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

Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces

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 provides Up to $5,000,000 per project (incentive), plus up to $50,000 (efficiency only) or $60,000 (with demand-response measures) for an energy analysis, paid 40% on report approval and 60% after implementing at least one analysed measure. Incentive program covering up to 90% of eligible costs for small businesses (rate G/Flex G) and up to 75% for medium and large businesses, 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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Program Description

Incentive program covering up to 90% of eligible costs for small businesses (rate G/Flex G) and up to 75% for medium and large businesses, for energy-efficiency, electrification, and demand-management projects at commercial, institutional, industrial, and agricultural facilities on the Hydro-Québec grid. Refreshed to version 6.0 on March 31, 2026 with a major thermal-envelope incentive overhaul (up to 20x some OSE 5.1 amounts), a new photovoltaic-panel measure, and continued (but capped, at 15% of eligible costs vs 75% for standard existing-building efficiency) support for electrifying fossil-fuelled process heat. The applicable OSE version depends on the project's work-start date. 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 (incentive), plus $50,000 (efficiency only) or $60,000 (with demand-response measures) separately for an energy analysis.

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 one or more buildings in Quebec that the business owns, operates, occupies, or is constructing
  • Equipment meets Hydro-Québec's efficiency specifications (for prescriptive measures) or passes a custom-measure technical review
  • Energy-analysis support (a separate, optional component) additionally requires the facility to consume at least 1 GWh/year (reference consumption) — this condition applies only to the Energy Analysis component, not to standard efficiency/electrification measures.
  • Residential buildings with at least 20 dwelling units (existing or new) are eligible under the Small and Medium/Large components; the residential exclusion applies to individual unit owners, not 20+-unit multi-residential buildings.
Provinces
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 $50,000 (efficiency only) or $60,000 (with demand-response measures) for an energy analysis, paid 40% on report approval and 60% after implementing at least one analysed measure
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

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Insider Tip

The OSE 6.0 refresh overhauled thermal-envelope incentives and added a new photovoltaic measure, and custom-path electrification of fossil-fuel process heat remains supported — but at a lower rate than standard efficiency work: if your Quebec operation still runs natural-gas boilers, process heaters, or oil-fired dryers, the custom path covers the least of 45 cents/kWh saved, the amount for 1-year payback, 15% of eligible costs (vs 75% for standard existing-building efficiency, or exceptionally 75% of the incremental cost over a reference scenario with Hydro-Québec approval), and $5M.

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Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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Premium The pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win Hydro-Québec Solutions Efficaces

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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 13

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 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

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Can I apply if I'm a sole proprietor?
Yes — a Participant can be a natural person (personne physique) or another legal entity established in Quebec, provided you hold a Quebec enterprise number (NEQ) and use the building for commercial, institutional, industrial or agricultural activities. Incorporation is not required.
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 the OSE files and all invoices. The OSE tool calculates your incentive per measure (capped at $5M); you must also contribute at least 10% of eligible costs yourself as a small business, or 25% if medium/large (60% for photovoltaic measures).
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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