Funding sources for REALice
Utilities actively fund the switch to REALice. We help you with the applications. Some programs pay a flat amount per system, others are calculated on the energy your rink will save. Either way, we prepare the savings estimate the utility needs and help you through the application. Below is what's available by province.
British Columbia
Close to 90% of a REALice project is now covered in BC. The gas utility rebate and BC Hydro's custom incentive stack on the same system. The BC Hydro funding agreement must be signed by 11 February 2027 for the bonus incentive, so a council go-ahead is needed by mid-January.
FortisBC
The rink de-aerator rebate program pays $20,000 per system, plus up to $1,900 for a high-end mixing valve. FortisBC customers who qualify can also choose a 36-month lease-to-own term.
Pacific Northern Gas
The same rebate for PNG customers in the north and northwest: $20,000 per system, plus up to $1,900 for a high-end mixing valve.
BC Hydro
A custom incentive calculated on the electricity your rink saves. Since October 2026, BC Hydro counts the full electricity savings of cold-water resurfacing: the refrigeration energy no longer spent removing hot-flood heat, and the warmer brine setpoint. A sustainment plan, which we prepare for your arena at no charge, extends the measure life and raises the incentive. BC Hydro's municipal key account managers handle the application; we supply the savings calculation and the plan.
How the two stack
BC Hydro caps combined funding at 100% of project cost, and installation, the mixing valve and on-site training count toward project cost. In practice a single-sheet arena comes out close to 90% covered. Where FortisBC Electric, Nelson Hydro or Summerland supply the electricity, the BC Hydro incentive does not apply and the gas rebate stands on its own.
Indigenous communities
The Province of British Columbia's Community Energy Leadership Program provides funding for community energy projects.
Ontario
Combine gas and electricity rebates. The Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy incentives apply to the same system.
Enbridge Gas
Enbridge Gas customers qualify for a rebate calculated per m³ of natural gas saved. Call Enbridge Gas at 1-866-844-9994 or email energyservices@enbridge.com.
Save on Energy
Save on Energy pays 20 cents per kWh saved through its custom projects program. Applying is not a purchase commitment; it shows you how much funding your rink qualifies for.
Regional adders
Your region may double the incentive. Save on Energy applies regional adders in parts of Ontario where the grid is constrained, and most non-lighting measures there earn twice the standard Retrofit incentive, up to 50% of eligible costs. Eligibility is set by your arena's postal code, not by the project, and the IESO revises the list of qualifying areas periodically. Tell us where your rink is and we'll check whether an adder applies before you budget.
Alberta
FortisAlberta Save Energy Grant
- Projects may be awarded up to $7,500
- Application deadlines are April 30 and September 30
- Funding covers the cost of materials and labour
Emission Reduction Alberta: Energy Savings for Business (ESB)
Funding may be available for businesses and non-profits. Contact us for details.
Community Facility Enhancement Program
Financial assistance to purchase, build, renovate or upgrade public-use community facilities. Learn more
Saskatchewan
SaskPower customers can qualify for a rebate on REALice. Contact us for details.
Other provinces and territories
Ask your local utility what incentives it offers for switching to unheated water for ice resurfacing, or ask us and we'll check for you. Grants may also be available through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; that's how the City of Calgary installed REALice in all of its municipally owned and operated arenas.
Federal: FCM's Green Municipal Fund
Utility rebates are not the only money available to a municipality. FCM's Green Municipal Fund offers funding for municipal building retrofits, covering both the planning work and the capital project. Arenas are well represented: GMF supported the nine-rink study that produced the national guidebook on taking an indoor ice rink to net zero.
Programs and eligibility change between intakes, so we won't quote figures here that might be out of date by the time you read them. GMF's own funding finder is the current source, and we're happy to go through it with you.
Planning and studies
Funding exists for the feasibility work: where your arena's emissions come from, which measures to take, in what order, and what each costs. This is the stage that makes a later capital application credible.
Cold-water resurfacing tends to appear in these studies as a low-cost measure with a disproportionate effect, and it's one of the few that can be done without waiting for the study to finish.
Capital retrofits
Funding also exists for the work itself, generally tied to achieving a meaningful emissions reduction over a defined period. A resurfacing change won't get a building to net zero on its own, but it counts toward the target and it's among the cheapest contributions in most plans.
Timing matters: the FCM study found retrofits pay off best when aligned with equipment that was due for renewal anyway.
GMF's funding finder → · What the FCM net zero study found →
How the application works
- Fill in the rink savings estimate form, or call us. Fill in what you know; we can gather the rest by phone.
- We prepare your rink savings estimate, which is what the utility bases its incentive on.
- We help you complete and submit the application, and follow up with the utility.
- You're notified of the pre-approved incentive amount before you commit to anything.
See how much your rink could save
REALice is already running in 200+ rinks across North America. We help you with the funding applications.
Get your free savings estimate