Efficient Solutions – business equipment
Financial support for Québec businesses and institutions installing equipment that saves electricity or reduces demand during peak periods.
Esta oportunidad está disponible actualmente en inglés.
You can fund predefined improvements such as efficient lighting, heat pumps, building insulation and industrial equipment through the Simplified Option. The OSE calculation tool identifies eligible measures and calculates their support. For eligible business electricity rates other than G and Flex G, the Customized Option supports efficiency projects whose measures or applications are outside that tool.
For the Simplified Option, support is the amount calculated by OSE, capped at CAD 5 million per project. Buildings on Rate G or Flex G fall under the Small Businesses component: support must reach CAD 500, and you must pay at least 10% of eligible costs. Other eligible business rates fall under the Medium and Large Businesses component: support must reach CAD 1,000, and you must pay at least 25%. For a project combining G/Flex G buildings with buildings on other rates, the CAD 1,000 minimum applies. Photovoltaic solar panels require a 60% contribution in either component. Eligible costs are assessed before tax and normally cover new equipment, installation and commissioning, excluding equipment financing costs. Demand-response programming has specific eligible costs, including controls, commissioning, training and up to 12 months of performance monitoring or warranty.
Customized support is the lowest of CAD 0.45 per eligible annual kWh saved, the amount that brings electricity-savings investment payback down to one year, the applicable cost limit, and CAD 5 million. The cost limit is 75% of eligible total costs for existing buildings, except new production lines and efficient electrification projects. For new buildings, new production lines and efficient electrification, it is 15% of eligible total costs. Efficient electrification means using equipment or processes in an existing building that run on electricity, outperform similar market options and reduce or replace fossil-fuel use. With Hydro-Québec approval and evidence of the reference costs, projects in those three categories can instead use 75% of the additional cost of the efficient solution compared with the reference solution. Eligible customized costs can also include measurement, engineering, plans, specified internal labour and disposal of hazardous materials arising from the work. The final payment depends on verified results; you must demonstrate payment of the required contribution and declare other assistance obtained or requested for a customized project.
For eligible off-grid buildings, efficiency savings in heating oil or propane can count as equivalent electricity savings under the annex conversion rules. Lac-Robertson and Menihek networks instead follow the general programme rules.
Eligibility
- You must be established in Québec and hold a Québec enterprise number (NEQ). The building must be in Québec and be one that you own, operate, occupy or construct. Commercial, institutional and industrial buildings must use an eligible electricity rate and be supplied by Hydro-Québec or an eligible off-grid, municipal or cooperative network.
- Residential buildings with at least 20 dwellings can also qualify. Measures installed by the owner of an individual dwelling in an existing building do not qualify here. New G/Flex G buildings need a permanent meter and at least one electricity bill. Temporary construction connections, qualifying special-contract buildings and qualifying Hydro-Québec generation/transmission buildings use the medium/large component.
- Simplified efficiency measures must be predefined in OSE and use new, independently certified or Hydro-Québec-approved equipment. Contractors must hold the certifications, licences and permits their work requires. Demand-response measures may program existing equipment or purchase and install new equipment meeting the same certification or approval requirement. Automated demand-response strategies require a qualifying tariff option with at least 40 hours of peak events per winter and no more than two events per day, maintained for five years after payment.
- Off-grid networks exclude fossil-fuel conversion to efficient electrification and electricity-consuming efficient heating in new buildings. Off-grid, municipal and cooperative networks cannot receive support for demand-response measures. Photovoltaic projects require an approved self-generation connection; Rate L buildings are excluded from this measure.
- Customized projects must purchase and install new equipment certified by a recognized independent body or approved by Hydro-Québec. In other existing-building projects, it must improve on the functioning equipment already in place; for new buildings, new production lines and efficient electrification, it must improve on the legally required or standard equipment used for comparison. All customized projects must meet prescribed or generally recognized industry efficiency standards. They must save at least 25,000 eligible kWh annually and have an electricity-savings investment payback of at least one year including support. This is the time needed for the project's eligible electricity savings to cover its eligible investment costs. Hydro-Québec must approve the project and its calculation or measurement method. Demand-response measures and photovoltaic panels use the Simplified Option. Hydro-Québec may approve particular applications of simplified measures or a combined project under customized rules.
- Measures already submitted within five years of a previous project's completion, mandatory compliance work, unlawful work and work harmful to health, safety or the environment are excluded. Heat pumps submitted to ÉcoPerformance's commercial/institutional dual-energy component cannot also qualify here. Electricity generation is excluded from the Simplified Option except eligible photovoltaic panels; other generation under customized rules requires Hydro-Québec approval. New-building or added-load customized projects must go beyond standard technology. New or increased electricity connections of at least 5 MW need Québec government distribution authorization, whose conditions take precedence over the guide.
- Agricultural activities normally use the separate Agricultural component. Equipment or systems that are ineligible there can be considered under the Customized Option if they meet its requirements and Hydro-Québec approves in advance.
Keep the funded equipment operating for five years after installation and commissioning, including continuous operation for industrial processes. Hydro-Québec can inspect the site and obtain supporting documents for five years, require repayment for non-compliance or lost performance, and require an irrevocable, unconditional letter of credit before payment. This is security equal to the assistance amount, which Hydro-Québec keeps for five years from completion and can cash if you or your aggregator breach programme obligations. It can also revise or terminate assistance for inaccurate information, unpaid amounts, duplicate project submissions or other breaches. Respond to written progress requests within 10 working days; failure to provide a satisfactory response to an information request within two months can end eligibility. Report changes to your authorized representative within 48 hours. Recycle or dispose of replaced equipment responsibly.
How to apply
- Estado
- Abierto continuamente
- Condiciones de la convocatoria
- For the Simplified Option, use the rules applicable to the work-start date. For the Customized Option, the applicable programme version depends on when Hydro-Québec receives the compliant project proposal. New applications for starts before 9 May 2022 are ineligible. Customized projects require acceptance before work starts.
Check the participation guide and binding conditions before ordering equipment or signing a contractor contract. The work-start date is the earlier of those two events. For the Simplified Option, current terms changed on 31 March 2026; earlier work starts follow the official transition rules. For the Customized Option, Hydro-Québec uses the date it receives the compliant project proposal to determine the applicable programme version. New applications for projects started before 9 May 2022 are ineligible.
For the Simplified Option, choose the OSE version applicable to your work-start date, calculate support and complete the installation. Then send the OSE files and purchase, installation or programming invoices to bureau.eeaffaires@hydroquebec.com. Municipal/cooperative-network applicants must also provide the required prior electricity bill for existing buildings. You can apply yourself or authorize a partner; an aggregator needs its clients' signed participation notices.
For the Customized Option, contact Hydro-Québec at 1 800 463-9900 or through the project form on the official page. Submit the proposal and requested technical/cost documents. Hydro-Québec must accept the proposal before work starts; proposal acceptance alone is not full project approval. Obtain acceptance of the measurement plan or savings calculations and complete any required pre-work measurement before project approval and starting work. Afterwards, provide the results, invoices, detailed costs and any required measurement report. You must send the completion confirmation yourself; an external measurement report must be prepared by an engineer or another Hydro-Québec-recognized professional unless Hydro-Québec says otherwise.
Documents, including reports and invoices, must be in French unless a statutory language exception applies. After approval, send your original accounting-system invoice for the assistance within 30 days of Hydro-Québec's request; convert Word or Excel invoices to PDF. Late invoicing can close the file. Payment is normally about 45 days after a compliant invoice is received. Assistance is generally subject to GST/QST unless you do not conduct commercial activities under those tax regimes.