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Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component
Financial support for agricultural operations
Funding available
$ 100 - $ 5,000,000
Deadline
Open continuously
Location
Quebec, Canada
Who can apply
Individuals, corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, joint ventures, unincorporated associations, unions, trusts, and other legal entities established in Québec that hold an NEQ.
See full eligibility
Overview
Hydro‑Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program – Farming Component supports Québec agricultural market participants with financial assistance of up to $5 million per project for energy efficiency and demand-response measures in eligible farm buildings. Eligible measures include LED lighting, ventilation upgrades, and innovative greenhouse equipment offered through OSE.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase performance through digital transformation
- Optimize production processes
- Reduce environmental footprint
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Minimum amount : 100 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- Sole proprietorship
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
Availability timeline
2026
Periods: 1
Activities funded
- Upgrading lighting with LED products
- Improving ventilation with high-efficiency fans
- Replacing milking equipment
- Installing piglet warmers
- Implementing greenhouse energy-efficiency measures and equipment-and-systems measures
Documents Needed
- The completed OSE files.
- Copies of all purchase, installation, or programming invoices for each implemented measure.
- An electricity bill for the period preceding the project if the project targets an existing building supplied by an eligible municipal or cooperative system.
Sources and recorded changes
- Source change captured
- Change recorded
- Record updated
A captured source change or record update does not confirm eligibility. Check the funder’s current rules before applying.
Agricultural Component guidance and eligibility clarified
Hydro-Québec’s agricultural component pages now use clearer help wording, and a transitional-rules page removes the explicit exclusion for proposals submitted before June 9, 2020.
Hydro-Québec updated several agricultural-component support pages to use clearer form-based help text, including wording that users should fill out the form and will receive a response or be directed to the appropriate resource. The submission endpoint itself stays the same, but the guidance around the OSE tool, get-in-touch links, and help sections was refined. The transitional-rules content also changed: the explicit statement that proposals submitted before June 9, 2020 are ineligible was removed, and the broader program context continues to reference the March 31, 2026 requirements update. On the guide side, the application workflow was rearranged with a new “Acceptation de la Proposition de Projet” step and revised document-sequence wording, while funding details such as the $1,000, $750, $350, and $750 equipment amounts and the $100 minimum funding note remain visible.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Individuals, corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, joint ventures, unincorporated associations, unions, trusts, and other legal entities established in Québec that hold an NEQ.
- Participants that own, operate, occupy, or construct one or more eligible farm market buildings.
Who is not eligible
- Participants in the production and commercialization of a cannabis product that is not homologated by Health Canada.
Eligible expenses
- Purchase of eligible new products, equipment, and systems
- Installation and commissioning of eligible new products, equipment, and systems
- Design, programming, and commissioning costs for demand-response automation strategies
- Replacement or updates of controllers, firmware, software, and graphical interfaces needed for demand-response programming
- Performance follow-up, warranty, and user training costs for demand-response programming, up to 12 months after commissioning
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Measures that are mandatory to comply with Québec or Canadian laws, regulations, or standards
- Projects that negatively affect health, safety, or the environment
- Projects that contravene a law or regulation
- Electricity generation projects, except eligible photovoltaic panels
- Heat pumps submitted under the ÉcoPerformance – Volet Biénergie commercial et institutionnel program
Eligible geographic areas
- Québec
How to apply
- Read the Participant’s Guide.
- Purchase and install the eligible products, equipment, or systems for the project.
- Download the OSE version that matches the project start date, complete the required files, and use it to estimate the financial assistance.
- After installation, send the completed OSE files to Hydro‑Québec by email.
- Include all purchase, installation, or programming invoices and, if applicable, the electricity bill required for an existing building on an eligible municipal or cooperative system.
Processing and Agreement
- Hydro‑Québec may request additional documents to justify the completed project or the measures implemented.
- Hydro‑Québec may visit the project site after prior notice to verify compliance of the completed work and program requirements.
- Hydro‑Québec approves the project or revises the financial assistance if the completed work does not comply with the submitted project or program requirements.
- Hydro‑Québec informs the participant of the approved amount and requests an original invoice issued through the participant’s accounting system.
- About 45 days after receiving a compliant original invoice, Hydro‑Québec pays the approved financial assistance if all program requirements are met.
Additional information
- The applicable requirements are those in effect on the project start date, not the application submission date.
- A single project may cover multiple eligible agricultural market buildings.
- Documents submitted to Hydro‑Québec, including invoices, must be in French unless an exception under the Charter of the French language applies.
Contacts
Other components of this program
Explore related funding streams and grants that belong to the same program.
- Customized Option – Efficient Solutions Program – Medium and Large Businesses componentSupport for complex energy efficiency projects
- Efficient Solutions Program — Medium and Large Businesses ComponentFunding for business energy efficiency projects
- Efficient Solutions Program — Small Business ComponentFunding for energy-efficient business equipment and systems
- Financial support to assess your energy use Hydro QuebecEnergy analysis support for business efficiency
Frequently Asked Questions about the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component Program
What is the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component?
Hydro‑Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program – Farming Component supports Québec agricultural market participants with financial assistance of up to $5 million per project for energy efficiency and demand-response measures in eligible farm buildings. Eligible measures include LED lighting, ventilation upgrades, and innovative greenhouse equipment offered through OSE.
How much funding can be received?
Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component Funds up to 75% of admissible expenses, capped at $5,000,000 per project.
What is the deadline to apply?
The program is accepting continuous intake
Who is eligible for the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component program?
To be eligible for the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component program, you must:
The participant must be a legal entity established in Québec and hold an NEQ.
The project must be carried out in one or more eligible farm market buildings in Québec.
The project must cover predefined OSE measures and generate at least $100 in financial assistance.
What expenses are eligible under Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component?
Purchase of eligible new products, equipment, and systems
Installation and commissioning of eligible new products, equipment, and systems
Design, programming, and commissioning costs for demand-response automation strategies
Replacement or updates of controllers, firmware, software, and graphical interfaces needed for demand-response programming
Performance follow-up, warranty, and user training costs for demand-response programming, up to 12 months after commissioning
Who can I contact for more information about the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component?
You can contact Hydro-Québec by email at bureau.eeaffaires@hydroquebec.com or by phone at 1 800 463‑9900.
Where is the Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component available?
The Efficient Solutions Program — Agricultural Component program is available the province of Quebec.