A Canadian energy efficiency retrofit program has been renewed by the government, which will allow homeowners to be eligible for home improvement grants until 21 March 2012.

The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program makes available a grant of up to $5,000 to homeowners for energy efficient home improvements. It is thought that the program will allow 250,000 Canadians to benefit, generating around $4bn in economic activity across the country.

The program renewal includes two changes. Participants must register directly with the program before booking an evaluation, and secondly, they must provide receipts to their energy advisor during the post-retrofit evaluation for grant eligibility to be calculated.

Canada’s minister of natural resources, Joe Oliver, said: “With this program, Canadians can make their homes more energy efficient and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.”

The program was originally launched by the Conservative government in 2007, but had become too costly by 2009 after paying out $91m to homeowners for over 85,000 retrofits. The government cancelled the program in 2010, and had, according to Liberal MP David McGuinty, who told the Canadian Globe and Mail newspapers, the program had become too popular and too costly.

www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/newcom/2011/201160-eng.php