One thing is common among just about all homeowners: the need to be more energy efficient in the face of increasing costs. There is also the obligation to conserve nonrenewable energy sources for the sake of the planet and future generations. We all have many financial responsibilities these days: mortgage, education, insurance, taxes, utilities, groceries…the list goes on and on. Factor in optional costs like vacations, entertainment, and restaurant meals, and most people are looking at a substantial portion of their take home pay gone. Under these circumstances, it is really unfortunate to spend money needlessly due to energy inefficiency at home.
Upgrading to more modern and effective equipment is the obvious solution, but the upfront costs are challenging for some consumers. Fortunately, rebates help to reduce the sting of such renovation and maintenance costs. Ontario’s Heating and Cooling Incentive provides the financial assistance and incentive many homeowners need in order to commit to upgrades. Rebates have been with us for 10 years now so they have the appearance of being perpetual. Unfortunately, that is not the case: it is important to check whether these rebate programs have expiration dates. It would be unfortunate to lose out on such deals when you really need to make important home efficiency decisions.
The current round of rebates is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2017. I have no expectation that they will be renewed in their present form since most of the important energy improvements have been legislated into existence and incentives are no longer required. Future rebates will be focused around heat pumps and electrically heated homes, and I expect that they will be considerable. The clock is ticking and we anticipate a backlog as the deadline nears: if you anticipate needing new HVAC equipment, reach out to us as soon as possible to get ahead of the rebate deadlines.
