Minister Wilkinson Announces Canada Greener Homes Initiative Delivery Across Ontario with Enbridge Gas

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is helping homeowners save money by making their homes more energy-efficient.

In May 2021, the Government of Canada launched the Canada Greener Homes Grant to help up to 700,000 Canadians lower their energy costs, make their homes more comfortable and contribute to Canada's climate action plan. In June 2022, the government then launched the Canada Greener Homes Loan to help Canadians undertake deep retrofits in their homes with interest-free loans of up to $40,000. Together, the Grant and the Loans programs make up the Canada Greener Homes Initiative.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an agreement between Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas) for the co-delivery of the Canada Greener Homes Grant through a single window to all eligible Ontarians via Enbridge Gas's enhanced Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program.

The Government of Ontario recommended Enbridge Gas to the Government of Canada as the co-delivery partner for the Canada Greener Homes Grant in Ontario. This partnership will allow for more efficient program delivery in Ontario, given that the Enbridge Gas service network covers more than 75 percent of provincial residents. In doing so, the province of Ontario joins Quebec and Nova Scotia, which already have co-delivery agreements with the Canada Greener Homes Grant.

Starting January 2023, homeowners in Ontario will have access to the Canada Greener Homes Grant via the HER+ program, and it will be open for all eligible Ontarians regardless of their heating fuel type.

Through the HER+ program, rebates will be provided toward the cost of eligible retrofits such as home insulation, windows and doors and renewable energy systems as a comprehensive offer to help Ontarians optimize energy savings in their homes. Additionally, participants can offset the cost of their EnerGuide home assessment with a rebate of up to $600.

The program launches in January 2023. In the meantime, interested Ontario residents can find eligibility criteria and learn more about the programs by visiting the associated federal and utility websites.

This agreement will contribute to the national effort to reduce emissions from buildings while saving residents money on their utility bill and ensuring more climate-resilient communities for generations to come. The Government of Canada is supporting retrofits and efficiency upgrades as part of the Emissions Reductions Plan on the road to a prosperous and clean net-zero future.

"Today's announcement represents a step forward in reducing emissions, reducing utility bills and creating sustainable jobs in Ontario. The delivery of the Greener Homes Grant in Ontario with Enbridge Gas takes advantage of existing infrastructure to rapidly deploy cost- and climate-saving retrofits across the province while simplifying the process for residents. Congratulations to all of those involved."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson 
Minister of Natural Resources

"We are delighted to deliver the HER+ program in coordination with Natural Resources Canada. Aligning our Home Efficiency Rebate program with the Canada Greener Homes Initiative will make it easier for Ontarians to implement energy-efficient upgrades in their homes. We hope this will encourage Ontarians to make simple changes that will reduce natural gas use and costs while lowering emissions across the province. It's a triple benefit. At Enbridge Gas, we're committed to a green energy future, and energy conservation is one way we are investing our resources and contributing to our collective national goal of achieving net zero by 2050."

Michele Harradence 
President, Enbridge Gas 

"Energy conservation is an important part of Ontario's plan to build a cleaner, greener Ontario. By bringing together Ontario's natural gas conservation programs, delivered by Enbridge Gas, and the federal government's Greener Homes Grant, we are providing families with access to increased financial supports that will help them reduce their energy costs and emissions. This builds on our recent announcement that Ontario was increasing funding for the province's electricity energy-efficiency programs by $342 million."

The Honourable Todd Smith 
Ontario's Minister of Energy

• The Canada Greener Homes Initiative will deliver up to 1.5 megatonnes in emissions reduction annually by 2026 and is expected to generate over 110,000 direct and indirect jobs across Canada, building on the more than 436,000 direct jobs the energy efficiency sector accounted for in 2018.
• The Canada Greener Homes Initiative has issued $106 million in grants to almost 28,000 homeowners, including more than $10 million to 3,000 homeowners in Quebec and Nova Scotia, and approved more than 4,300 loans nationwide.
• As of May 1, 2019, Enbridge Gas's Home Energy Conservation (HEC) and the Home Reno Rebate (HRR) merged to become the Home Efficiency Rebate (HER). Since then, Enbridge Gas has provided rebates to over 80,000 customers.

• Canada Greener Homes Initiative 
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
• Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump
• Enbridge Gas website
• Home Efficiency Rebate Plus
• Home Efficiency Rebate Plus FAQ

Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) @EnbridgeGas (http://twitter.com/enbridgegas)

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada