Thousands of free air conditioning units up for grabs for some BC residents

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Summer is just around the corner, and with some hot weather predicted for BC, you can still take advantage of an offer to get a free air conditioning unit.

BC Hydro is offering some portable air conditioning units free of charge to eligible residents.

Thanks to $10 million in funding, BC Hydro will install 8,000 free units in the “homes of British Columbians that need them the most.”

However, you must fall into specific income categories for eligibility, leading to some minor concerns online.

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The program is meant to support residents of low-income and vulnerable backgrounds, like seniors, and, according to the BC Ministry of Health, “those most at risk of health impacts from extreme heat emergencies.”

A discussion about the program on Reddit revealed that some residents are concerned about the income threshold.

Your household income before tax must be $39,700 or less if you’re an individual. For couples or two people living in a household, it’s $49,500. The max income for a home of three is set at $60,800.

In comparison, the BC Renter’s Tax Credit offered $400 to folks making $60,000 or less.

“Interesting how the ‘income qualification’ lists incomes well beneath what is required to even exist as something other than completely homeless in most parts of BC,” one user said on Reddit.

Someone else stated they make $20K above the income threshold and can’t afford an AC unit.

“Can barely afford to eat most days,” they added.

Others had concerns about efficiency, suggesting that portable units have the “worst efficiency possible.”

Some have also connected efficiency concerns directly to the income thresholds, suggesting that low-income people might be hit with high bills. Others suggested that it isn’t a massive hit to your monthly bill.

In 2018, BC Hyrdo stated that people who spend “an average of $40 a month on electricity in August would see their monthly bills grow to more than $140 by using central air conditioning, running on an average time of nine hours a day,” adding that people who use portable AC units would add around $8 a month to their bills.

BC Hydro told Daily Hive that thousands of units are still available as part of this multi-year program and that the utility company has “additional resources and programs in the works that will be announced soon.”

Elibigle housing types include single-family detached homes, townhomes, apartments or condos, rowhomes, duplexes, or manufactured and mobile homes.

If you’re a renter, you can still apply for the program with a BC Hydro or a City of New Westminster utility account under your name. However, you need to have a signed landlord consent form.

Residents in non-profit housing can also apply.

Where do you fall when it comes to the income threshold? Can you afford an air conditioning unit if you fall outside the threshold? Let us know in the comments.

We’ve contacted the BC Ministry of Health about some of the concerns.