Ontario adds City of Barrie to Clean Home Heating Initiative
May 3, 2023 | By HPAC Magazine
Provincial program, launched last September, provides incentives to homeowners to try hybrid heating (smart controls with gas furnace and air source heat pump systems) initially in London, St. Catharines, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, and now Barrie.
The province of Ontario first introduced its Clean Home Heating Initiative in September 2022 with a commitment of up to $4.5 million in incentives to support the installation of electric heat pumps with smart controls (hybrid heating) to residential customers in London, St. Catharines, Peterborough, and Sault Ste. Marie, and now the province has expanded the program, upping the total commitment to $8.2 million and offering the incentives to residents in Barrie.
The province says the total number of households eligible adds up to more than 1,500.
In collaboration with Enbridge, the Clean Home Heating Initiative provides participants with incentives of $3,000 for standard air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) and $4,500 for cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ccASHPs).
Through this program the province is promoting a dual fuel heating solution for homeowners, noting that with the addition of smart controls, a hybrid heating system automatically switches between the heat pump and a home’s existing condensing natural gas furnace depending on weather and which heating source is least expensive.
The Clean Home Heating Initiative is providing the government the ability to learn from the hybrid heating model and inform decisions on offering the model more broadly in the future.
“Hybrid heating can significantly reduce a home’s carbon footprint while increasing the flexibility and reliability of its heating and cooling system,” said Sarah Van Der Paelt, director of marketing and energy conservation at Enbridge Gas, in a media release issued by the province. “We appreciate the support from the provincial government, the participating municipalities and the electricity sector for strengthening this program and its ongoing commitment to energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures.”
