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East Kootenay homeowners get exclusive $1500 bonus for energy retrofits

Put your house on an energy diet this winter with the help of a grant.

Submitted

With the cold winter months here, East Kootenay local governments and utilities are offering $1500 more rebates to residents for keeping their homes warm in the winter.

“We are pleased to work with FortisBC/BC Hydro to pilot this bonus incentive in the East Kootenays.  The bonus offers a great opportunity for East Kootenay residents to access up to $5000 in total incentives this year.   By including windows, heating systems, and heat recovery ventilators in the bonus, we hope that East Kootenay residents will be able to complete additional energy upgrades to help reduce energy bills and improve home comfort,” states Margo Longland, senior program manager of Power Smart residential marketing with BC Hydro.

The new comprehensive energy upgrade bonus adds to the existing LiveSmart BC and the East Kootenay Energy Diet program. Residents can access the $1500 bonus incentive when they improve their insulation plus two other eligible upgrades such as high efficiency windows or a heating system.

East Kootenay residents can now access discounted energy assessments with a City Green Certified Energy Advisor, through the East Kootenay Energy Diet.

Up to $5000 in rebates plus low-interest financing for insulation, windows, heating systems, and other energy saving home improvements.

Coaching a support through the East Kootenay Energy Diet

These incentives are only available if you have a home energy assessment before December 31, 2013 and complete home energy upgrades prior to March 31, 2014. To get started, sign up online at www.eked.ca.

“Recommendations from a certified energy advisor can save you hours of planning time and thousands of dollars by assisting you to make energy upgrade decisions that are right for your home and budget,” explains Peter Sundberg of City Green Solutions.

Sharon and Joseph Cross will be one of the first homeowners to complete a ‘deep’ retrofit, meaning that they are completing multiple energy efficiency retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of their home. Sharon Cross is pleased with the process:  “We are seeing the benefits already with a comfortable indoor temperature and significantly less energy being consumed.  Getting the retrofits done before winter sets in will give us a good indication of savings when the electric and gas bills come in."

The East Kootenay Energy Diet is delivered by Community Energy Association and is made possible by funding from BC Hydro, Columbia Basin Trust, Regional District of East Kootenay and FortisBC, and through a partnership with LiveSmart BC, East Kootenay Community Credit Union and Kootenay Savings.  Energy Assessments are delivered by the non-profit organization City Green Solutions.

Additional subsidies for home energy assessments are offered by the District of Sparwood, City of Fernie, Regional District of East Kootenay (for Electoral Areas) and City of Kimberley. For more information, go to www.eked.ca, email info@eked.ca or call Megan at (250)531-0690.

Three Easy Steps For Participating in the East Kootenay Energy Diet

There is a simple process to qualifying for all three special offers available through the East Kootenay Energy Diet – the subsidized energy assessments, the LiveSmartBC Efficiency Incentive Program rebates and the bonus incentive of $1500.

First, homeowners must schedule a home energy assessment. Assessments can be booked through the East Kootenay Energy Diet  or any certified energy manager in the area. This must be done before December 31, 2013. Register online at www.eked.ca, email info@eked.ca or call 250.531.0690.  The East Kootenay Energy Diet offers subsidized home energy assessments, so check out www.eked.ca to find out what subsidies are available in your community

Secondly, to access both the LiveSmart BC Efficiency Incentive program rebate and the $1500 bonus incentives you must complete one insulation upgrade – attic, wall, basement or crawlspace plus two qualifying bonus Livesmart incentive upgrades which can include the following: additional insulation upgrades, qualifying high efficiency heating system upgrade, Climate Zone C Energy Star window upgrades, air sealing, or heat recovery ventilator. The Supplemental Terms and Conditions for the Comprehensive Energy Upgrade Bonus Pilot – East Kootenay provides further details on the requirements of the program.

Through the East Kootenay Energy Diet, low-interest loans are available from Kootenay Savings and East Kootenay Community Credit Union to help finance energy retrofits. Contact your branch for more details.

Third, upon completion of your home energy upgrades you will need to schedule a follow up energy assessment to verify your energy upgrades and qualify you for the incentive programs.  Your follow up energy assessment can be scheduled by contacting City Green Solutions at 1-866-381-9995 or by emailing savings@citygreen.ca.