The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program Has Closed. Here Is What It Means in New Brunswick
Last updated August 4, 2026
OHPA registrations in New Brunswick closed June 30, 2026. What registered households need to do, what funding still exists, and what may replace it.
The federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program, delivered in New Brunswick by NB Power through SaveEnergyNB, stopped taking registrations on June 30, 2026. OHPA was the richest heat pump funding the province has seen, worth up to $15,000 toward switching an oil-heated home to a cold-climate heat pump, and its closure changes the math for oil-heated households that had been waiting.
If you registered before the deadline
Closure applies to new registrations, not to households already in the pipeline. SaveEnergyNB's program materials tie registrations closed June 30, 2026 to a work completion deadline of March 31, 2027. If you are registered, the practical advice is simple: do not sit on it. Book your installer now, because every registered household in the province faces the same completion window, installer calendars fill from the front, and equipment lead times get no shorter in the fall. Keep every document, and confirm your specific deadlines with SaveEnergyNB directly, since individual timelines can differ by intake.
If you missed it
No current program matches OHPA dollar for dollar, but the province is not bare.
The Enhanced Energy Savings Program remains open to New Brunswick homeowners with a combined household income under $70,000. It provides free upgrades rather than rebates, including cold-climate mini-split heat pumps with a 10 year parts and labour warranty, plus insulation and ventilation work. It works with any heating system, so former oil households qualify on income, not fuel.
The Total Home Energy Savings Program remains the route for households above that income line: an EnerGuide evaluation, then incentives on eligible upgrades including heating, insulation, windows, and doors, with work completed within nine months of the evaluation.
Saint John Energy customers have a further option in the Zero30 heat pump rental program, which trades upfront cost for a monthly rental fee, and notes availability to New Brunswickers beyond Saint John under certain conditions.
Manufacturer promotions also continue on their own cycles, independent of government programs; several Atlantic distributors advertised summer 2026 heat pump rebates.
What may come next
As of early July 2026, New Brunswick was negotiating with Ottawa to join the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, the federal successor stream that Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island signed onto in June 2026 (Natural Resources Canada release, June 29, 2026; CBC News, July 6, 2026). If the province signs, a new income-tested retrofit stream would open for New Brunswick households. No agreement had been announced as of the date this guide was checked.
The honest guidance: do not delay a failing oil furnace decision to wait for an unannounced program. Price the work under today's programs, ask installers what they know about intake timing, and if a new federal stream opens, revisit. Heating equipment bought in a January emergency is chosen worse and costs more than equipment planned in the fall.
Sources: SaveEnergyNB Oil to Heat Pump Affordability and program pages; Natural Resources Canada OHPA page (final federal application date July 31, 2026); CBC News, July 6, 2026. Program rules change; figures above checked 2026-08-03. Confirm current status with SaveEnergyNB before making decisions.