Help where it’s needed

The federal “ecoENERGY Home Energy Retrofit” rebate (up to $5,000) and, here in Nova Scotia, a provincial rebate called “EnerGuide for Houses” (up to $1,500), are designed to help homeowners reduce energy costs by up to 30%. But this maximum savings is only achieved if the homeowner implements a long list of often costly improvements, upgrades and retrofits, leaving the government grant program inaccessible to those most vulnerable to rising energy costs. Especially frustrating is the fact that the bulk of the federal portion is earmarked for a $3500 rebate on a geothermal ground- or water-source heat pump – which can cost as much as $25,000! The remainder is more than a pensioners’ annual income, sending the signal loud and clear that this program is not for those most vulnerable to rising energy costs.

Likewise, if one were to invest approximately ten thousand dollars in solar thermal panels for water and space heating, the eligible rebates would total $2000, merely replacing an impossibly expensive retrofit with a prohibitively expensive one.

Posted by Mike Targett | Email a comment