RénoPlex and Rénoclimat: what window subsidies actually pay for

In short: two programs, two logics

RénoPlex is a City of Montréal renovation subsidy for small residential buildings. Rénoclimat is a Québec energy-efficiency program. They look at a window from different angles and ask for different paperwork.

We connect Montreal owners and landlords with independent local window and door pros, and the pro we match you with can prepare the itemized quote you will need to plan around either program. The programs themselves decide who qualifies. We checked the official pages in September 2026.

RénoPlex (Ville de Montréal)

RénoPlex helps owners of buildings with one to five dwellings renovate: individuals, businesses, co-operatives and non-profit housing organizations. It is organized in blocks, and windows sit in only one of them. RénoPlex program page.

Who qualifies

Windows, doors and patio doors fall under Bloc 2, which covers buildings of two to five dwellings whose value is at or below the City's low property value threshold, the seuil de faible valeur foncière. Confirm with the City whether your building falls under it before planning around the subsidy. A single-family house does not fit Bloc 2, though other parts of the program may still apply. The program also sets a minimum request, so it suits a batch of work, such as the front windows and a balcony door on each floor, better than a single opening. RénoPlex applies only on the City of Montréal's territory, not in Laval, Longueuil or other off-island cities.

Amounts per opening

RénoPlex pays a fixed amount for each opening rather than a share of the bill. The City's list sets a separate amount for a fixed or opening window, a door, a door with a transom, a patio door and a skylight, and for restoring a wood door. Co-operatives and non-profit housing receive higher amounts, and there is a ceiling per building. We do not repeat the figures here because the City revises them; see the current amounts on montreal.ca, last updated in August 2026.

Approval before the work

This is the rule that catches people. The City approves the file before any work begins, and starting early can cost you the subsidy. Approval takes months, and once it is granted, the work has to be finished within a period set by the program. In practice, that means planning a spring or summer replacement well ahead and not booking the installation until approval has come through.

The flood component: watertight doors and garage doors

RénoPlex also has a flood-protection component that contributes to a watertight door or a watertight garage door. Unlike the window amounts, it is open across the program's blocks, not only Bloc 2. For homes with a basement entrance or a garage below the street, it is worth a look: the remnants of Hurricane Debby gave Montreal its rainiest day on record in August 2024. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie also allows a garage door to be replaced with a watertight model under its permit rules. Québec has announced a flood-adaptation stream, Rénoclimat – Adaptation; check the Rénoclimat page for its status before counting on it.

Rénoclimat (Gouvernement du Québec)

Rénoclimat is Québec's home energy-efficiency program. For windows and doors, it gives a set amount for each existing door or window replaced with an ENERGY STAR certified model installed in the existing rough opening. Rénoclimat: doors and windows.

The evaluations before and after

Rénoclimat starts with an energy evaluation of your home before any work and ends with a second one afterwards. The home's EnerGuide rating has to improve between the two. Because the program is built on that comparison, book the first evaluation before you sign for the windows, not after they are in.

What is excluded

• Replacing only the glass, which includes a thermos on its own.
• Replacing only the sash.
• A door replaced without its frame.
• Windows or doors that are not ENERGY STAR certified.

Canada now uses a single national ENERGY STAR standard for windows, doors and skylights, so older talk of regional categories is out of date. Ask for the certification to be named on the quote. ENERGY STAR Canada specification.

Why a thermos alone is not subsidized

Both programs pay for new windows, not for new glass in an old one. Rénoclimat says so plainly: replacing only the glass does not qualify. RénoPlex's list of amounts names replaced windows, doors, patio doors and skylights, and a thermos swap is not on it.

That is worth knowing, and it is not a reason to replace a sound window. If the frame is healthy and only the thermos has fogged, a new sealed unit is a smaller job that keeps the original window, and in boroughs that favour restoration it raises fewer questions. The foggy thermos page and the repair-or-replace guide set the options side by side.

Federal programs are closed

There is no general federal window grant in 2026. The grant under the federal Greener Homes initiative is closed, and its interest-free loan stopped taking applications in October 2025. The federal program that continues, the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, offers no-cost retrofits to low- to median-income homeowners and tenants through provincial partners, and it focuses on insulation and heat pumps rather than windows. Anyone offering you a federal window rebate today should be able to show you the official page.

The right calendar: permit, subsidy, quotes

1. Get an itemized quote that lists each opening, its size, the model, its ENERGY STAR certification and the finish. The replacement windows page covers what to ask for.
2. Check your borough's permit rules. Most boroughs require a permit even for a same-size replacement, and a patio door replacement always needs one. The borough permit guide links every borough.
3. Apply to RénoPlex, or book the first Rénoclimat evaluation, before any work begins. If you are looking at both programs, ask each one how it treats the other before counting on both.
4. File for the permit once your model choices are settled.
5. Sign, order and install once approval and the permit are in hand.
6. Close the file: the post-work evaluation for Rénoclimat, and the final documents RénoPlex asks for.

Landlords planning a batch across several flats can continue with the property manager page, and plex balcony doors explains the door on each floor that often ends up in the same file. When you are ready, ask for a detailed quote and we will pass it to an independent local pro.