Ontario commits up to $4.5M to combat high heating costs

The Ontario government announced a test program today to help homeowners fight high heating costs with new technology.

Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith announced that Ontario will provide up to $4.5 million through the program Clean Home Heating Initiative to bring hybrid heating to 1,000 households in St. Catharines, London, Peterborough, and Sault Ste. Marie.

Homeowners a part of the program would have gas furnaces and electric heat pumps that could switch back and forth depending on which is cheaper at the time, or better for the environment.

In this region, the trial program will offer incentives of up to $3,000 for 300 homeowners in the initial target area of St. Catharines.

The Ontario Energy Board has given Enbridge approval to raise natural gas prices by 30 per cent as of this Saturday, October 1st. The NDP says the government should be developing programs to provide relief.

Interim Ontario NDP leader, Peter Tabuns says people may have to decide between groceries and keeping warm, “we’re going to see some very cold days and some very big natural gas bills from the natural gas utility.”

Smith says the government is fighting electricity and gas price increases, “we’ve flat-lined those increases in electricity, of course with the situation in Ukraine now there is elevated prices in the cost of natural gas.”

The opposition says Ontario should be breaking free from international natural gas prices. “As long as we’re tied into the international market price of gas people are at risk of having unaffordable heating bills and we need to move away from that,” Tabuns said.

In this region, the new hybrid heating program announced today is aimed at St. Catharines as one of the test cities. It would largely be for people buying new heat pumps or furnaces. It’s first come first served for homeowners who want to apply for the grants.