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Environment and Energy news & events:     Province of Ontario    ::   Green Communities Canada

Heating and cooling systems can account for 50% to 70%
of energy use in your home.

Here's good news: there are generous government grants to help you make your home energy efficient.

Not sure if you qualify? Call us for a free estimate!

A home professionally insulated to today's standards uses less energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and keeps your heating and cooling costs down.

Harper hints at extension of Home Renovation Tax Credit

Grants for homeowners go up!

Retrofoam insulation banned by federal government

Budget 2009 introduces Home Renovation Tax Credit

All Ontario parties support energy efficiency reports for home buyers

Ontario residents shift toward energy conservation

ecoAUTO rebate program

Home Renovation Tax Credit to be extended?

Dec. 21, 2009. In an interview with CTV News, Prime Minister Steven Harper hinted the March budget may include a provision to continue the popular home renovation tax for another year.

"We are looking at ways to continue our stimulus; to have real impact on the economy," said Harper.

Full article.

Government Grants increased by 25%

April 6, 2009.  Natural Resources Canada's ecoENERGY grants and the Home Energy Ontario grants were increased on March 30, 2009. For example, the maximum grant for insulating 100% of the outside walls to R12 where there was no existing insulation is now $3750: that is $1875 from ecoENERGY plus $1875 from Home Energy Ontario. An attic upgrade from R12 to R50 now qualifies for $1500 in total grants, up from $1200. Visit the NRCan web page.

Download the new chart from Natural Resources Canada (PDF format. Note regarding the grants shown on this brochure: Ontario homeowners receive a matching grant so double the amounts to calculate your maximum possible grant.)

Retrofoam insulation banned by federal government

In 1980 Canada banned use of urea formaldehyde foam insulation, or UFFI, which had been widely used. It was feared the foam released formaldehyde, which could cause respiratory problems and even cancer. About 280,000 Canadian homes had UFFI installed.

The federal government yesterday (Feb. 3, 2009) banned another product, RetroFoam, saying it also contains urea formaldehyde.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced a "cease-and desist" order against home insulator RetroFoam Canada, based in Breslau near Waterloo, and its area dealers.

"It's come to our attention that part of the insulation contained urea formaldehyde," Nicholson said.

Enerliv, the Canadian distributor of the insulation, has been ordered to "to stop all sale, advertisement and further installations of the product and to call back any unused product."

Further, Health Canada is informing consumers that RetroFoam of Canada Incorporated imported and illegally sold RetroFoam insulation in Canada. Urea formaldehyde-based thermal insulation (UFFI) was prohibited in Canada in December 1980 under the Hazardous Products Act.

Health Canada promised yesterday to contact homeowners about having their air quality tested. The government continues to investigate the company and will set up a 1-800 number for homeowners worried about the insulation.

Click to read full article from cnews  ::  Read press release from Health Canada

New Home Renovation Tax Credit

Jan. 27, 2009. To provide some $3 billion of much-needed fiscal stimulus and encourage investments in Canada’s housing stock, Budget 2009 proposes to implement a temporary Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC).

The HRTC will apply to eligible home renovation expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010, pursuant to agreements entered into after January 27, 2009. The temporary nature of the credit will provide an immediate incentive for Canadians to undertake new renovations or accelerate planned projects.

The HRTC can be claimed for renovations and enduring alterations to a dwelling, or the land on which it sits.

How the HRTC Will Work

The 15-per-cent credit may be claimed on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, meaning that the maximum tax credit that can be received is $1,350.

The credit can be claimed on eligible expenditures incurred on one or more of an individual’s eligible dwellings. Properties eligible for the HRTC include houses, cottages and condominium units that are owned for personal use.

Renovation costs for projects such as finishing a basement or re-modelling a kitchen will be eligible for the credit, along with associated expenses such as building permits, professional services, equipment rentals and incidental expenses.

Routine repairs and maintenance will not qualify for the credit. Nor will the cost of purchasing furniture, appliances, audio-visual electronics or construction equipment.

Source: Department of Finance Canada :: click for full article

All Ontario parties support energy efficiency reports for home buyers

Oct 17, 2008 TORONTO — All parties in Ontario's legislature agreed in principle Thursday to a private member's bill that would make it mandatory to provide energy ratings to potential home buyers so they can assess the costs of maintaining residences.

The initiative, outlined in a bill introduced by Liberal member Phil McNeely, would be phased in over three years, starting in 2010, and apply to homes and small apartments.

Under Bill 101, a builder or seller would have to get a rating report that informs buyers of the home's energy efficiency to allow them to estimate costs. It wouldn't, however, set limits or regulations on the amount of energy that can be used.

"By measuring the energy rating, consumers will have the choice to weigh energy costs in that important purchase decision," said McNeely, who represents Ottawa-Orleans. "Renters will have the option to also weigh energy costs into their choice.

"Builders of energy-efficient homes will be encouraged to build even better homes. Builders of less energy-efficient homes will have to be open to prospective purchasers."

McNeely said he's encouraged by support he's received from Energy Minister George Smitherman and Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield.

Cansfield said about 100 building companies in the province already voluntarily exceed Energy Star ratings, which provide guidelines to make new homes 30 per cent more energy efficient than those that meet minimum provincial building codes.

She called the bill an opportunity to help people choose what sort of home they want to buy.

"We give ratings to our hotels, we even give ratings to the meat we eat," Cansfield said. "Wouldn't it make sense to allow people to have choice and to make sure that when they buy the most important part of the legacy they'll leave maybe to their children, their home, that they know in fact what they are buying?"

Chris Chopik, a real estate agent and instructor for the Toronto Real Estate Board, said if the bill is passed, the real estate community would have a tool to educate prospective buyers about the importance of energy efficiency as costs continue to rise.

"Energy is the second price tag of every house," Chopik said. "The more that we can be doing today to improve the energy resiliency of Ontario homes, the more competitive Ontario will be in the future and the more valuable our housing stock will be."

Similar rules are being implemented in Nova Scotia and British Columbia and are in effect in several U.S. jurisdictions.

The bill will go to committee for further study.

Source: The Canadian Press

Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance gives Ontario an 'A' for energy conservation policies

August 12, 2008. Provincial policies on energy conservation are starting to see results. Alliance president Ken Elsey says the four top provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) are driving energy efficiency and have joined several U.S. states in the Western Climate Initiative to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

"I'm across the country on a regular basis... seeing who's at the table. Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, B.C. - consistently there.," Elsey said.

"We need to see more participation from some of the other provinces."

Last month, Canada's provincial and territorial leaders agreed to boost energy conservation efforts to lower consumer power bills, emissions and overall demand.

The premiers committed to a 20-per-cent increase in energy efficiency by 2020 through measures such as sharing best practices and adopting green policies for any new government-funded construction. 

Read full article from the Canadian Press
More about Government of Ontario Energy Targets

Decreasing Emissions from Passenger Vehicles

Budget 2007 announced funding for a two-year ecoAUTO Rebate program for consumers who purchase fuel-efficient vehicles. The program offers rebates from $1,000 to $2,000 to people who, beginning March 20, 2007, buy or enter a long-term lease (12 months or more) for a fuel efficient vehicle. Consumers will continue to be able to collect the rebate through March 31, 2009, on eligible 2006, 2007 and 2008 model year vehicles purchased by December 31, 2008. Click for a list of eligible vehicles.

Source: The Budget Plan 2008, tabled in the House of Commons by the Honourable James M. Flaherty, P.C., M.P., Minister of Finance
February 26, 2008

Ontario residents beginning to shift towards conservation

June 18, 2008. A recent report released by the Ontario Power Authority indicates the average Ontario resident used 4.6 per cent less electricity in 2007 than in 2005.

It's a sign that attitudes in Canada are beginning to shift towards conservation - a move that can only continue in the face of high energy prices, said Chris Winter, executive director of the Conservation Council of Ontario.

"Rising energy prices are only going to make conservation more dominant as a response," Winter said.

Source: Canadian Press

Energy Saving Tips

Visit the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure website for more tips on saving energy in your home.

Fight the rising cost of heating and cooling your home! Call us to have your home insulation assessed and find out about government grants to help pay for energy efficient home improvements.

I
  and conserve energy, reduce costs

Find out about financial grants available from the Home Energy Ontario Program and the Natural Resources Canada ecoEnergy Program.  Click here to review the process, visit the Green Communities Canada website, or call ThermalMaxx Insulation at 519-659-8861 for details.

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