Getting Paid to Charge Your EV at Home: What You Actually Need to Know

Getting Paid to Charge Your EV at Home: What You Actually Need to Know according to bornotto

Over the past few months, we have been hearing the same question from customers across the South Shore: "I heard there's a program that pays me for charging my car at home. Is that real?"

The short answer: yes, it is real. The full answer: there are a few important nuances to understand before you swap out your charger or sign up for anything.

Where Does the Money Actually Come From?

To understand why companies are willing to pay you for plugging in your car, you need to understand Canada's Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR). In short, these federal regulations require fossil fuel suppliers (think oil companies) to reduce their carbon intensity or buy carbon credits to offset their emissions.

Those credits can be generated by activities that reduce emissions, including EV charging at home. Every kilowatt-hour delivered to an electric vehicle can potentially generate a carbon credit that someone else needs to purchase.

Companies called aggregators figured out that by pooling the charging data of thousands of residential EV owners, they could create and sell these credits at scale. And to access that data, they share a portion of the revenue with you.

That is the model behind programs like Club Roulez Électrique, ChargeLab, SWTCH Home Charging, and half a dozen others across Canada.

Roulez Vert vs. Roulez Électrique: Watch Out for the Mix-Up

Before going further, there is a common source of confusion worth clearing up. Many clients mix up two programs with very similar names.

The Roulez vert Program from the Quebec government is the one-time subsidy of up to $600 for the purchase and installation of a home charger. We cover this in detail in our article on free (or nearly free) EV charger installation. It is a direct government grant, administered by Quebec, that applies once.

The Club Roulez Électrique (roulezelectrique.club) is a private program run by a Quebec company that operates on the carbon credit model described above. It has nothing to do with the Quebec government, despite the names sounding very similar.

These are two completely different things. The first helps you pay for your installation. The second pays you an ongoing income based on your charging sessions.

How Much Can You Realistically Earn?

The numbers these programs put forward are appealing. Roulez Électrique talks about 13 to 18 points per kWh, with 100 points converting to $1. On paper, a homeowner who charges frequently could accumulate several hundred dollars a year.

That said, it is worth looking at these figures with a bit of perspective:

• The maximum rate (18 points/kWh) only applies to specific charger models, some of which must be purchased directly from the aggregator.
• Annual revenue estimates are based on high charging volumes. If you charge less than average, your earnings will be proportionally lower.
• The payout is not immediate: points accumulated in 2026 would only be converted around September 2027, subject to data validation, credit recognition, and the platform actually receiving the funds.
• The actual amount can fluctuate with the carbon credit market, which is not fixed.

None of that is a reason to dismiss these programs. It is just important to go in with realistic expectations.

The One Rule You Cannot Afford to Miss

Here is something most people do not know before signing up: a single charger can only be registered in one reward program per calendar year. This is a direct requirement of the Clean Fuel Regulations, not a company policy.

If you register your charger in two programs at the same time, it triggers a duplicate data violation, and you lose your rewards for the entire year. Not for one of the two programs. For both. You have to choose, and you have to do it once per year.

Which Chargers Are Compatible?

This is where things get concrete if you are thinking about signing up. Not all chargers are eligible, and compatibility varies from one program to another.

For the Club Roulez Électrique, for example, compatibility breaks down roughly like this:

• Wallbox: compatible via OCPP protocol or API, depending on the model
• EVDuty: compatible via OCPP
• Autel: compatible via OCPP
• FLO: not eligible for now (charger locked by the manufacturer)
• Grizzl-E: not eligible for now
• ChargePoint: not eligible (proprietary protocol)

As a general rule, chargers that use the open OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) standard have the best chance of being compatible with multiple programs. If compatibility with these programs matters to you when choosing a charger, it is a criterion worth raising during your free assessment with bornotto.

Our Honest Take

Several clients ask us whether they should replace their existing charger with one that is compatible with these programs. Our answer is: not so fast.

Replacing a perfectly functional charger to chase an uncertain and deferred income stream is rarely the winning move. Especially since a proposed federal amendment would phase out residential EV credits starting in 2027, which would make these programs significantly less valuable for homeowners if that change goes through.

That said, if you are installing a new charger and compatibility with these programs is a factor for you, we can help you pick an eligible model from the ones we already install regularly, such as Wallbox, EVDuty, or Autel.

What About the $600 Quebec Rebate?

To be clear: the Quebec government's Roulez vert rebate applies regardless of whether you participate in a carbon credit reward program. The two are completely independent of each other.

If you install an eligible charger through an RBQ-certified electrician, you qualify for the reimbursement, full stop. The reward programs are an additional layer, if your charger is compatible and you choose to sign up.

At bornotto, we install RBQ and CMEQ certified chargers across the South Shore and hand you all the documentation you need for your Roulez vert rebate application at the end of every job. If you have questions about your specific situation, your charger choice, or these programs, reach out to us or request your free quote online.