The July 13 launch of a $400 million federal ecoENERGY retrofit homes program has opened the floodgates for energy upgrades in B.C.
Peter Sundberg, executive director of City Green Solutions, a non-profit organization providing energy efficiency services, said homeowners have been hearing about the ecoENERGY grants since before the federal election, and there’s pent-up demand.
“There are only eight months to access ecoENERGY grants, so we expect a rush of B.C. homeowners to take advantage of this program while it lasts,” he said. “Unlike in other provinces, B.C. homeowners can potentially access two grants at the same time, by taking advantage of both the ecoENERGY retrofit – homes program and the popular LiveSmart BC efficiency incentive program.”
Benefits to homeowners participating in both the home energy grant programs include accessing thousands of dollars in grants to help with the cost of energy upgrades, reducing energy bills, increasing home comfort, enhancing home re-sale value and reducing the environmental footprint of their home.
Homeowners wishing to access the federal and provincial grants follow a four step process:
* Register with Natural Resources Canada at http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/registration.cfm or call 1-877-953-5454.
* Get an energy assessment with a certified energy advisor to identify and prioritize energy upgrade opportunities;
* Perform the energy efficiency upgrades of your choice;
* Have a post-retrofit assessment to verify the work and apply for the grants (a certified energy advisor handles the paperwork).
Not all homes are eligible. For details about the grants available and eligibility criteria, please call City Green at 1-866-381-9995 or visit www.citygreen.ca.
City Green is the only non-profit provider of the LiveSmart BC and ecoENERGY programs in B.C.