The process
How It Works: From Estimate to Rebate Cheque
Four steps, in order — and the order is the whole game, because the rebate only exists if the paperwork happens before the install.
Check your rebate — about a minute
Answer the questionnaire and see your estimate: Ontario rebate, federal rebate, typical installed cost, and what you'd stop spending on fuel. A local advisor calls to go over it. No cost, no obligation.
In-home visit — about an hour
Your home is measured, your ductwork and electrical panel checked, and your exact rebate confirmed. Bring last winter's fuel invoices — your savings are calculated from your real bills. You get a written quote, and you pay nothing until you approve it.
Pre-approval filed — before any work
Your contractor submits your Home Renovation Savings pre-approval. This is the step that reserves your rebate while funding lasts — and it is mandatory. No install is booked until your pre-approval is in.
Install, then the cheque — install day plus ~60 days
The switch is typically done in one to two days, with your old system live until the new one is ready. The claim is filed, the program approves it, and your rebate cheque arrives — about 60 days after post-install approval. For installs on or after November 1, 2026, your federal claim follows when the portal opens in early 2027.
Why is pre-approval such a big deal?
Because under Home Renovation Savings, it's not a formality — it's the rebate itself. The program pays only on pre-approved projects, filed by a participating contractor, before installation. A homeowner who buys a heat pump first and asks about the rebate second gets nothing from Ontario, however good the equipment is. Every legitimate quote process in the province runs in this order; if someone wants to install first and "sort the rebate out later," walk away.
What does the whole thing cost me out of pocket, and when?
Nothing at the estimate or visit stage. If you approve the written quote, payment follows the quote's terms — commonly a deposit on signing with the balance on completion — and many homeowners finance it as one monthly payment. Your Ontario rebate cheque lands about 60 days after the install is approved. Put that cheque straight onto the financing and, at typical monthly numbers, it covers about two years of payments on its own — then the money you're no longer spending on fuel each year can go onto the loan too, so the system is paid off years early.
Process — common questions
Who runs this site?
CheckMyRebate.ca is an independent guide for Ontario homeowners, run by a local home comfort advisor in Durham Region who does this work daily across the eastern GTA, Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough area. It is not a government site — the programs described are run by Ontario and Canada, and the links between them and your home are participating contractors.
What if I check my rebate and decide not to switch?
Then you've spent a minute and you know your number. The estimate is yours. Programs and funding change, and you'll know exactly what you'd be walking away from — that's the point of publishing the math.
How long from first click to a warm house?
Typically a few weeks: estimate and call within days, visit within the week, pre-approval filed right after, and install booked once approved. Winter emergency replacements jump queues; planned switches are scheduled in order.
Step 1 takes a minute
Your estimate starts the clock on nothing but information. The rebate protection comes at step 3 — before a single tool comes out.
See your rebate AND your monthly number