects the site and runs the blower-door test.
Applicant
Whoever registers the project. In the multi-unit streams, they (often the developer) receive the per-unit grant.
Capacity at -8 °C
The heat a heat pump delivers at -8 °C (17 °F). This figure, not the nominal size, sets the LogisVert grant.
Degree-days
A measure of how harsh winter is. Insulation requirements change above 6,000 degree-days, in regions colder than Greater Montréal.
First-time homeowner
For Novoclimat: never having owned a home, or not in the 5 years before the home’s registration date.
The questions we hear most
Does Novoclimat apply to an existing home?
No. Novoclimat is for new construction (a major renovation of a multi-unit building may be accepted as an exception, after the ministry approves it). For a heat pump in an existing home, see our LogisVert page.
Does Novoclimat still pay for the heat pump?
No, not for projects registered since March 1, 2024. Before that it was $50 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C. Today, for a new home, LogisVert’s builder stream pays $140 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C to the construction company.
Who gets the $4,000?
The first buyer of a certified home who is a first-time homeowner: someone who has never owned a home, or has not owned one for at least 5 years before the registration date. Other buyers get $2,000.
I’m buying a new Novoclimat condo: do I get the grant?
In the multi-unit streams, the per-unit grant goes to the applicant (the developer) once the building is certified. On your side, if your loan is insured by CMHC, Sagen or Canada Guaranty, you can get 25% of the premium back, and the federal first-time buyer GST rebate covers new homes bought from a builder.
How long until the cheque arrives?
When the certificate arrives, the owner and the builder receive the forms by email. The cheque comes within 10 weeks at most of filing them.
Does “first-time buyer” mean the same thing everywhere?
No. For Novoclimat, it means never having owned a home, or not in the 5 years before registration. For the federal GST rebate, it means not having lived in a home you or your spouse owned, this year or in the previous 4 calendar years. You can qualify for one and not the other.
What happens if the blower-door test fails?
The builder fixes the leaks and the test is redone. The Home stream procedures allow two retests at most. The test happens before the walls are closed, precisely so fixes stay simple.
I’m building my home myself. Can I get anything?
Not in the Novoclimat Home stream, which requires a home built by a certified contractor. LogisVert’s builder stream also excludes self-builders.
Can I heat with natural gas?
Not in the Home stream: since December 31, 2020, main heating must be electric (heat pumps included) or residual forest biomass. The multi-unit streams accept electricity, natural gas or biomass.
Can a factory-built home be certified?
Yes, if the Novoclimat-certified contractor handles the whole build: foundations, assembly, insulation, ventilation and heating.
How long does the builder have to finish?
The Home stream framework gives 18 months from official registration to finish the work.
Novoclimat or Rénoclimat: what’s the difference?
Novoclimat is for new construction. Rénoclimat is for existing homes being renovated, with an energy evaluation before and after the work; it has not funded heating systems since May 1, 2024.
How much will I save on energy?
The government says about 20% compared with a standard new home. In its example of a 28 × 30 ft cottage, that is $541 the first year. See the math in section 03.
Where are the official lists?
On the quebec.ca reference documents page (in French): certified contractors, Sélect contractors, ventilation specialists and eligible HRVs. Novoclimat customer service: 1-866-266-0008, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Your new home deserves the heat pump that earns the most. We pick it with your builder.
Novoclimat customer service: 1-866-266-0008, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. · renseignements.te@environnement.gouv.qc.ca. The ventilation of a Novoclimat home must be installed by a Novoclimat-certified ventilation specialist from the official list.
Sources checked on September 22, 2026. Gouvernement du Québec, Novoclimat financial assistance: Home pages (financial assistance, updated February 12, 2026; eligibility, December 19, 2025; procedures, June 10, 2025), Small and Large multi-unit building pages (June 10, 2025), Description (November 19, 2025), Benefits (June 10, 2025), Training and certification (June 10, 2025), About (October 21, 2025), Customer service (October 3, 2025), Reference documents (February 11, 2026); Novoclimat technical requirements – Homes and small multi-unit buildings, revised December 1, 2023, in force January 1, 2024; 2023 technical note on ducts; Novoclimat participant’s guide, in force February 24, 2024; Novoclimat – Home normative framework, in force September 15, 2020; Home participation procedures; Estimated extra construction cost of a Novoclimat home; lists of certified ventilation specialists (June 10, 2026) and eligible HRVs (July 13, 2026). Hydro-Québec, LogisVert Program — builders, guide version 1.8 of September 15, 2026. Revenu Québec, GST rebate for the purchase of a first home (March 16, 2026) and tax news of April 21, 2026 on the home-access tax credit; Canada Revenue Agency (March 30 and June 9, 2026). CMHC, Eco Plus; Sagen, Energy-Efficient Housing Program; Canada Guaranty, Energy-Efficient Advantage; Desjardins, Sustainable home offer (February 10, 2026). Capacities at -8 °C: ENERGY STAR certification data by AHRI number (Sharp 217512736, 217512734, 217508925, 217508895; MIDEA EVOX G3 215471340, 215471343, 215471344). Program run by Québec’s Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. Amounts shown are estimates; only the organizations involved confirm the aid granted. AirGreen is not a tax advisor.