Airdrie CEIP: How the Clean Energy Improvement Program Works — And How to Use It

If you own property in Airdrie and have been putting off energy upgrades because of upfront cost, the City of Airdrie's Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) removes that barrier almost entirely.

The program offers 100% financing for eligible energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades at a fixed 2.75% interest rate — with repayment attached to your property tax bill rather than a separate loan. It opened for applications in February 2025, and it's one of the most accessible energy upgrade financing tools currently available to Airdrie property owners.

What the Airdrie CEIP Is

The Clean Energy Improvement Program is a financing mechanism enabled by Alberta's Bill 10: An Act to Enable Clean Energy Improvements (passed 2018). It allows municipalities to offer property owners low-interest financing for energy upgrades, with repayment collected through the property tax system rather than through a conventional lender.

The key distinction from a conventional loan is how repayment works: the financing is attached to the property, not the borrower. If you sell the property before the financing is repaid, you can either pay off the balance at closing or leave the remaining balance with the property — it transfers to the new owner as part of the property tax obligation. There is no prepayment penalty if you choose to pay it off early.

The Numbers: What You Can Finance

Feature	Detail
Financing amount	Up to 100% of eligible project costs
Minimum project cost	$5,000
Maximum project cost	$50,000 per property
Interest rate	2.75% fixed
Maximum term	25 years (or effective useful life of upgrades)
Prepayment penalty	None
Applications	Now open

In addition to the financing, Airdrie offers two rebates for completed projects:

• $600 project rebate available for all completed CEIP projects (first 250 applications, applied directly to reduce the financing balance)
• $2,500 combination rebate for projects with a financed cost of $15,000 or more that install three or more upgrades across at least two categories: energy efficiency, renewable energy, or fuel switching

The combination rebate is significant — a $15,000+ project that qualifies for both rebates receives $3,100 off the financing balance before the first payment is made. On a $20,000 project, that's a 15.5% reduction in the amount financed.

What Upgrades Are Eligible

The CEIP covers a broad range of energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. Eligible categories include solar PV systems (rooftop and building-mounted), LED lighting upgrades, insulation, windows and doors, high-efficiency HVAC systems, heat pump water heaters, smart thermostats, EV charging equipment, and fuel switching from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps.

For Airdrie property owners considering solar and LED together, the CEIP is particularly well-suited: both upgrades are eligible, and combining them in a single project that reaches $15,000 or more qualifies for the full $3,100 in rebates.

The Application Process

The CEIP application process has eight steps: pre-qualification, a pre-project EnerGuide home evaluation, project application, signing the financing agreement, installation by a qualified contractor, upgrade completion documentation, a post-project EnerGuide evaluation, and then repayment through your property tax bill.

The EnerGuide evaluation is a program requirement — it establishes your baseline energy performance and confirms which upgrades will deliver measurable improvements. It's also genuinely useful for understanding where your energy dollars are going before you commit to a project scope.

How to Stack CEIP With Other Programs

The CEIP is a financing tool, not a grant — but it can be combined with grant programs to reduce the net cost of a project further.

For Airdrie property owners, relevant programs to stack with CEIP include the Canada Greener Homes Grant (federal funding for eligible efficiency upgrades), the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit (30% refundable federal ITC for eligible clean energy equipment), and the On-Farm Energy Management (OFEM) program for agricultural operations.

The sequencing matters: apply for grants before committing to CEIP financing, since grant approvals can reduce the amount you need to borrow. A qualified energy consultant can help identify all applicable programs and ensure the documentation requirements for each are met before work begins.

What This Means for Airdrie Property Owners Considering Solar or LED

The CEIP changes the financial calculation for energy upgrades in Airdrie in a meaningful way.

A $25,000 solar installation financed through CEIP at 2.75% over 20 years costs approximately $136/month in property tax additions. If the system reduces your electricity bill by $180–220/month, the project is cash-flow positive from day one — you're spending less on energy than you're adding to your property tax bill, with no upfront capital required.

The same logic applies to LED lighting upgrades. A $10,000 LED project financed through CEIP at 2.75% over 10 years costs approximately $95/month. If the upgrade reduces your electricity bill by $150–200/month, the math works immediately.

Getting Started

The right first step before applying for CEIP financing is understanding exactly what your energy costs look like and which upgrades will deliver the best return. QuotePath provides free energy assessments for Airdrie property owners and surrounding areas including Rocky View County, Cochrane, Crossfield, and Carstairs.

Call Darryl White at 403.608.3750 or email darryl@quotepath.ca to get started.

Program details are current as of March 2026. Always verify current details at airdrie.ca/CEIP before applying.