The SaskEnergy Homes Beyond Code program pays cash rebates to builders and homeowners who construct new homes that exceed Saskatchewan's minimum energy code requirements, specifically Tier 3, 4, or 5 of the National Building Code of Canada 2020 (NBC 2020). If you're already building to a higher tier for Saskatoon's Tier 2 requirement or for a client who wants a more efficient home, there's a good chance you can qualify for meaningful money back with relatively little extra effort. The homeowner rebate that comes with it is also a real client conversation — most buyers don't know it exists.
What the program is
SaskEnergy launched Homes Beyond Code in March 2024 as an incentive to encourage higher-performance new home construction in Saskatchewan. The program is built around the tier system and the energy-efficiency levels defined in Section 9.36 of the National Building Code of Canada 2020 (NBC 2020), as adopted in Saskatchewan. Tier 1 is the provincial minimum; each tier above that represents a meaningful step in efficiency improvement. The Homes Beyond Code program kicks in at Tier 3 and goes up to Tier 5.
The program has two rebate streams: one for the home builder, and one for the eventual homeowner. Both can be claimed on the same home; they're not mutually exclusive.
How the rebates work
There are two separate rebates available for each qualifying home.
The homeowner rebate is the larger amount and scales with the tier achieved:
The builder rebate is a flat $800 per building, regardless of how many units are in that building. So on a semi-detached or row house, $800 covers the whole structure, not each unit individually.
Who qualifies
it hasThe program is available to builders working in SaskEnergy's natural gas service territory, which covers most of Saskatchewan. If your project is outside that territory or not connected to SaskEnergy's natural gas distribution system, the program isn't available to you.
Beyond that, the home needs to meet a few baseline criteria:
- Newly constructed residential dwelling, sold to a homebuyer.
- Three storeys or fewer, with a building area of 600 m² or less.
- On a permanent foundation.
- Located in Saskatchewan.
- Uses natural gas as a central space heating source and has an active SaskEnergy account.
- Eligible housing types: detached house (including house with secondary suite), semi-detached, row house, townhouse or modular home. A secondary suite, on its own, is not an eligible housing type.
The home itself must achieve the energy performance of Tier 3 or higher under Section 9.36 of the NBC 2020. That performance is confirmed through an EnerGuide rating — a standardized measure of a home's annual energy performance, modelled using HOT2000 energy simulation software — conducted by a licensed Energy Adviser.
Owner-builders are eligible to participate through the homeowner rebate stream. If you're building your own home rather than building for sale, you'd need to meet both the homeowner and the builder criteria specified by SaskEnergy.
The role of an Energy Adviser
You can't access this program without an Energy Adviser (EA), a licensed professional who models and evaluates your home's energy performance using HOT2000 (the industry-standard energy modelling software used for EnerGuide ratings in Canada). The EA runs two evaluations: one at the design stage and one as-built, after construction is complete. Both generate an EnerGuide Homeowner Information Sheet, and the final as-built evaluation produces the EnerGuide Label that confirms your tier.
That label is what SaskEnergy uses to determine rebate eligibility. The EA's work is the foundation of your application.
If you haven't worked with an Energy Adviser before, or you're not sure when to bring them in, the short answer is: As soon as possible. Design-stage modelling lets you hit your target tier without expensive last-minute changes. Getting an EA involved after framing is up can mean costly surprises.
How to apply
There are two separate applications: One for the builder rebate and one for the homeowner rebate. They're submitted at different points in the process and require slightly different documentation.
For the builder rebate, you'll need:
- Completed Home Builder Rebate application form (available on SaskEnergy's website).
- EnerGuide Homeowner Information Sheet from the design stage evaluation.
- EnerGuide Homeowner Information Sheet from the as-built evaluation.
- EnerGuide Label (as-built).
- Copy of the building permit.
- Final inspection report or occupancy permit as proof of the completion date.
The builder rebate application is expected to be completed within 120 days of the home's completion date.
For the homeowner rebate, the application must be submitted within 120 days of the natural gas account being moved into the homeowner's name.
A practical note many builders miss: the two applications are separate processes with separate deadlines. Don't assume that completing the builder application covers you for the homeowner side.
What this means in practice
Building to Tier 3 is a realistic target for most new construction in Saskatchewan, particularly if you're already building to Saskatoon's Tier 2 requirement. The jump from Tier 2 to Tier 3 typically involves incremental improvements to the building envelope — things like additional insulation or a more airtight assembly — rather than a complete redesign. Your Energy Adviser can tell you exactly how close your current design is to the Tier 3 threshold.
Tiers 4 and 5 require more substantial performance improvements and tend to make the most sense when you're already designing a high-performance home, a net-zero-ready build, or when your client is specifically asking for it. The $9,000 homeowner rebate at Tier 5 is a real selling point for the right buyer.
One thing worth knowing: the program focuses on the performance pathway, meaning your home's energy performance is modelled holistically, not checked against a prescriptive list of component values. The prescriptive path is the approach where you follow specific minimum values for each building component as set out in the code; the performance path is where overall energy use is modelled and the total result is what counts. Because Homes Beyond Code uses the performance approach, you've got flexibility in how you hit the tier; you're not locked into a specific insulation level or window spec.
How to present Homes Beyond Code to clients
The homeowner rebate is the headline number in this conversation: $3,000 at Tier 3, $5,000 at Tier 4, and $9,000 at Tier 5. Most clients haven't heard of this program. You're not just telling them about a rebate — you're giving them a reason to consider a better home that they didn't know existed.
Start with the upgrade cost, not the tier. Clients don't think in tiers. They think in dollars. If you're building in Saskatoon and already at Tier 2, your Energy Adviser can model how far your current design sits from Tier 3 and what it would cost to close that gap. In many cases it's incremental — better airtightness detailing, a modest insulation upgrade — not a wholesale redesign. Know that number before you walk into the client conversation.
Let the math do the selling. If the upgrade from Tier 2 to Tier 3 costs a certain amount more to build and the client receives $3,000 back through Homes Beyond Code, the net cost to the client is that much lower. Then layer in reduced operating costs over Saskatchewan winters. The conversation changes when there are real numbers to work with. Your Energy Adviser can help you develop a project-specific version of this before you sit down with a client.
Always verify before you quote. Rebate amounts and eligibility criteria are set by SaskEnergy and can change. Don't quote specific figures from memory or from this article — confirm the current amounts directly with SaskEnergy's Homes Beyond Code program page before your client conversation. A client who was promised a specific number and receives something different will remember that.
Position the label as part of the package. The EnerGuide label produced through the evaluation isn't just a rebate trigger — it's a document the client keeps. It may support green mortgage applications, has potential resale value, and gives clients a federally-issued record of the home's performance. Frame it as part of what they're buying, not as a side effect of the rebate process.
Local context note
The Homes Beyond Code program is specific to SaskEnergy's service territory in Saskatchewan; it's not available in other provinces or through other utilities. The rebate amounts, eligibility criteria, and application processes are set by SaskEnergy and can change; always confirm the current terms directly with SaskEnergy before quoting rebate figures to clients.
Saskatoon builders should also note that the city currently requires Tier 2 for new residential construction. That means you're already one tier below the Homes Beyond Code threshold when you start. Depending on your design and your Energy Adviser's modelling, Tier 3 may be closer than you think and worth exploring before you price your next project.
Getting started
Many Saskatchewan builders find that modest upgrades to insulation, windows, or airtightness (verified by blower door testing) get them comfortably to Tier 3. If you're interested in accessing the Homes Beyond Code program, here's a sensible order of operations:
- Engage an Energy Adviser early. Bring them in at the design stage, not after the build. Early modelling tells you what tier you can realistically achieve and what it would take to reach the next one.
- Confirm your project is in SaskEnergy's territory.
- Review the current program terms directly with SaskEnergy. Rebate amounts and eligibility criteria are subject to change. Don't rely on third-party summaries — including this one — without verifying against SaskEnergy's current program documentation.
- Track your application deadlines. Builder and homeowner rebates have separate 120-day windows tied to different trigger dates. Put them in your calendar.
- Gather your documents before you apply. EnerGuide Homeowner Information Sheets (design and as-built), EnerGuide Label, building permit, and occupancy permit or final inspection report. Missing documents are the most common reason applications get delayed.
