Hydro One wants to help you! When you participate in a Hydro One rebates program, not only can you save energy and help the planet, you can save yourself money—both in the short term and the long term.

So take a look at these programs, some offered by Hydro One alone and some offered in partnership with others such as Save On Energy and the United Way, and see what you can find to take advantage of.

Then read through to the end to learn some new ways to save energy and money.

Hydro One Rebates

SAVE ON ENERGY PROGRAM

Hydro One administers numerous rebate programs offered by the provincial Save On Energy program, which is in turn run by the Independent Electricity System Operator. Together, these organizations help you save money, and as their name pronounces, save on energy.

The provincial government also funds the Green Ontario Fund and the Affordability Fund, which are also administered by Hydro One, so there are so many options for Ontarians to take advantage of to pay less on their electricity bill and reduce their impact on their environment.

Read on to learn about each of the rebate programs being offered right now and find the ones that are right for you.

Air Source Heat Pump Rebate Program

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy than anything else in your home, so why not invest in an air source heat pump? As one of the rebates offered as part of the Heating and Cooling Incentives Program, you could get back up to $5,800—depending on the type of pump you purchase.

Using an air source heat pump may seem a costly investment initially, but the size of the rebates takes the sting out of it, and the knowledge that you’ll save up to 50% off the cost of your electricity bill for the life of the pump sure helps with the decision to take that leap.

And not only does an air source heat pump warm your home, it also acts as an air conditioner, making this system a dual-benefit system. It almost makes you wonder why you don’t have one already!

So if it sounds like time to invest in an air source heat pump now and your home is heated electrically, just hire a licensed contractor to buy and install an ENERGY STAR®-certified or CEE Tier-1 level system, minimum SEER 15/HSPF 8.5/EER 12.5 rating, and your contractor will fill in and submit your rebate application form for you. All you need to do is email your receipt or send in your receipt to the address below and then wait for your money!

Save on Energy Incentives

30 Commercial Road

Toronto, ON

M4G 1Z4

Adaptive Thermostat Rebate Program

Wouldn’t it be something else to control the temperature of your home with your smartphone or tablet? If you’re feeling chilly, there’s no more need to run all the way to the thermostat on a whole other floor of your house just to turn it up a bit. Just open the app and turn it up wherever you are. Nice!

Hydro One, in partnership with Save On Energy, is now offering $50 off when you buy a new qualifying adaptive thermostat. Just make sure it’s a qualifying model installed in a home with ducted electric heating. It also has to be web-enabled with heat pump lockout temperature control.

As with the air source heat pump rebate, your contractor will purchase and install the thermostat for you and fill in and send in the rebate form for you. They will also be aware of which models qualify.

Then all you need to do, again, is send in your receipt either via email or mail to the address below and have fun with your new thermostat while you wait for your money!

Save on Energy Incentives

30 Commercial Road

Toronto, ON

M4G 1Z4

ECM Circulator Pump Rebate Program

If you already have a hydronic heating system, you could earn yourself $30 back when you buy an ECM circulator pump.

You’ll find you save money down the road on your energy bill when you have a contractor install an ECM circulator pump. It must be a variable-speed ECM pump however!

Just hire a contractor to buy and install it. Then they will fill out and submit the rebate form for you. You’ll get your rebate money as soon as you send the receipt via email or mail to this address:

Save on Energy Incentives

30 Commercial Road

Toronto, ON

M4G 1Z4

Furnace Rebate Program

Want to save money on your heating bill and get money back in your wallet? Then now is the time then to buy a new, high-efficiency furnace. Just make sure it has an ECM motor! You’ll save yourself 25% of your current energy costs over time.

The contractor you hire to buy and install your cool (sorry, warm!) new furnace will know exactly what models qualify for the program, including what models have ECM motors. They’ll even fill out and submit the rebate application form for you, along with application forms for any other rebates you may decide to take advantage of at the same time.

Then just send your receipts to the Save On Energy program by email or mail to the address below and you’ll get $250 back!

Save on Energy Incentives

30 Commercial Road

Toronto, ON

M4G 1Z4

Central Air Conditioner Rebate Program

Receive $600 back when you replace your old, tired, energy-consuming central air conditioner with a new, energy-efficient central air conditioner!

However, your new model must be ENERGY STAR®-certified, SEER 18/13 EER rating or higher, and have an eligible indoor coil. But you’ll be glad you invested in a new model in the middle of that next heat wave that just won’t break! You’ll pay out less on your electric bill, and the new air conditioner will be far less likely to conk out at the very worst moment.

Hire a professional contractor to buy and install the right qualifying model for you. They will know what models qualify and will also fill out and submit the application form for you. So once you hire your contractor, it’s as easy as sending your receipt by email or mail to the address below and you get your $600!

Save on Energy Incentives

30 Commercial Road

Toronto, ON

M4G 1Z4

New Construction Program

Building a new home or during a major renovation is the perfect time to go energy efficient. Not only do you save money and energy in the long term, but now you can be rewarded for being energy efficient.

All you have to do is get pre-approval by downloading and completing the application form before any structural work begins. Then just decide whether you will take advantage of the performance incentives or the prescriptive incentives.

The Performance Path will get you $500 for a new home that achieves an EnerGuide 83 or 84 rating or is certified ENERGY STAR® for New Homes or $1,000 for a new home that achieves an EnerGuide 85 or higher rating.

This is what you will get with the Prescriptive Path:

• $50 per house with a master all-off switch that controls all electrical sockets in the house (hard-wired)
• $30 per unit with an ENERGY STAR®-certified central air conditioner (CAC) minimum 15 SEER and 12.5 EER as identified by the IESO
• $5 per ENERGY STAR®-certified light bulb, recessed lighting (must have GU24 replacement), under-the-counter lighting, and LED lighting
• $3 per unit for lighting control products with hard-wired indoor and outdoor timers and motion sensors and hard-wired dimmer switches
• $3 to $10 per unit for ENERGY STAR®-certified indoor light fixtures (hard wired; 1 or 2 sockets is $3 per and 3 or more sockets is $10 per)

You could even build a new home (or do a major renovation) that doesn’t quite fit either the performance or prescriptive paths and qualify for a custom incentive.

A new home build could qualify if the home is

• classified as a residential occupancy,
• three stories or less,
• doesn’t exceed 600 m2, and
• isn’t a manufactured home with a chassis.

A major home renovation could qualify if it is a

• substantial removal of existing interior walls, ceiling, or floor assemblies;
• new installation of interior walls or floor assemblies;
• replacement of one or more systems such as the framing, exterior cladding, roofing, windows, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, foundation, flooring, or plumbing systems;
• renovation greater than 50 m2;
• space can’t be occupied for a minimum of 30 days; and
• renovated building is connected, or will be connected once the new construction project is installed and completed, to the distribution system.

Once you have approval, just complete the construction and download and complete the Final Application Project Worksheet and submit it with the appropriate supporting documents according to which incentive path you participated in.

Deal Days

If you’d like to make some improvements around the house to save energy and money but you don’t need or want to make any larger purchases, check out Deal Days. Financed by the Save On Energy program but run by Hydro One, you can find deals in-store on energy-efficient products such as LED bulbs, power bars, and dimmer switches.

These deals change frequently and each Deal Days program only lasts for a month, so when you see something you want, jump on it!

The current Deal Days program is over, so monitor it frequently to catch the next one when it opens up! And check out the website to get some ideas on where you could save some money and energy.

Hydro One Income-Based Programs

Home Assistance Program

We all like free! And we could all use a little help once in a while, especially when it comes to saving money so we can use what we have somewhere else.

If you’re a Hydro One customer living in a home less than 3 stories high and less than 600 m², you’ve passed the first requirements of this program. Now if you also have an income less than the allowed threshold (i.e., $61,028 for a family of 4), have received a LEAP grant in the last year or gotten assistance from a qualifying social benefit program, you are eligible to take part in the Home Assistance Program. However, if you rent, you will need the consent of your landlord.

Here’s how it works:

Low-income Energy Assistance Program

They say bad things come in threes. If that’s true for you, or you’re just experiencing a series of unfortunate events, Hydro One is happy to give you a break so you can have a chance to get back on your feet.

If you’re a Hydro Once customer with a low income and behind on your bill, you could qualify for a one-time emergency payment of up to $500 to pay that bill off and keep your power on. You could get $600 if your home is electrically heated.

There are a couple more existing criteria however. First, you must have a low income. So, for example, if your income after taxes is less than $48,000 and your household is made up of 4 people, you pass. Second, you must live at the house where the bill is in arrears.

If you think this program could help you, contact the United Way as they run this program on behalf of Hydro One:

1 (855) 487-5327

[email protected]

www.UnitedWayGSC.ca

The United Way could also help you to have your security deposit credited to your Hydro One account or refunded by cheque, suspend disconnection for 21 days, or get you more time to pay overdue bills.

Ontario Electricity Support Program

While not specifically a Hydro One program, the Ontario Electricity Support Program can help low-income households with their electricity bill. If you qualify, you could receive a credit of $30 to $50 on your electricity bill. You do have to reapply every 2 years though, unless you are over 65 or receiving CPP disability benefits, in which case you only have to reapply every 5 years.

You can apply if you are the electricity account holder and you live in the home applying for assistance. To qualify, your household income (after taxes for everyone who lives in the house for more than 6 months per year) for a family of 4 must be less than $48,000.

However, if you use additional electricity for medical reasons such as running a kidney dialysis machine, you could receive a larger credit.

It’s as easy as applying online for this program. Once you’ve applied, just print and sign the consent form and send it to the address on the form. If you’re unable to apply online, contact an OESP Centre (1 [855] 831-8151) and they will mail you an application form or any other assistance you may need.

The Ontario Native Welfare Administrators Association (ONWAA) is also available to assist Indigenous households with their applications. Indigenous households can call ONWAA at 1 (844) 885-3157 or email them to confirm their availability.

The only information you will need to apply is your electricity bill account number, service address, and account holder details; the birthdates and names of all residents in your home; and social insurance numbers or temporary tax numbers for tax-filing household members.

Ontario AffordAbility Fund

This program is as easy as 1-2-3 if you feel your electricity bill is too much for you to handle but you don’t qualify for other income-assistance programs such as the Home Assistance Program.

All you need to do is call 1(855) 494-FUND, shoot them an email, or apply online. Then they will give you a call and ask you a few simple questions such as what your household income and average electricity bill are.

Then you’ll get some free energy-efficient products for free! They could include ENERGY STAR® light bulbs, a power bar, and/or faucet aerators. And if you meet a few other qualifications, you could even receive a free energy assessment of your home, a plan to make your home more energy-efficient, and they’ll install—again, for free— some more energy-efficient upgrades that could include appliances (refrigerators, freezers, window air conditioners, dehumidifiers, or programmable thermostats), draft proofing, insulation, or a heat pump.

First Nations Conservation Program

For those living in a First Nations community that did not participate in the Independent Electricity System Operator’s Aboriginal Conservation Program (2013 to 2015), you could qualify for this new program. In conjunction with Save On Energy, Hydro One is offering you free energy-efficient upgrades to help save energy and make your home more comfortable.

You probably qualify if you are First Nations living in a First Nations community and are the primary utility account holder (or live in band-owned housing). If you own your home, it must be your primary residence. If you rent, you must have the consent of your landlord.

This a free program that offers a home assessment that looks at such things as drafts, your insulation, the age of your appliances, and the light bulbs you’re using. Then your advisor will even install free energy-efficient upgrades for you and show you how to make the most of your new items—and save money! These are some the free upgrades they could install as part of this free program:

• light bulbs
• smart power bars
• water-saving showerheads
• faucet aerators
• weatherstripping to reduce drafts
• block heater timers

• possible ENERGY STAR® refrigerators or other appliances
• possible insulation in attics and/or basements
• hot water tank wrap and pipe insulation
• programmable thermostats

Just call 1 (844) 349-8972 or email them to apply or for more information.

6 Tips for Slashing Your Hydro One Utility Bill

Now that you’ve taken advantage of as many ways as Hydro One has to save you money on your power bill and save energy for the planet, here’s a few more ways for you to save:

Try installing a ceiling fan

Most of us spend most of our money on heating and cooling our homes. To reduce the amount of money and energy you use in the summer, try installing a ceiling fan. They use a lot less energy than an air conditioner, and even if you have an air conditioner, you can keep its usage to just once a day when you use a ceiling fan.

Open strategic windows to create a cross-breeze

Here’s another simple cooling fix: open strategic windows to create a cross-breeze. Not only will opening windows on opposites of a room or house create a cross-breeze, but opening one on one side upstairs and one on the opposite side downstairs will help even more.

Try planting trees and shrubs around your windows and condenser

Try planting trees and shrubs around your windows and condenser. This could reduce your energy usage by 10%. Installing your thermostat in a shady location could also have the same result.

Run your bathroom fan for just 30 minutes

Run your bathroom fan for just 30 minutes during/after your shower. It will reduce the heat and humidity without using more power than you need. Also make sure you use your range hood fan every single time you cook something, so the heat and steam will head outside rather than hanging around inside.

Check all your ducts

Check all your ducts. You may have holes, cracks, or small leaks you didn’t know about, so cover them with duct tape if you find any. This little move could reduce your energy use by 20%!

Did you know your PVR is using more energy when it’s not on but plugged in

Did you know your PVR is using more energy when it’s not on but plugged in that it is when you’re actually using it?

Crazy! Make sure you’re not sucking up invisible, unnecessary energy by always unplugging everything you can. Your toaster, electric toothbrush, laptop, speakers, and cable box are all doing the same thing! You could also use a power bar to conveniently turn everything on and off, similarly to plugging in and unplugging.

Challenge yourself to look around your home to find even more ways to save energy after taking part in as many of these programs as you can. You’ll be glad you did every time you open up your utility bill!