Legalese_06-04

Jeff Green | Jan 26, 2006

Back toHome

Hydro One's HomeEnergy EfficiencyGrant

by PeterGraham, Lawyer

A column of general information and opinion on legal topics by the lawyers of Rural Legal Services, Box 359, Sharbot Lake, ON, K0H2P0, 613-279-3252, or 1-888-777-8916. This column is not intended to provide legal advice. You should contact a lawyer to determine your legal rights and obligations.

Hydro One’s Home Energy Efficiency Grant

Hydro One’s Home Energy Efficiency Grant is designed to help lower-income homeowners, with electrically heated homes, make energy efficiency improvements to their homes, reduce their electricity bills and help the environment as well.

The grant is for an amount up to $3,000.

Who Qualifies?

To qualify you must:

be a Hydro One customer;

be a homeowner;

heat your home with electricity; and

have an income that is at or below ceilings based on your home’s size and location.

How is the grant money used?

The grant money must be used to improve the energy efficiency of your home. For example, the focus of the Home Energy Efficiency Grant program is to provide improved energy savings for electric space heating and electric water heating. It also targets improving the energy efficiency of your home by such things as upgrading your insulation and installing energy-efficient windows.

Energy evaluations will be performed on your home through Natural Resources Canada’s EnerGuide for Houses service. The evaluation will determine how energy efficient your home is now and make recommendations on how its energy efficiency can be improved.

How to apply for the grant?

Hydro One has arranged with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to administer the grant program through its Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP). To check if you qualify you must contact CMHC and complete a RRAP application. To receive an application form call CMHC at 1-800-704-6488 or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information on the RRAP and its application process is available on CMHC’s Web site at www.cmhc.ca.

Who can do the work?

Homeowners may do their own labour provided the EnerGuide for Houses advisor agrees that the work will be satisfactorily completed and there are no laws that require a licensed tradesperson to do the work. If you decide to do your own labour, the Home Energy Efficiency Grant will cover only the cost of the materials. You will not be paid for your labour.

More information?

More information may be obtained from the Hydro One Web site at www.hydroonenetworks.com. Information on the “Home Energy Efficiency Grant” is accessed by clicking the “Home Energy Efficiency Grant” link panel on the right side of the page.