Rénoclimat 2026: battery and generator rebates

Rénoclimat changed on October 1, 2026. Two of its measures are directly about a master electrician’s work, and both are new: adding a fixed battery and connecting a backup power source, such as a generator. Here is what the program guide says, measure by measure, and what to keep for your application.

What changed on October 1, 2026

A new version of Rénoclimat has been in effect since October 1, 2026. It will end on March 31, 2029. Work done before October 1, 2026 does not qualify for financial assistance.

• Two new measures: neither adding a fixed battery nor connecting a backup power source was funded under the previous version of the program.
• The energy evaluation before the work is no longer mandatory. It is still recommended, and it is subsidized up to $500.
• The application: a secure online portal to submit it and track it is being developed.

Rénoclimat is a Québec government program run by the MELCCFP, not by Hydro-Québec. Its customer service line is 1-866-266-0008.

Already had a file under the previous version? The deadline to have the post-work energy evaluation done is March 31, 2027.

Fixed battery: up to $4,000

The “Adding a fixed battery” measure pays up to $4,000. The rebate is the lower of two amounts: what you paid for the eligible expenses, before taxes, or the measure’s maximum.

What qualifies. The purchase of a system that meets all of these requirements:

• a set of one or more batteries and one or more inverters, permanently connected to the home’s electrical panel;
• a capacity of at least 5 kWh;
• an inverter that delivers a true sine wave, with a continuous capacity of at least 1.2 kW and a surge capacity of at least 2.5 kW;
• an inverter that is not isolated from the grid: it can power the house at the same time as the electricity distributor’s grid;
• an inverter that meets Hydro-Québec’s E.12-07 standard for connecting inverters.

What is excluded:

• portable batteries;
• electric vehicles;
• a master electrician’s fees.

The section of the guide that describes the fixed battery sets no requirement for solar panels. A fixed battery can therefore qualify without panels, as long as it meets the requirements above.

Since the electrician’s fees are not covered, ask for a detailed invoice where the price of the battery and the inverter is shown separately from the work.

The fixed battery is part of the program’s Energy Efficiency component. All the rebates in that component count toward an overall cap per home: $21,500 for a house, $31,000 for a duplex, a triplex or a multi-unit residential building (4 units or more).

Generator hookup: up to $1,000 for the master electrician

The measure for connecting a backup power source pays up to $1,000. It belongs to the same Energy Efficiency component as the fixed battery. The work must be done by a master electrician who holds an RBQ 16.0 licence that is valid at the time of the work.

This rebate pays the master electrician’s fees: connecting the backup source to the transfer switch, installing the switch and connecting it to the panel. The following are not eligible: buying the backup power source, buying the transfer switch, and buying an inverter that can act as a transfer switch.

The hookup is the work we already do: a portable generator connected through a power inlet and a manual transfer switch, or a standby generator that starts on its own with an automatic transfer switch. Our guide on the transfer switch (in French) explains the heart of that work, and the one on automatic standby generators (in French) covers the full installation.

One rule doesn’t change, rebate or not: a generator runs outdoors, never in the garage, at least 6 metres from any building.

Who qualifies

The home must have been built and lived in for at least five years when you apply. It must also be connected to an electricity distributor’s grid: an off-grid building does not qualify.

• Principal residence: the fixed battery and the backup power source hookup are limited to principal residences, duplexes, triplexes and multi-unit residential buildings. For both, the home must not be your secondary residence, such as a cottage.
• Once per measure: you cannot claim the rebate for the same measure more than once per home, except for windows.
• No do-it-yourself work: work done by the owner themselves does not qualify.

For a special case, the program’s customer service line is 1-866-266-0008.

The contractor’s role: licences and a signed attestation

The contractor must hold the Régie du bâtiment du Québec licences whose category and subcategories match exactly the field and scope of the work. They must also be a member of the professional order responsible for that field, where applicable, and be registered with the Québec enterprise register (REQ).

It is the contractor who fills out and signs the work compliance attestation form. That form has a box for adding a fixed battery (Appendix 2), where the contractor enters the invoice, the amount before taxes and the date the work was completed.

The application itself is yours to submit to the MELCCFP, with the contractor’s attestation among your documents.

At STM-Électrique. The company is run by Adam Chirola, master electrician. Our RBQ licence 5815-0137-01 is valid and includes subcategory 16, Electricity. We are members of the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec. We connect generators and install fixed batteries tied into the panel. When a generator hookup is done, you receive a detailed invoice and a work report.

The documents to keep and the 12-month deadline

The application for financial assistance must be submitted to the MELCCFP no later than 12 months after the date the work was completed. The guide asks for these documents:

• the property assessment roll;
• the detailed invoices for the work;
• the contractor’s compliance attestation form;
• photos of the work;
• the evaluation or diagnostic report, if applicable.

The rebate is paid by cheque, and your social insurance number is required. Keep these documents together as soon as the job is finished: the 12-month deadline runs from the date the work was completed, which also appears on the attestation.

The portal isn’t open yet: what to do in the meantime

A secure online portal to submit an application and track it is being developed. You can, however, do eligible work right now under the program’s new rules.

1. Check that your home qualifies: five years, connected to the grid, and a principal residence, for the fixed battery as for the generator.
2. Hire a contractor who holds the RBQ licences that match the work exactly. For a generator hookup, a master electrician with the 16.0 licence.
3. Get the compliance attestation filled out and signed by the contractor.
4. Keep the detailed invoices, the photos, the property assessment roll and, if applicable, the evaluation or diagnostic report.
5. Note the date the work was completed: the application must go in within 12 months.

Before you submit, check the Rénoclimat page on Québec.ca: it is the program’s official source.

A limited budget, first come, first served

Applications for financial assistance are accepted until the budget set aside for the program runs out. The program itself ends on March 31, 2029. For each project, the application must go in no later than 12 months after the work is completed.

Rénoclimat, LogisVert and combining rebates

The Rénoclimat guide does not allow its rebate to be combined with direct or indirect financial assistance received from the departments, agencies and Crown corporations of the governments of Québec and Canada, including tax credits, as well as from municipal entities that are not direct beneficiaries of the program.

LogisVert, Hydro-Québec’s rebate program, has its own rule: if your application is accepted, you agree not to submit another rebate application for the same equipment or the same work. And LogisVert does not accept energy storage equipment: a battery is not eligible there.

Before combining a Rénoclimat rebate with any other assistance, have your project confirmed by the program’s customer service, at 1-866-266-0008.

For an EV charger, see our guide on the Québec EV charger rebate. For a panel upgrade, see our guide on rebates for replacing a panel (in French).

What about solar?

The fixed battery does not require solar panels. The panels themselves fall under a separate rebate, offered by Hydro-Québec through LogisVert. For that one, the final connection request must have been made by a master electrician. The process, from the connection request to final approval, is explained in our guide on solar panels and Hydro-Québec.

For the same project, nothing confirms that you can receive both Hydro-Québec’s solar rebate and Rénoclimat’s assistance: each of the two programs limits combining. Before counting on both, ask Rénoclimat, at 1-866-266-0008.

We install the panels ourselves, with or without a battery: see our page on solar panel and battery installation. For a battery on its own, see our home battery backup page. What varies from one solar and battery project to the next, and what the rebates cover: see our guide on solar and battery cost.

Frequently asked questions