The air sealing bonus is an incentive designed to encourage participants of the Home Insulation Rebate to complete comprehensive air sealing alongside their insulation projects. The bonus requires participants to complete both a pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation to measure the level of air leakage improvement. The dollar value of the bonus is based on the percentage of improvement. 

There will be a question on the Home Insulation Rebate application form asking whether you’re planning to participate in the air sealing bonus. Upon completion of your air sealing and insulation project, you’ll submit copies of your pre- and post-retrofit evaluation reports, specifically your Home Owner Information Sheets (HOIS), to indicate your pre- and post-retrofit air leakage rates.  

Air sealing has many benefits, including: 

• reduced energy consumption and energy bills; 
• improved indoor air quality, comfort, and noise control;
• reduced potential for moisture buildup and related issues; and
• extending the lifespan of heating and ventilation systems.

No. While you must apply to our Home Insulation Rebate through a registered contractor or retailer, the work can be done by either a contractor or yourself as a DIY project.

Air sealing techniques vary depending on the unique needs of your home and where you’re adding insulation. We recommend having an experienced insulation contractor who’s aware of common leakage points complete your upgrade. Alternatively, we suggest you review the resources listed on our web page for air sealing best practices.  

Completing all the eligible insulation upgrades as one renovation project and sealing all leakage points identified in your EnerGuide evaluation will also help ensure the minimum improvement requirement for the air sealing bonus is met. 

When air sealing your home, it’s important to address any existing moisture issues prior to starting any work. Trapping moisture in a well-sealed area can reduce drying potential and make the problem worse. It’s also important to be aware of how insulating and air sealing can change how air moves in and out of your home. Proper ventilation is essential to ensuring good indoor air quality, especially in an airtight home or ones implementing air sealing measures. Learn more about energy efficiency retrofits and indoor air quality. 

No, an eligible insulation upgrade must be completed through our Home Insulation Rebate offer to receive the air sealing bonus.

Yes, you can participate in our Home Insulation Rebate air sealing bonus multiple times. If you’ve previously participated in our Home Insulation Rebate air sealing bonus, we’ll use the air leakage rate from your previous post-retrofit evaluation as your starting air leakage rate for your new project. Follow the steps to participate, starting at step 3: Apply for Home Insulation Rebate & air sealing bonus. After receiving approval and completing your insulation and air sealing project, you’ll complete a post-retrofit evaluation, which allows us to measure your change in air leakage rate.

Please note that while it’s possible to participate in our Home Insulation Rebate air sealing bonus multiple times, when you split your insulation and air sealing upgrades into multiple renovation projects, it may be more difficult to achieve the minimum air leakage improvement level required to receive the air sealing bonus. 

The homeowner is responsible for both contacting a service organization to schedule the pre- and post-retrofit evaluations and for paying the service organization directly. Homeowners may qualify for a $400 rebate toward the cost of their pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation through our EnerGuide Home Evaluation Rebate. The homeowner is responsible for submitting their application to Efficiency Manitoba within 90 days of their pre-retrofit evaluation date. This is a separate application process from their Home Insulation Rebate. 

We don’t offer a rebate toward the cost of a post-retrofit evaluation. The Home Insulation Rebate air sealing bonus is designed with this in mind, helping you offset the cost of both air sealing your home and your post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation. 

During an EnerGuide home evaluation, an energy advisor or other certified professional will measure your air leaking rate by pressurizing or depressurizing your home using a large calibrated fan often called a blower door system. Your air leakage value will be measured in air changes per hour (ACH) and will be provided in your Home Owner Information Sheet (HOIS) report along with your potential air sealing opportunities. An ACH of 5 or higher suggests you have significant air sealing opportunities. A post-retrofit evaluation will assess the change made to your air leakage rate. 

If you’ve already completed a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation before learning about the air sealing bonus, you can participate if the evaluation was completed on or after January 1, 2025. If your evaluation was completed before that date and you haven’t completed any upgrades to your home yet, you may still be eligible.  

Additionally, if you’ve completed a post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation and no further upgrades have been made to the home, this evaluation will be used as your pre-retrofit baseline. A new post-retrofit evaluation will be required once your insulation project is completed to measure the new change in air leakage. 

The air sealing bonus is added to the rebate for an eligible insulation project offered through our Home Insulation Rebate. The rebate cheque is paid to the homeowner. 

Both offers require a pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation. The Home Energy Retrofits offer is intended for whole-home renovations with significant energy savings and is a better option for customers who are also completing other upgrades such as a change to their heating and cooling system in addition to adding more insulation to their home.