LETTER: Ontario's Clean Home Heating Initiative 'misses its mark'

SooToday.com has received the following letter in response for Sault homeowners eligible for home heating incentive program published Sept. 27.
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In response to your recent article about the Ontario Government's "Clean Home Heating Initiative." I saw this program and thought there might finally be an energy program that would work for our family.

We are a family of five. Our home is heated with a gas fireplace and electric baseboards. It is not a large home, and we are very conscious of our energy use. Despite that, our energy costs are very high. This grant, like the last two put out by the Ontario Government in partnership with Enbridge, misses the mark yet again!

This program is only for homes that already have high-efficiency gas furnace. If our home had a high-efficiency furnace, we would already have lower bills and would have no need for a heat pump or the incentive.

A program that focused on homes with electric or oil heating would not only encourage reduced emissions but would also have a significant financial impact on people that truly need the help.

Programs that encourage alternative energy for new residential builds would encourage individuals building their own homes to explore solar or small-scale wind energy to power those new homes.

A program that provided financial assistance for people looking to make changes such as new windows and doors, a new roof, additional insulation etc., that does not require a very expensive energy assessment and tight timelines, would be more helpful for the average homeowner than the "Home Efficiency Rebate" currently being offered.

The Ontario Government is not implementing grant programs to help average people but rather to help private contractors and huge corporations (like Enbridge and Hydro One). These programs are costing taxpayer dollars but do not address the gaps in the current system and do nothing to help homeowners control rising costs.

Jillian Hayes
Sault Ste. Marie

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