The federal government has announced the relaunch of the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, and it is touting some potentially large savings on energy bills for B.C. residents.
Today, Tim Hodgson, the Canadian minister of energy and natural resources, along with Julie Dabrusin, minister of the environment, climate change, and nature, announced the expansion of the program.
The expansion of the green homes program rolls it out to B.C. and several other provinces.
Retrofits that are conducted through the program will allow participants to save at least $300, and at most around $1,700 in annual energy costs.
The Canadian government says it will also help to reduce annual greenhouse emissions by around 1.5. tonnes.
“Over $500 million in funding, $300 million of which is federal, will be directed to help over 35,000 low- and median-income households install heat pumps, better insulation, improved air sealing and other upgrades at no cost, which will reduce their energy bills and lower their household emissions,” Natural Resources Canada said in a statement.
Organizations like BC Hydro and FortisBC will help deliver the program in B.C.
“Through investments in energy efficiency and programs like Power Smart, we’re helping lower‑income customers reduce their energy use, improve comfort and make the transition to cleaner technologies like heat pumps more affordable,” said BC Hydro President and CEO Charlott Mitha.
Some of the potential ways B.C. residents would be able to save money on their energy bills are through retrofits like installing high-efficiency electrical heat pumps or insulation upgrades for attics, exterior walls, and basements.
Other ways the program can help folks save money are through the installation of smart or programmable thermostats or upgrades to ventilation.
B.C. Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions Adrian Dix says that switching to high-efficiency heat pumps is one of the most effective ways to lower emissions while reducing costs for people.
The Canadian government says that over 96 per cent of emissions come from space and water heating, and that replacing fossil fuel heating systems can make a significant difference.
“Those switching from oil heating to heat pumps can save over $1,300 and 2.8 tonnes of GHG emissions each year.”
Homes that have been retrofitted are saving folks an average of $386 per year on energy bills.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s team shared a post about the program on LinkedIn, reiterating that residents of Quebec, B.C., Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and Manitoba can retrofit their homes at no cost through the program. In response to his post, some, like residents of Ontario and Saskatchewan, complained about not being entitled to the benefit.
B.C. is contributing $8 million to the program through CleanBC, BCHydro is contributing $100.5 million, and FortisBC is providing an additional $20.1 million.
You can find out more on the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program website.