Frequently asked questions

The Instant Discounts program launched on December 18, 2023, and incentives offered through the program are paid directly to distributors, enabling them to offer instant point-of-sale discounts to their customers on energy-efficient lighting. There is no paperwork to apply for the program on the part of contractors, consultants, or end users. This will eliminate wait times and application processing resulting in a streamlined customer experience. The Retrofit program stopped accepting new applications for most lighting measures after December 17, 2023, as the incentives for these measures were moved to the Instant Discounts program.

Current building codes require energy-efficient lighting to be installed in newly constructed buildings, therefore lighting being installed in new buildings is not eligible for the incentive. The Instant Discounts program incentive is only available for retrofits to existing buildings where less-efficient lighting previously existed. This will be determined at the point of purchase.

Network lighting controls, horticultural lighting, and horticultural advanced lighting controls are offered through the Retrofit program.

Retrofit program applications for lighting measures that have been submitted for pre-approval prior to or on December 17, 2023, and receive pre-approval by December 31, 2024 will continue to be eligible to receive the Retrofit program incentive after program requirements are met. However, to avoid duplication of incentives paid, Retrofit program participants must not accept the Save on Energy Instant Discounts program incentive from participating distributors when purchasing lighting measures.

No. Customers may choose to participate in either the Retrofit program or in the Instant Discounts program, but not participate in both programs for the same project.

If you have any questions about the Retrofit program, please contact your Save on Energy representative or the Retrofit Support Line at retrofit@ieso.ca or 1-844-303-5542. For questions about the Instant Discounts program, please call 1-888-351-0034.

The list below includes measures that were added to the program in January 2021. Since then, other measures have been added in semi-annual program updates. For more information on each program update, please see these pages:

• Spring 2023 program update
• Fall 2022 program update
• Spring 2022 program update
• Fall 2021 program update
• Spring 2021 program update

Keep up with program changes by visiting Latest Energy News & Incentive Updates | Save on Energy.

Applications for the Retrofit Custom stream will be required to submit a Measurement & Verification report only if the incentive for the project is $80,000 or greater. Applications with Prescriptive measures only do not require measurement and verification. However, your application may still be subject to QA/QC. If this is the case, your technical reviewer will advise you what is required.

Incentives are capped at 50 percent of eligible project costs. Please refer to the Retrofit Program Requirements for the types of eligible project costs for Prescriptive and Custom projects.

If an application has already been submitted but is not yet pre-approved, applicants are able to cancel their Prescriptive application and resubmit it under the Custom stream.

If an application has already been pre-approved, applicants cannot cancel it to re-apply in the Custom stream. Applications that have already been pre-approved have incurred program administration costs that are paid by ratepayer funding. It is important for the IESO to avoid paying these costs twice for the same service on the same project to ensure cost-effective program delivery, maximize funding available for participant incentives and protect ratepayer investment.

Applicants with pre-approved applications are reminded that the Prescriptive stream offers a streamlined application, faster turnaround, no measurement and verification requirements and still attractive incentive levels. Program participants can choose either the Custom or Prescriptive stream for their project when applying for the program.

The Retrofit program offers incentives for commercial entities for a variety of energy-efficiency upgrades through the Prescriptive and Custom streams.

The Retrofit Prescriptive stream offers financial incentives for common commercial products and technologies that meet pre-defined energy-efficiency specifications including but not limited to: agricultural grow lights and controls, network lighting controls, HVAC controls and pumps, motors, variable frequency drives, and manufacturing equipment.

The Retrofit Custom stream offers financial incentives to help businesses undertake larger, more complex retrofit projects, which are more reflective of the participant’s actual operating conditions. The Custom stream is structured to accommodate a wider range of project types.

The Energy Performance Program (EPP) is designed for large businesses and provides incentives for reducing energy consumption regardless of the technology used. Incentives under EPP are based on a pay-for-performance model that encourage whole building energy performance improvements, as well as peak demand reduction. To find out which stream is suitable for your Retrofit project, look up the program comparison guide.

Peak demand savings is the average load reduction in electricity demand between the existing equipment and the proposed energy efficiency equipment occurring between a defined period of peak electricity consumption. As of January 1, 2025, the peak demand savings period for the Retrofit program has been updated to refer to the average load reduction in electricity demand in kilowatts (kW) between 3 pm to 9 pm on weekdays for June 1 to September 30. For measures that are weather dependent, the demand savings shall be considered as occurring at peak design load conditions.

Retrofit applications that received pre-approval by December 31, 2024 do not need to be updated to reflect the new peak demand period. Retrofit applications with a Custom project that received pre-approval by December 31, 2024 should continue to use the peak demand period of 1 pm to 7 pm on business days, June 1 to August 31 that was effective at the time their application was pre-approved. Your Save on Energy technical reviewer will be in contact with you to support you if you submitted a Custom application but did not receive pre-approval by December 31, 2024.

You can sign up for a new account by filling out this form. The form submits your request to register for the Retrofit application portal. You will then receive an email to activate your account. The activation link will take you to a page to create your password and security questions. Once you’ve completed these steps, you will be able to log in to the new Retrofit application portal.

You can view all applications associated with your User ID in the Retrofit application portal. If you have more than one User ID, you will need to login with each User ID to see all your applications.

Support is available for customers of the Retrofit program to help them complete applications, move applications from pre-approval to project completion and all steps in between. Three Retrofit program service providers – Enerva (Toronto), CLEAResult (Central and Southwestern Ontario), and ICF (Northern and Eastern Ontario) – have Save on Energy representatives who are available to support customers by answering questions, providing advice on energy-efficiency projects, and supporting with application submissions and technical reviews for the Retrofit program. For more information or to get in touch with a Save on Energy representative in your area, please contact the Retrofit Support Line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca.

Please note our Save on Energy representatives use email addresses that end in retrofitprogram.ca.

The Save on Energy Retrofit representatives can help identify retrofit opportunities, clarify program requirements, build and submit program applications, and close out projects. They can also visit your project site and conduct in-person training for your team on how to navigate the Retrofit Portal, complete worksheets, meet program requirements and more.

If requested, Save on Energy Retrofit representatives can provide customers with several options for contractors or suppliers that service their area and have previously successfully participated in the Save on Energy program. Please be aware that this is not a recommendation or endorsement of the named companies.

Contact your Save on Energy Retrofit representative prior to submitting your multi-site application to ensure smooth processing. Contact the Retrofit Support Line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca to be assigned a Save on Energy Retrofit representative.

Resource Innovations is a third-party company involved in evaluating the Retrofit program, who may contact Retrofit participants to share their experience with the program for evaluation purposes. Resource Innovations will only contact Retrofit participants about a completed project that has received approval for incentive payment, which occurs when the incentive invoice for your application has been approved in the Retrofit portal. If you should have any questions or concerns surrounding a request received from Resource Innovations, please kindly contact your Save on Energy representative for further clarification.

The Applicant Representative prepares and submits the application to the Applicant, who in turn reviews and submits the application to the Save on Energy technical reviewer for review and approval. Only an Applicant can officially submit a Retrofit application. The Applicant is the business owner/operator that will be purchasing and operating the upgrades for their facility and receiving the incentive for the Retrofit application.

Yes, you need to create an account to accept and submit your application. Even if you assign a third party (an Applicant Representative) to act on your behalf, as the Applicant you will still need to submit the final application to the Save on Energy technical reviewer for review and approval and you need a Retrofit portal account to do that.

Both approaches work. An Applicant Representative can create a new application by first specifying the Applicant (or company) he or she is working for and then proceeding to create the new application. As an alternative, Applicants can also assign their application to an Applicant Representative to prepare. In all cases, however, the final application must be submitted by the Applicant to the Save on Energy technical reviewer for review and approval through the Retrofit portal.

When you begin your project is up to you after you submit your Retrofit application. You can start work once your application is submitted, or you may wait until your application receives pre-approval to ensure it meets Program Requirements. If you choose to start your project before your application is pre-approved, it is important to know there is a risk that your project may receive a lower than expected incentive amount, or that your project application may not be approved.

Before you start your project, you should also be aware that some projects are selected for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) based on their incentive amounts, and that some smaller projects are selected at random. Photos are often required for this purpose – check the QA/QC Guidelines and Photo Best Practices to make sure you have what you might need.

There is no grace period for submitting an application for a project that has already started. As described in the Program Requirements, participants must not have entered into a binding commitment prior to applying to the Retrofit program.

Customers must submit a Retrofit application and accept the Retrofit Participant Agreement as part of their application before entering into a binding commitment; examples of a binding commitment include: 1) purchase order issued, 2) contract signed with a service provider, 3) equipment purchased, including ordered but not paid for.

Contact your Save on Energy representative before you start your project; if you do not know your representative’s details, please contact the Retrofit Support line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca.

Once your Retrofit incentive invoice has been approved, it should take between eight and twelve weeks to receive your incentive. Retrofit Participants are required to submit an invoice to the IESO for the approved incentive amount after their post-project application is approved. For more information and support on preparing and submitting an incentive invoice, please refer to the Retrofit incentive invoicing FAQs.

The completion date for your Retrofit project depends on when your application receives pre-approval, as further detailed in the applicable Retrofit Participant Agreement that is effective on the date that the application receives pre-approval.

If your Retrofit application receives pre-approval after 2024, then you will need to complete your project and receive approval for your post-project application and incentive invoice within 2-years following the date your application was pre-approved. Participants need to complete their project and submit their post-project application and incentive invoice with enough time to enable the Save on Energy technical reviewer to complete the application review to meet the Participant Incentive Invoice Approval Deadline, which is detailed further in the Program Requirements. Applications for the Energy Management Information System (EMIS) need to complete their project and receive approval for their post-project application and incentive invoice no later than March 31, 2027.

Please reach out to your Save on Energy Representative, contact the Retrofit Support line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca if you have questions regarding the timelines for when your project needs to be completed for your Retrofit application.

It is always best to complete all the information in the application, but we recognize that sometimes that isn’t possible – for example, when a tender process hasn’t been concluded. In this case, applicants should estimate the project costs and include a note explaining why they are estimated and when actual costs are expected to be available. This will help the technical reviewer understand why estimated costs were included in the application.

Pre-approval means that the Save on Energy technical reviewer has completed the review for your application and the project has been deemed eligible for a Retrofit program incentive. A formal notice will be sent through the Retrofit portal stating that you may proceed with the project in accordance with the Program Requirements.

Most application pre-approvals take about two to three weeks to complete. The approval time can often depend on the complexity of the project and the amount of follow up required.

If a high volume of applications has been received, pre-approval time may exceed this timeline. The IESO recommends checking in with your Save on Energy technical reviewer or signing in to your Retrofit portal account to keep track of your application’s progress.

During the pre-approval process, your technical reviewer may determine that your application requires further information to support pre-approval. Mandatory quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) is required for projects that exceed certain incentive amounts, as well as for some smaller projects selected at random. Please refer to the QA/QC guidelines for more information.

You may submit pictures showing the existing conditions to support your application. However, QA/QC requirements can vary slightly from project to project and your technical reviewer may request further specific photographs to fulfill the QA/QC requirements once the application review process has begun.

Please refer to the Top Tips guide and Photo Best Practices for more information.

Yes – participants need to upload an incentive invoice to the Retrofit portal once their post-project application is approved for the incentive to be paid. Please do not send an invoice, either paper or electronic, to the IESO. Incentive invoices will only be accepted if they are uploaded to the Retrofit portal.

Please check our invoice guide and template for guidance on what needs to be included and how to upload it to the portal.

If several facilities were the subject of a multi-site application, one incentive invoice should be uploaded for the total incentive for the application. If the facilities applied to the program under separate applications, separate invoices should be submitted - one for each application.

One incentive invoice should be uploaded for each application and should be specific to the application.

Your invoice should include the following:

• IESO’s Address: 120 Adelaide Street West, Unit 1600, Toronto, ON M5H 1T1
• Applicant’s company address
• Applicant’s company HST number
• Incentive amount (exactly as post-approved)
• HST on the incentive amount if applicable
• An issue date

Save on Energy does not pay late fees for incentive payments; please do not include late fees on your invoice or it will not be approved.

Please check our invoice guide and template for more guidance on what needs to be included.

Please upload your invoice to the Retrofit portal for your application. It should not be sent to the IESO. Please note that the IESO does not pay late fees for incentive invoices.

You can check out this brief video, Submitting a Final Invoice, for steps on how to upload your invoice. If you have not registered for the portal, you may sign up here.

The incentive will be sent by cheque to the address listed as the applicant address under Applicant details in the Retrofit application. To clarify, this is not the address listed on the Applicant’s account. If the address needs updating, please call the Retrofit Support line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca.

Retrofit participants are requested to submit invoices to the IESO for their participant incentives for multiple reasons. Invoices serve as accounting records to support the incentive payments made by the IESO and satisfies various auditing and accounting record keeping requirements. Invoices also ensure the incentive funds are paid to the right applicant (i.e., a business entity) rather than individuals or applicant representatives. Furthermore, invoices provide the IESO with required information on payment method, remittance notices as well as details of tax being charged by the applicant, along with HST registration numbers, where applicable. The latter two serve as records for the IESO as part of its own tax filings. Proper audit and documentation allows the IESO to identify the programs for which the payment is for, ensures the invoice is paid on a timely basis and enables follow up with the proper contacts to resolve issues, if any.

Yes. A multi-site application provides the convenience of one application for many different facilities, but it is treated as one application, so all the measures need to be installed at all of the facilities for the application to move forward to post-approval.

One cheque is generated for each individual application, so a multi-site application will receive one cheque.

A multi-site application provides the convenience of one application for many different facilities, but it is treated as one application, so one cheque is generated for each individual application. One cheque per facility is not available for a multi-site application.

Yes. All of the facilities in a multi-site application need to meet the minimum track incentive and savings requirement for the application to be eligible. A facility that does not meet the eligibility requirements must be removed from the multi-site application. Please refer to the Retrofit Program Requirements for the eligibility requirements that apply to each facility in a multi-site application.

Facilities in a multi-site application may be selected for mandatory or random QA/QC. Mandatory QA/QC is required for facilities where the facility incentive exceeds $20,000. Facilities in a multi-site application may be randomly selected for QA/QC, even if the incentive is below the mandatory QA/QC incentive amount. Only the facilities in a multi-site application that are selected for mandatory or random QA/QC are required to provide additional documents to capture the existing baseline and proposed retrofit conditions. Please refer to the QA/QC Guidelines for more information on the QA/QC process and information required when a facility is selected.

Facilities in a multi-site application may be subject to M&V requirements based on a facility’s project, track and incentive. M&V requirements are only required for facilities with projects that are applying through the Custom track, as described in the  Measurement and Verification Procedure. Please refer to the Measurement and Verification Procedure for more information on projects that are subject to M&V requirements and the information required.

Yes. Documents are required to support the information for each facility in a multi-site application and need to be uploaded with your online application. You may choose to upload one file containing all of the information required for all of the facilities in the multi-site application, as long as the information for each facility is clearly labelled. The technical reviewer may request clarification or additional information if the documents do not clearly specify the applicable information for each facility, or do not match the application details in the Retrofit portal.

The participant must take all necessary steps to have equipment that was removed or replaced as a result of the project disposed of or decommissioned in accordance with appropriate disposal/decommissioning processes, applicable laws, regulations, and in accordance with commercially reasonable environmental practices. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the contractor hired follows appropriate disposal or decommissioning processes. A signed disposal confirmation form is typically the only document required for the purposes of post-project submission and approval. However, the IESO or Save on Energy technical reviewer may request disposal certificates or other similar documentation at their discretion, therefore it is strongly recommended that the participant maintains their disposal records accordingly. The Participant Confirmation Form for Equipment Disposal and Decommissioning is available here.

There are various regulations and laws in Ontario outlining disposal requirements for different equipment and substances under waste management. See https://www.ontario.ca/page/waste-management. The province’s hazardous waste laws set out rules and guidelines for proper management and disposal of hazardous waste and materials that may be removed when you complete your Retrofit projects. See https://www.ontario.ca/page/hazardous-waste-management-business-and-industry. 

Your local municipality may also have resources on waste management and disposal, and may list eligible disposal facilities in your area. 

Other organizations such as the Circular Innovation Council(previously named Recycling Council of Ontario) and registered Ontario waste disposal companies may have best practices and programs that can help you to properly manage and dispose of your old equipment, both hazardous and non-hazardous.

Proper disposal documentation must:

• Be issued by a licensed disposal facility 
• Reference the participant company name and contact information
• Include:
  • Project site address
  • Quantity and type of equipment
  • Date of equipment disposal
  • Name of disposal facility authority
  • Receipt(s) for disposal services

Disposal confirmation form is required to be submitted with post-project documentation.

If there are concerns about the contents or type of documentation, contact your Save on Energy representative or the Retrofit Support line at 1-844-303-5542, or email retrofit@ieso.ca.

There is a consideration in the Participant Agreement, which is accepted at the start of the application process, which states that "the Participant may utilize its removed or replaced air compressor for emergency back-up situations and/or scheduled maintenance purposes only. The Participant shall record the number of hours the removed or replaced air compressor is utilized, which shall not exceed 4% of the annual average run time of the air compressor. The Participant shall provide the log of recorded emergency and/or scheduled maintenance use to the IESO upon request."

To understand the type of documentation needed for this exception, contact your Save on Energy representative.

Contact your Save on Energy representative or the Retrofit Support line by calling 1-844-303-5542, or by emailing retrofit@ieso.ca.

The Save on Energy Retrofit program is offering a new incentive for distributed energy resources (DERs) for businesses in Ottawa.

The incentive is for the installation of large solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop systems. The incentive is $860 per AC kW (minimum generation capacity of 50 kW AC and maximum of 1,000 kW AC).

The solar systems are intended for load displacement so the size of the solar panel array cannot exceed the maximum load of the facility. The minimum generation capacity is 50 kW AC and the maximum is 1,000 kW AC that can be incented.

Systems larger than 1,000 kW AC can be considered however the maximum incentive cannot exceed $860,000 based on 1,000 kW AC.

A maximum incentive cap was set to help manage the program budget and connection availability.

This incentive is intended for commercial, industrial and institutional participants who are interested in behind-the-meter solar installations to displace their load and reduce their demand on the grid, without adding greenhouse gases. Customers who are interested in a net metering arrangement will receive a benefit through the arrangement so are not eligible for the incentive.

Participants must follow the Retrofit program requirements. The incentive will only be paid to the participant, which must be the owner or operator of the facility on which the solar PV system is installed. The solar PV system itself cannot be considered as the facility as defined in the Retrofit program requirements.

The project is eligible as long as a binding commitment has not been entered into for the solar PV equipment. For example, a purchase order for the equipment must not have already been issued.

Approximately 5,200 square feet is required for a solar PV system that generates 50 kW AC assuming 65 kW of DC panel sizing. Please speak to a qualified solar PV installer with experience in large commercial rooftop installations to confirm how much available rooftop is needed for your project size.

The Canadian Renewable Energy Association provides a comprehensive list of installers, developers, service providers and supply-chain companies working in solar energy. Please see https://renewablesassociation.ca/member-directory/.

As per the Retrofit program requirements, incentives are limited to 50% of the project costs, including eligible solar PV panels, inverter technologies, racking system, and installation costs.

Measure incentive cannot exceed $860,000 based on 1,000 kW AC total maximum output; however, systems larger than 1000 kW AC can be submitted but incentive will be capped at the 1,000 kW AC value.

The incentive for solar PV systems in Ottawa is limited to rooftop, parking canopies or wall-mounted installations.

For more information on the program, visit the Save on Energy Website , or contact the Save on Energy representatives for the Ottawa area at 1-855-654-9291 or easternoutreach@retrofitprogram.ca. Companies interested in accessing this incentive are strongly encouraged to speak to their local distribution company to discuss the connection process and the allowable maximum capacity of the PV system before submitting a Retrofit program application for this measure. Hydro Ottawa CDM representatives can be reached through CDM@hydroottawa.com or 1-613-738-5474.

*Please contact your LDC regarding ability to connect the DER measure to the electricity grid.

Energy-efficient equipment is eligible for incentives in the Retrofit program for a new load provided that:

• the facility meets the program requirements; that is, it is a non-residential/commercial building connected to the electricity grid when the application is pre-approved
• the equipment being installed is an eligible measure in the program 

Projects with facilities that do not meet the above requirements are not eligible for Retrofit program incentives.

New loads may occur in existing facilities or in “new construction” facilities. New construction facilities include New Building Systems, an Extension of Existing Building, Extensive Renovation, and Change of Major Occupancy, as defined in the Ontario Building Code.

Certain prescriptive measures are not eligible for “new construction” or “avoided consumption” incentives. Please refer to the optional worksheets or the Retrofit portal to confirm if the measure is eligible for these types of project incentives.

If you have additional questions about “new construction” or “avoided consumption” projects, please contact your Save on Energy representative.

No, a one-to-one replacement is not required as long as the installed energy-efficient equipment meets all eligibility criteria. Note that spare parts, spare equipment or other inventories are ineligible.

These measures are available for incentives through the Custom stream of the Retrofit program. They will be incentivized at $0.13/kWh or $1200/kW (Peak Demand) and up to 50% of the eligible claimed project cost. Please reach out to your Save on Energy representative in order to discuss any further questions or concerns that you may have regarding these measures.

Incentives are available for commercial customers who operate multi-residential buildings to replace some inefficient appliances in the suites of their buildings. These measures include refrigerators, in-suite temperature controls and room air conditioners. Please see the Multi-residential In-suite worksheet.

Incentives are also available for eligible measures in common areas including the lobby, stairwells, hallways and common rooms of multi-residential buildings. Please refer to the Network Lighting Controls, Unitary AC and Unitary ASHP worksheets.

It depends on the project. For example, if you are replacing a pump motor with an efficient one and installing a VFD, you can apply under both the Motor worksheet and the VFD worksheet.

However, if you are replacing an existing chiller with a high-efficiency chiller that includes VFDs, you should only use the HVAC Chiller worksheet, as the VFD is an integral part of the equipment and is necessary to reach the minimum efficiency specified on the HVAC Chiller worksheet.

Yes, DLC fixtures with a primary use designation of ‘Parking Garage Luminaires’ will be accepted under the Low-Bay tier. These fixtures must meet the Low-Bay criteria (≤10,000 lumens, ≤100 W) and must be installed in an indoor parking garage.

On occasion, a customer will need a specialty lighting product to execute their project. These products are niche and will not be listed on DLC or Energy Star. For example, specialty lighting includes but is not limited to, display case lighting, stage lighting, operating room lighting, theatre lighting, signage lighting, or any non-general lighting application. Custom stream eligibility will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The formal requirements to consider when requesting approval of non-listed lighting products are summarized below:

1. The specification sheet for the product must be provided;
2. A warranty period of at least 5 years must be guaranteed by the manufacturer;
3. There must be proof that the product has a recognized ESA safety mark;
4. LM79 testing data must be provided for the specialty lighting to verify the following criterion:

   Criterion	Benchmark
   Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)	Power Factor (PF)
   < 25%	≥ 0.9

Fixtures listed on the DLC under the DLC’s Horticultural Technical Requirements V2.1 will remain eligible for Retrofit incentives, provided that the following conditions are met:

• The fixture model(s) are listed on the DLC's website under the "Delisted Products" section.
• The delisted fixture model(s) must be compliant with the Horticultural Technical Requirements V2.1.
• The delisting date for the fixture model(s) on DLC’s website is March 31, 2024.
• A retrofit application containing fixture model(s) that meet the aforementioned conditions is pre-approved by December 31, 2024, and the project is completed by December 31, 2025.