Geothermal Rebate Program Eligibility Criteria

• You must be a customer of SaskPower, the City of Swift Current or the City of Saskatoon to be eligible for the Farm or General Service Electricity Rate (excluding residential dwellings)
• Payment of the program Feasibility Study Rebate or a system installation rebate is conditional upon you remaining a customer of SaskPower, the City of Swift Current or the City of Saskatoon for a minimum period of 36 months from the date of payment of the applicable rebate.
  
  If you are no longer a customer of SaskPower, the City of Swift Current or the City of Saskatoon before the expiry of the 36-month period, you will be required to repay to the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) a proportion of your rebate (for full repayment details contact SRC)
• The program only applies to new construction, renovation and retrofit projects
• Rebates are not available for projects in progress or already completed. Existing buildings currently heated by natural gas are not eligible for the Feasibility Study Rebate or a system installation rebate
• Electrically heated buildings constructed in areas served by natural gas will be eligible for the program
• One system installation rebate will be allowed for each eligible project
• Installed forced air (water-to-air) geothermal heat-pump units must be certified by CSA or ARI/ISO 13256-1. Installed fluid-to-fluid geothermal heat pumps must be manufacturer rated in accordance with ARI/ISO 13256-2
• All systems must be designed and installed in accordance with the current edition of CSA 448.1 (design and installation of Earth Energy Systems for commercial and institutional buildings), Canadian Electrical Code and all codes having jurisdiction
• Direct Expansion (DX), standing-column well, air source, internal source or other heat-pump systems that are not covered by CSA 448 are not eligible for participation in the program
• Participating buildings must be heated for the entire heating season (September–May) and use the installed geothermal heat-pump system as the building's primary heating source
• A geothermal heat-pump system sized to provide up to 100 per cent of the base building transmission and infiltration heating loads will be eligible for a system installation rebate. Additional installed system capacity to handle ventilation or water heating loads are not applicable in calculating the rebate
• Products, equipment and their applications and installations, must be new and meet or exceed energy-efficient regulatory requirements in Saskatchewan
• If you've received financial assistance for your products and equipment under any other federal, provincial or SaskPower program, you must disclose this to SRC, which may make you ineligible for this program
• You must notify SRC in writing of any changes to the building design that affects the original application. Notification must happen before the purchase and installation of any geothermal heat-pump system equipment for the changes to be eligible for rebates
• SRC/SaskPower decisions relating to product or customer eligibility, energy savings potential of the proposed projects, amount of rebates or other related issues will be final and binding on all parties

Program application requirement

In order to qualify for the commercial geothermal rebate, your entire application must be approved in writing by an authorized SaskPower representative before any portion of the system is purchased or installed.

Installer requirement

Geothermal heat-pump system installations must be performed by an Accredited Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) installer/contractor in good standing.

Accredited Installers responsible for drilling, well construction and loop installation are recommended to complete Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) drilling, well construction and loop installation training. Installers should also work towards earning accreditation (potential future requirement for program eligibility).

Building code compliance

All new buildings and building alteration projects shall be designed and built in compliance with The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act, the National Building Code (NBC) of Canada as amended for use in Saskatchewan, and Regulations of Provincial and Municipal authorities having jurisdiction. The most severe of these shall apply in case of conflict of codes.

Professional designer requirement

Professional designers including architects, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers skilled in the type of work ("professional designers") involved with the project are required on most building construction and heating system retrofit projects.

Exemption from this requirement may be granted if your project (including new buildings and building alteration projects, and including heating system replacements) is as follows:

1. Your application for the Commercial Geothermal Rebate Program applies to a farm building
2. Your building area is 600 square metres (m2) or less and is three storeys or less in building height, and consists of either business or personal services, mercantile, medium hazard industrial or low hazard industrial major occupancies

• All buildings (excluding farm buildings) greater than 600m2 and more than three storeys in building height are required to have a professional designer design or review all commercial geothermal retrofits
• Professional designers responsible for commercial geothermal system designs are recommended to complete Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) Commercial Designers training and work towards accreditation (potential future requirement for program eligibility)

If a professional designer is not required for your project, the following Canadian GeoExchange Coalition designer requirements will apply for your program eligibility:

1. If your building area is less than 1393 m2 (15,000 square feet), you are required to have a CGC accredited residential and small system designer create your system design
2. If your building area is greater than 1393 m2 (15,000 ft2), you are required to hire a professional designer as described above

For more information on the Commercial Geothermal Program, please contact the Saskatchewan Research Council.

• Telephone: 306-933-5400
• Fax: 306-933-7446