The B.C. government is expanding its heat-pump rebates program, which will allow more people to be eligible.
For example, a family of four with two adults and two children making $185,620 or less on their combined pre-tax annual income is eligible for a rebate of as much as $10,500 when they switch to a heat pump, according to the government.
Previously, the income threshold for a family of four was $114,647.
In May, the federal and provincial governments announced a quarter of a billion dollars to pay for 16,000 heat pumps for B.C. single-family homeowners.
Both governments want residents to start using electric heat pumps to warm and cool their homes instead of gas or oil powered systems. This is part of government efforts to reduce the amount of carbon generated by burning fossil fuels.
The program is managed through the Clean B.C. Income Qualified Program.
The average heat-pump installation costs between $8,000 and $19,000, depending on the equipment type and heating load, according to the government
For a family of four making less than $87,350 annually, rebate amounts for a heat pump have been increased to $16,000 up from $9,500.
Additional rebates are available for electrical-service upgrades and for people living in northern B.C. communities, meaning some families could receive as much as $24,000 in rebates when switching to a heat pump, the government said.
Participants will not need to pay up front for heat-pump installations. Applicants register for the program to verify eligibility and then once upgrades are completed by a program-approved contractor, the contractor submits the final rebate application and deducts the rebate amount from the final cost of the upgrade.
The government said about 13 per cent of B.C. households use a heat pump and it’s estimated there are 28,000 homes heated with oil, which is much more expensive than heating with heat pumps.
To apply for the rebates, visit betterhomesbc.ca.
— With files from David Carrigg
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
