If you live in Ontario and meet certain income conditions, you could get a free cold climate heat pump installed from Save on Energy.
Compared to the cost of heating a home with an electric furnace or baseboard, heat pumps can save up to 50 per cent on the heating portion of electricity bills, according to Save on Energy.
Save on Energy is operated by IESO, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator.
“A heat pump is a high-efficiency appliance that runs on electricity to heat and cool your home year-round,” said Alex Smith, Supervisor of Community Support Programs at the IESO in a release.
“This high-efficiency system extracts heat from the air, compresses it and moves it to where it needs to go—either inside or outside your home. In the summer, the heat pump works in reverse. It pulls hot air from inside your home and transfers it to the outdoors, becoming a high-efficiency air conditioner.”
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Both homeowners and renters can apply for a free cold climate heat pump through the Energy Affordability Program. Residents of social housing may also be eligible.
To qualify, participants must have an annual household income (before tax) for 2023 that does not exceed the following limits:
- 1 person = $45,322
- 2 people = $64,095
- 3 people = $78,499
- 4 people = $90,643
- 5 people = $101,343
- 6 people = $111,015
- 7+ people = $119,910
You may also qualify if you:
- Received assistance from a government program in the past 12 months: Allowance for the Survivor, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance for Seniors, Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Healthy Smiles Ontario Child Dental Program.
- Received a Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) grant or were part of the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) within the last 12 months.
“This is a completely free program for Ontarians who qualify. There is no catch. There are nearly 1.3 million households heated with electricity that now qualify for free cold climate air source heat pumps,” said Jessei Kanagarajan, Senior Manager of Residential and Community Support Program Performance at the IESO.
To apply for Save on Energy’s free cold climate heat pump, visit saveonenergy.ca or call 1-844-770-3148.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
