RénoVert Québec tax credit for your renovations
- coraliefortin076
- Jun 12
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Building or renovating a house, cottage, or garage requires a significant investment, both financial and emotional. At Plan Maison Québec, we support our clients in their projects, helping them optimize their expenses while aiming for sustainable and eco-responsible renovations.
The RénoVert Québec tax credit, although discontinued in 2019, remains a key resource for understanding available financial assistance and planning smart energy renovations. This article will explain in detail how this credit works, the types of eligible work, and current options for taking advantage of available assistance.
The RénoVert tax credit: a major government initiative for sustainable renovation
Eligible work: what types of renovations were included in the RénoVert program?
The economic and environmental impact of the RénoVert tax credit
What alternatives are there to the RénoVert tax credit for your renovations today?
How Plan Maison Québec supports you in your sustainable renovation projects
The RénoVert Québec tax credit: a major government initiative for sustainable renovation
The RénoVert program, launched in March 2016, was part of Quebec's energy strategy aimed at significantly reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the residential sector. This sector represents a significant portion of the province's energy consumption, particularly due to older buildings that are often poorly insulated and equipped with energy-intensive systems.
The idea behind RénoVert was to encourage homeowners to carry out renovations aimed at improving the energy efficiency of their primary residence or year-round cottage through a refundable tax credit. This tax credit allowed for the recovery of 20% of eligible expenses incurred for eco-friendly work, on a minimum of $2,500 in expenditures and up to a maximum of $10,000 per home. This financial support was therefore very advantageous for those who wanted to make significant investments, such as the complete insulation of a house or the replacement of outdated heating systems with more efficient technologies.
However, the program was only available to owner-occupiers, excluding rental properties. The work had to be carried out by accredited contractors, ensuring a level of quality and compliance with government standards. Finally, the eligible period covered contracts signed between March 2016 and April 2019, with expenses paid before January 1, 2020.
Eligible work: what types of renovations were included in the RénoVert program?
The RénoVert tax credit covered a wide range of energy improvement projects. Among the most common were thermal insulation of walls, roofs, and foundations. Indeed, homes built before 2016 are often poorly insulated, causing significant heat loss in winter and excessive energy consumption for heating.
Replacing windows and exterior doors with Energy Star-certified models was also encouraged, as these elements play a key role in heat retention and airtightness. Furthermore, the installation of high-performance mechanical systems, such as high-efficiency heat pumps or ventilation systems with heat recovery, was among the eligible projects.
Some lesser-known but equally important projects were also eligible for the program, such as the installation of green roofs, which contribute to insulation and rainwater management, or ecological wastewater treatment to reduce the home's environmental impact. The installation of heat recovery devices on ventilation systems also made it possible to reduce heating requirements.
The common thread running through all of these works was that they had to meet strict energy efficiency criteria and be carried out by qualified professionals, thus ensuring that the renovations had a real positive effect on the overall energy performance of the house.
The economic and environmental impact of the RénoVert tax credit
Beyond providing direct assistance to homeowners, the RénoVert tax credit has had a stimulating effect on the entire residential construction and renovation sector in Quebec. Many contractors and tradespeople specializing in energy renovations have seen a significant increase in demand, contributing to the growth of a still-emerging but very promising market.
The program has accelerated the diffusion of eco-responsible technologies and practices, previously reserved for a minority of homeowners or for high-performance new construction. By promoting the renovation of existing buildings, the government aimed to reduce overall energy consumption, reduce GHG emissions, and improve the comfort of Quebec households.
However, its discontinuation in 2019 left a void. Many experts estimate that continuing this type of incentive could have generated economic benefits exceeding $300 million, while contributing to achieving provincial environmental objectives. Despite this, awareness of the benefits of energy-efficient renovations has continued, notably thanks to other programs and initiatives, as well as a growing awareness of climate issues.
What alternatives are there to the RénoVert tax credit for your renovations today?
Although the RénoVert program is no longer in effect, several alternatives remain available to support your energy renovation projects. Among them, the Rénoclimat program is undoubtedly the best known. This provincial program offers a complete energy assessment of your home by an accredited advisor, who identifies your building's thermal weaknesses and recommends appropriate improvements. Rénoclimat also offers grants to help finance certain projects, such as insulation, window replacement, or ventilation.
Another program, Chauffez vert, aims to encourage the conversion of oil heating systems to cleaner, more modern solutions, such as:
heat pumps
biomass boilers
renewable energy systems.
This initiative is particularly attractive for rural areas where oil heating is still widely used.
Furthermore, several financial institutions now offer green products, including mortgage loans or lines of credit at preferential rates to finance eco-friendly renovations. Desjardins and National Bank, for example, offer advantageous terms to encourage their clients to invest in improvements that improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
At Plan Maison Québec, we strongly advise our clients to learn about these programs and products before starting their renovations. Careful planning, combined with a sound understanding of financial assistance, allows you to optimize the initial investment while ensuring lasting results that meet expectations.
Why choose energy-efficient renovations?
Investing in sustainable and energy-efficient renovations is more than just an aesthetic or functional choice. It's a smart decision that can significantly improve the comfort of your home while reducing your energy bills month after month. A better-insulated home, equipped with an efficient heating system, and designed with eco-friendly materials is not only more pleasant to live in, but it's also more resilient to climate change and more valuable on the real estate market.
It's also a concrete way to reduce your environmental footprint by reducing energy consumption and promoting the use of renewable or sustainable resources. At Plan Maison Québec, we believe that every renovation or construction project should incorporate these values, in order to build tomorrow's responsible homes today.
Beyond these benefits, energy-efficient renovations contribute to better indoor health. By improving ventilation and reducing air infiltration, they limit:
humidity
mold growth
pollutant accumulation
These factors directly contribute to the air quality in your home, a key element for the well-being of its occupants.
How Plan Maison Québec supports you in your sustainable renovation projects
The success of a renovation project begins with a rigorous design tailored to your needs, your budget, and current environmental standards. This is where Plan Maison Québec comes in. Our recognized expertise in drawing up construction and residential renovation plans allows us to offer our clients a complete service, from the first sketch to the final delivery of construction-ready plans.
We systematically integrate energy efficiency criteria into our designs to maximize your building's thermal performance while respecting your tastes and requirements. Whether you want to renovate an old cottage, expand your home, or build an energy-efficient garage, our team will support you to ensure your project is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and environmentally friendly.
By collaborating with qualified contractors and guiding you toward financial assistance programs, Plan Maison Québec helps you make the most of available tax credits, grants, and other tax benefits. Our goal is to provide you with a smooth, cost-effective and satisfying experience from start to finish.
Conclusion: A renovation project on the horizon? Let’s talk about it!
Although the RénoVert tax credit is now a thing of the past, it has paved the way for more responsible and forward-looking renovations. Current programs, available technologies, and Quebecers' growing environmental awareness create an environment conducive to the realization of sustainable projects.
At Plan Maison Québec, we are proud to support our clients in this process. We put our expertise at your service to design plans tailored to your needs, incorporating best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability.
Don't wait any longer to transform your house, cottage or garage into a comfortable, efficient and environmentally friendly place.
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