Many of us hope that the worst of winter is behind us. One thing is for sure; the first day of spring is March 20th and seems like a long way off. There is still plenty of time to take advantage of a free program offered by Enbridge Gas Distribution and GreenUP.
The Home Winterproofing Program has been running for the past few years and has been helping gas customers save energy by making their homes more efficient.
Through the program, Enbridge will pay for all improvements, which typically include insulation upgrades and draft proofing, if you qualify for the program. Applicants that own or rent may qualify.
In the winter, warm air escapes your house through small leaks and through poorly insulated walls and ceilings. As a result, your gas heater has to work harder to keep the temperature at a comfortable level, which means you are paying extra on your heating bill. You could be losing up to 30% of the heat in your home due to poor insulation.
To be eligible for the Home Winterproofing Program, your home must be heated by natural gas, you must be a customer of Enbridge Gas Distribution, and pay your own natural gas bill.
What’s great about the Home Winterproofing Program is that it’s free! Any work completed on your home is done at absolutely no cost to you, and there’s no catch. You’ll start receiving lower energy bills as a result of lower gas consumption.
By making your home more energy efficient, you have the can lower your gas bill by as much as 30%. This means more money in your pocket at the end of each month.
The Enbridge Home Winterproofing Program
You automatically qualify for the program if you have limited income or receive government assistance from programs such as Ontario Works, Guaranteed Income Supplement, National Child Benefit Supplement, the Allowance for Seniors or Allowance for Survivors.
Having energy efficiency upgrades performed on your home also makes it more comfortable, by reducing drafts and allowing you to have more control over the temperature. At the same time, you’re also increasing the value of your home. Future buyers and tenants enjoy energy efficient homes though it is worth noting that it is extremely rare for homes built after 1980 to qualify.
Participating in the program is easy and you can confirm your eligibility in three steps.
First, fill out an application form available from GreenUP or Enbridge Gas Distribution. As part of the application process, you need to provide proof of your income. This can be your last income tax assessment or a benefit statement. This information stays strictly confidential and is not shared with anyone else.
The Home Winterproofing Program does not require your social insurance number, so you can feel free to black it out on the government statements required for proof of income. After you’ve gathered the correct documentation and completed your form, return the form to GreenUP or Enbridge for processing.
Once we receive your application, we review it to ensure your eligibility in the program. If you qualify, we’ll call you to schedule a visit by one of our certified energy advisors. The advisor typically will inspect your attic, wall and basement/foundation insulation, test how drafty your home is, and make note of the age and efficiency of the heating/cooling and ventilation systems.
Once this stage of the program is complete, and if your house qualifies for insulation upgrades, a crew of contractors will be sent to your home to make the energy efficiency and draft proofing improvements that have been recommended by the energy advisor.
Finally, after all the work is complete, we will send our energy advisor back to your home to do one final test. This test will show the new improved level of energy efficiency of your home compared to before the draft sealing and insulation work was completed.
If you’d like more information on the Home Winterproofing Program, email GreenUP’s Energy Efficiency Coordinator Peter Goering at peter.goering@greenup.on.ca.
