Innovative Projects Program

Eligibility criteria

The main eligibility criteria are as follows:

• Buildings must meet the following requirements:
  • Be located in Québec.
  • New or existing building.
  • Intended for residential, commercial, institutional, agricultural or industrial use.
• The project must meet the following requirements:
  • Must entail the construction or renovation of multiple buildings.
  • The usable area of all buildings covered by the project must exceed 50,000 square metres.
  • At least 80% of the space heating (building envelope/fresh air) and water heating needs of all buildings covered by the project must be met through heat pumps and/or waste heat recovery^*.
  • A district energy system is mandatory and must connect and supply all buildings covered by the project to enable heat exchange between them. It must meet the total space heating and air-conditioning needs (building envelope/fresh air) as well as all water-heating needs for all buildings covered.
  • Each building’s energy performance must improve by at least 25% in comparison with the performance of the reference building used by Hydro‑Québec.
  • The performance rating of the energy efficiency measures used in each new or substantially renovated building must surpass the applicable criteria for:
    • Insulation of roofs, walls, floors and windows, as per the Quebec Construction Code, Chapter I.1 – Energy Efficiency of Buildings, and National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2015 (amended) , Division B ; 3.2.2.2., 3.2.2.3., 3.2.2.4., 3.2.3.1., 3.2.3.2. and 3.2.3.3.
    • Ventilation, as per sections 5.2.10.1., 5.2.10.2., 5.2.10.3. and 5.2.10.4. of the same document.
  * Subject to prior approval from Hydro‑Québec.