Last November, the Federal Government released the Climate Change Plan for Canada. It outlines Canada’s strategy for meeting our climate change objectives and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the plan, Canadians are asked to reduce their average yearly greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent. One way to do this is by reducing the amount of energy the average home consumes by creating energy efficient houses. The Climate Change Plan encourages home owners, particularly those with less energy-efficient older homes, to reduce energy use by making renovations that will increase efficiency. It also offers an approximate incentive of $1000 to Canadians who make qualified  energy-efficient improvements to their homes. The incentive works as follows: Home Energy Evaluations: The Government of Canada, through the EnerGuide for Houses, will share the cost of the important first step of evaluating a home and recommending energy-efficient improvements to the homeowners. The evaluation will cost between $225 and $325, but the Department of Natural Resources subsidizes the evaluation by $150 per house. Retrofits: The amount of the grant the Government will provide for this phase depends upon the difference between the EnerGuide for Houses rating of the home before and after improvements are made. The greater the improvement to a home’s energy-efficiency rating, the larger the grant. To find out more information about the Government of Canada’s EnerGuide program, please visit: www.energuideforhouses.gc.ca