Updated June 2026 · Verified against Hydro-Québec guidelines
▲ Growing ✓ First-Timer Friendly Reimbursement Est. 2015
Grant Provincial Active

Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces (OSE 5.1)

Hydro-Québec
Maximum Funding
Up to $5,000,000
Ongoing (continuous intake)
Visit Official Program →
Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Growing
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
90%
Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces (OSE 5.1) provides Up to $5,000,000 per project (incentive), plus up to $60,000 for energy analysis. Incentive program covering up to 90% of eligible costs for energy-efficiency, electrification, and demand-management projects at commercial, institutional, industrial, and agricultural facilities on the Hydro-Québec grid. The program covers up to 90% of eligible costs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details

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Program Description

Incentive program covering up to 90% of eligible costs for energy-efficiency, electrification, and demand-management projects at commercial, institutional, industrial, and agricultural facilities on the Hydro-Québec grid. Refreshed to version 5.1 on March 31, 2025 with enhanced cold-climate heat-pump incentives and a formal pivot toward electrification of fossil-fuelled process heat. Prescriptive ('simplified') pathway via the OSE online tool for standard measures; customized pathway for complex or innovative projects. Projects can claim up to $5 million and $60,000 separately for energy analysis support.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Commercial, institutional, industrial, or agricultural facility located in Quebec
  • Hydro-Québec business customer (or customer of eligible alternative electricity source)
  • Facility uses electricity for the retrofitted end-use, OR project electrifies an existing fossil-fuel process
  • Project measures result in verifiable energy savings, demand reduction, or electrification of process heat
  • Project is implemented in the applicant's own building or operations
  • Equipment meets Hydro-Québec's efficiency specifications (for prescriptive measures) or passes a custom-measure technical review
Provinces
Quebec
Industries
Industrial Manufacturing Commercial Clean Technology Energy Agriculture +3 more
Business Stage
Startup Growth Established Expansion

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
Up to $5,000,000 per project (incentive), plus up to $60,000 for energy analysis
Type
Grant
Level
Provincial
Co-Funding
Up to 90% of eligible costs
Deadline
Ongoing (continuous intake)

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Good
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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How to Win

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

The OSE 5.1 refresh materially increased cold-climate heat-pump incentives and made electrification of fossil-fuel process heat a first-class use case — if your Quebec operation still runs natural-gas boilers, process heaters, or oil-fired dryers, the custom path can now cover a large share of the switchover cost.

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Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces (OSE 5.1)

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

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Application Steps

1 Use the OSE Online Tool Visit hydroquebec.com and launch the OSE tool. Enter facility, equipment, and measure details to get an instant estimate of available prescriptive incentives. If all your measures are prescriptive, this is the fastest path.

Required Documents 8

✓ OSE online tool calculation output (prescriptive path)
✓ Custom measure application with technical and financial details (custom path)

Eligible Expenses 9

Ineligible Expenses 6

Intake Periods

Deadline Notes

Ineligible Organizations

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Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Compatible Programs

Énergir (Gaz Métro) — Complementary Fuel-Switching Programs Canada Greener Buildings (NRCan) Écoperformance (Transition énergétique Québec) Investissement Québec ESSOR Volet 2 Canada Infrastructure Bank — Building Retrofits Initiative
Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

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How Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces (OSE 5.1) Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces (OSE 5.1)

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Can I apply if I'm a sole proprietor?
No — must be a commercial, institutional, industrial, or agricultural business entity (not residential) with Hydro-Québec business customer status. Sole proprietors must incorporate to qualify.
What's the typical award for a standard lighting retrofit?
Typical prescriptive projects like lighting retrofits range from $5,000 to $250,000. Custom projects (e.g., process electrification) start at $50,000 and can reach $1.5M.
When should I apply for best approval odds?
Apply early in Hydro-Québec's fiscal year (January–March) — budget envelopes for custom projects are exhausted faster later in the year.
Do I need to pay upfront and get reimbursed?
Yes — payment is reimbursement-based. You pay for equipment first, then submit receipts for 90% of eligible costs after project completion.
Can I stack this with Énergir's gas-switching program?
Yes — Énergir covers natural gas decommissioning while Hydro-Québec covers electrification. Coordinate with both utilities to avoid duplication.

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