Provincial is a team of qualified Winnipeg air conditioning repair professionals and heating experts. We want your home to be as comfortable as possible; here in Manitoba, the summers are exceptionally hot, with bitter cold winters. This drastic difference in temperatures mean that a house with energy efficient systems is essential for saving money and providing a good living experience. Manitoba Hydro understands this as well; they’ve created a few incentives to help you get started on the path to an energy efficient, climate controlled home. Today, we’ll take a look at how some of those incentives can help you.
The Affordable Energy Program
Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint and energy bill, while increasing the comfort of your home, but you feel the upgrades are too expensive? If so, the Affordable Energy Program is for you. To qualify, your household’s annual income needs to be below a certain threshold, starting at $31,673 and increasing to $83,879 for 7 or more people; you also need to dwell in the home as a permanent residence. Should you qualify, Manitoba Hydro will offer you a high-efficiency natural gas furnace for $9.50 per month over 5 years, a total cost of $570; much more affordable than financing it yourself! You can additionally get $3000 towards a high-efficiency natural gas boiler. Hydro will also provide free insulation for you, as well as efficient fixtures like low-flow showerheads and LED lights.
The Power Smart Home Insulation Program
This program is helpful for those who live in homes that were built prior to 1999; these homes tend to have poor insulation compared to modern builds, and Hydro will help increase efficiency by providing you a rebate on new insulation. They recommend you get a quote from at least three insulation installers; whichever installer you pick will then file the paperwork necessary for the rebate with Manitoba Hydro. How much of a rebate you get and whether or not you’ll qualify depends on the quality of insulation in your home prior to the renovation, as well as on how much insulation was installed.
Water and Energy Saver Program
This program is actually a kit that Hydro will send to you to increase the efficiency of your faucets and showers. The kit comes with low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, as well as plumber’s tape so you can install everything yourself. Should you be uncomfortable with self-installation, you may qualify to have someone from Hydro help you with the process.
Manitoba Hydro can also provide financing for renovation projects should you not qualify or need their other programs; they are incentivized to help you save energy, because what they don’t sell to you can be sold to foreign markets. We love energy efficiency at Provincial, and we’d be more than happy to help you understand what benefits you might qualify for, as well as give you ideas for how we can make your home more energy efficient.