PTBOCanada Featured Post: The Amazing SaveOnEnergy Home Assistance Program

When it comes to energy bills, absolutely no one likes to pay more than they have to. Unplugging appliances, lowering or raising the temperature depending on the season, and even turning off the lights are all small tricks that can definitely help in both the short and longterm.

But when it comes to really making a change, sometimes the initial investment of buying Energy Efficient products like fridges and stoves can be quite costly. To provide MAJOR assistance with this, Peterborough Distribution Inc. (with assistance from GreenUP) is running a program funded by the Ontario Power Authority to help make a change in the way we consume energy, by helping us use less!

The SaveOnEnergy Home Assistance Program is designed to help “Income Qualified Participants” such as students, seniors and lower income families to reduce their electricity bill so that their expenses are more manageable. As much as some of these potentially eligible people would love to save money on utilities, the upgrade costs can sometimes be too much to take on. This program is here to help out bigtime with those upgrade costs.

Getting started is quite simple. Peter Goering from GreenUP is a Certified Energy Advisor and can be reached at 705.745.3238, ext. 200. He will determine whether or not you qualify and then arrange to do an initial assessment of your home providing low wattage light bulbs where possible and determine if any of four eligible appliances (refrigerator, window A/C, chest freezer and dehumidifier) exceed established thresholds and criteria. Then he will let you know if you are eligible to receive any appliance upgrades.

Peter also lets you know approximately how much electricity is being wasted with your current devices—which can be quite an education in itself. The entire audit/assessment, including eligible appliance upgrades, is completely free of charge!

Funding for the program is set to finish at the end of 2014 so time is of the essence! Ontario, as a whole, needs to reduce its electricity consumption. This is due to both aging infrastructure and increasing awareness around global warming and other environmental issues. This program is part of the Ministry of Energy's goal to create a “culture of conservation”. The Ministry estimates that with every $1 invested in energy efficiency, the province avoids paying $2 in costs to the electricity system in the end.

The benefits to taking part in the program seem quite obvious: updated, ENERGY Star appliances and reduced energy bills for starters. Another huge benefit is that energy conservation helps eliminate greenhouse gases and have a healthier environment. Best of all, the program is completely FREE to participate in!

Your only investment is time (you have to actually be there when they assess and install!). As mentioned, the program is open to “Income Qualified Participants” students, seniors, and low income families. The income cutoffs are listed on GreenUP's website, and it does depend on the number of adults living in the household. For specific details and to find out if you are eligible, click here!

For eligibility details and more info, go to Greenup.on.ca or call Peter Goering from GreenUP at 705.745.3238, ext. 200

**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!