Register for Ontario’s GreenON Program: Free Nest, Ecobee, or Honeywell Smart Thermostat

The province of Ontario has kicked off the Green Ontario (GreenON) Installations Program, which offers residents a free smart thermostat from either Nest, Toronto’s Ecobee or Honeywell, if you have either a furnace or central air conditioner.

The eligibility requirements? You need to be either a homeowner or renter in:

• A single-detached home
• A semi-detached home
• Townhome
• Row home

Renters will require permission from their landlord to participate, and vice versa. Those living in multi-residential buildings are not eligible, while the program cannot replace existing smart thermostats one has in the home.

Eligible residents first need to register online or by phone, then book an appointment for an in-home energy review. A GreenON installations rep will visit your home for the review and install of the smart thermostat (and take away your old unit), which will take about two hours. A few weeks later, you’ll receive a custom home energy report, detailing your energy profile plus include tips on saving power in your home.

The program limits one smart thermostat per household, with the installation program administered by Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

According to The Star, Environment and Climate Change Minister Chris Ballard announced the $40-million program today through the new Green Ontario Fund. The latter was created with $377 million in revenues from Ontario’s cap-and-trade program.

The province’s cap-and-trade program limits the amount of pollution companies can release into the atmosphere, and if limits are exceeded, extra credits must be purchased. This fiscal year, Ontario’s cap-and-trade program is forecasted to add $1.8 billion to government coffers.

Green Ontario Fund chairman Parminder Sandhu said there are 100,000 smart thermostats available.

Click here to sign up for the GreenON installations program, as early registration is now available. Heavy demand for the program crashed the site earlier this morning, but it works fine now. Let us know if you end up getting registered!