Ontario government partners with Enbridge and Union Gas to offer audit/retrofit money

Ontario is investing $100 million from the Ontario Green Investment Fund in a program to help homeowners identify ways to reduce their energy bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions through the installation of more efficient technologies. In partnership with Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas, the program will benefit approximately 37,000 homeowners. Funding will be for audits to identify energy-saving opportunities and then to complete retrofits, such as replacing furnaces and water heaters. The Ministry of Energy notes that full program details, including program start date, eligible project details and amounts, will be available in the coming months.

Ontario’s Green Investment Fund is a $325-million down payment on the province’s cap and trade program to strengthen the economy, create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2014, Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas report that residential energy efficiency programs resulted in a 500,000 tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Quick facts from the Ministry of Energy

• Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas supply over 99 per cent of Ontario’s residential natural gas customers.

• Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas currently offer rebates for energy audits, heating system replacement, ENERGY STAR windows, air sealing and insulation. Incentive levels for retrofits under current programs typically range between $500 and $2000 and depend on the amount of natural gas savings the customer can demonstrate.

• A homeowner in Toronto whose home was built prior to 1990 could see annual bill savings on average of about $400, by investing in new high-efficiency heating systems, attic insulation and air sealing.

• Natural gas conservation programs between 2005 and 2013 resulted in 47 million tonnes of lifetime greenhouse gas reductions. The new Demand Side Management Framework for natural gas conservation, covering the period 2015-2020, is expected to result in over 42 million tonnes of lifetime greenhouse gas reductions.

• The government’s new $325 million Green Investment Fund was announced in the 2015 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review.