Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Sixteen environmental groups sent an open letter to Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, calling for the continuation of the very successful Greener Homes Grant Program. Another letter, written by Green Communities Canada, was sent to the Federal Minister of Energy making the same request.
Over the short life of this program, more than 500,000 homeowners signed up to take advantage of $5,000 grants used for the purchase and installation of heat pumps as well as a $600 grant for home energy audits.
“The Greener Homes grant has been extremely successful. Why would the government be ending it now with little notice?” said Keith Brooks, Programs Director, at Environmental Defence. “Canadians are just now learning about heat pumps, the industry is booming, yet the government is pulling the rug out? It just doesn’t make sense.”
The termination of this successful program comes during a global energy transition when many homeowners are switching from polluting gas furnaces to cheaper and cleaner heat pumps. Heat pumps have been proven to be more cost-effective and more efficient than gas furnaces over the years, hence their popularity.
“Thanks to the Greener Homes Grant, Canada is on a roll in transitioning from polluting gas furnaces to cleaner and more affordable electric heat pumps,” said Lana Goldberg, Safe Cities Climate Campaigner at Stand.earth. “The federal government ought to continue robustly supporting this momentum, ensuring a decrease in stubbornly high and rising building emissions, while lowering people’s energy bills and making homes safer.”
The closing of this program will introduce new challenges for many Canadians. It will be challenging for the small and medium businesses in the HVAC & Energy Monitoring Industry that created 75,000 jobs in just a few years. It will also be challenging for consumers who were committing to switching to a heat pump and were considering further efficiency upgrades to their homes.
“Cities and communities are doing their part to support the high demand for retrofits. Federal incentives must stay consistent and predictable for communities to realize the climate and economic benefits of healthy, low-carbon buildings,” said Bryan Purcell, Vice-President for Policy and Programs at The Atmospheric Fund.
The groups are calling on the Federal government to not only continue this program but to also expand the incentives to retrofit low-income homes. The Federal government must properly fund this program so that Canadians can make the transition to affordable energy in the form of electric heat pumps that increase home energy efficiency in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.
Additional Information:
Link to the letter here
The letter to Minister Wilkinson was signed by:
350.org
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE)
Canadian Health Association for Sustainability and Equity (CHASE)
Citizens’ Climate International
Clean Air Partnership
Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL)
Conservation Council of New Brunswick
Greenpeace Canada
Halton Action for Climate Emergency Now (HACEN)
Halton Hills Climate Action
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign (OCEC)
Stand.earth
The Atmospheric Fund
Windsor-Essex On Watch (WOW)
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Tamara Latinovic, Environmental Defence
media@environmentaldefence.ca
The post Environmental Groups Call on Government to Renew the Greener Homes Grant Program appeared first on Environmental Defence.
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