Are you a home-owner living in Nova Scotia? Are you concerned about climate change and interested in reducing your home energy bill? There are several programs available to help you with reducing fossil fuel use.
Electricity generation is currently a leading emitter of greenhouse gases in Nova Scotia. In the 2022 Climate Change Plan, the Government of Nova Scotia breaks down the greenhouse gas emissions per sector and electricity was the highest at 43%. Transportation was the next highest at 32% and buildings were at 12%. Nova Scotia plans to stop the use of coal-fired plants by 2030 and reach 80% of electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2030. If you are concerned about reducing your carbon footprint, reducing energy consumption and fossil fuel use in the home is a great place to start. It saves you money at the same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Converting oil heating to electrical heating is helpful because the grid will soon include more renewable energy. Increasing insulation, switching to low-energy use appliances, and sealing holes are some other examples of actions that you can take. Efficiency NS Energy Audit Efficiency Nova Scotia can come to your home and perform an energy audit for $200. The audit helps you to find out how your home is losing heat. At that time, you can learn about rebates and low interest loans that are available. You will automatically be considered for the federal Canada Greener Homes Grant rebates. These include home insulation, windows and doors, heat pumps and renewable energy systems. There is $125 to $5000 available for eligible home retrofits and up to $600 can go towards the total costs of your pre- and post retrofit EnerGuide evaluations. HomeWarming program The HomeWarming program is excellent for people who have a low income. You can get a free energy assessment and free home upgrades. You can get a free heat pump (and electric panel upgrade) if you are on oil heating, which would be switched out. The Government of Nova Scotia is committing to reduce the use of oil heating by 20% by 2030. Low income is defined as less than $27,250 per year for 1 person, $50,635 for 2-4 person, and $72,113 for 5 or more. The family or person must own the single unit home and live in it all year. Efficiency NS Home Energy Upgrade Rebates If you don’t qualify for the HomeWarming, there are still ways to save money on home energy upgrades. Efficiency Nova Scotia has several great rebates for home heating that is not oil-based:
SolarHomes program Interested in installing solar panels on your roof? It is a great way to reduce your use of grid energy if using battery storage, or you can contribute renewable energy to the grid. SolarHomes offers rebates for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems up to 10 KW in size (min 1KW). They give rebates at the rate of $0.30/Watt (installed DC capacity) up to a maximum of $3,000. In order to qualify, the building must be owned by the person applying and it must be either a primary residence or seasonal property (not rental). You can use the rebate for an addition to an existing PV system (min 1 KW). Clean Energy Financing There are several municipalities in Nova Scotia that are running clean energy financing programs. These include Town of Bridgewater, District of Lunenburg, District of Digby, District of Barrington, District of Yarmouth, Inverness County, Town of Amherst, Cumberland County, Town of New Glasgow, Victoria County, and East Hants. They might have slight differences but generally they follow the guidelines set out by Clean Foundation. District of Lunenburg for example offers 15 years of financing at the rate of 2% interest, up to $20,000. Many upgrades that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are eligible. Financing is through your property and not personal credit. There are several good programs in the province for people to reduce their energy use when they own their home. There appears to be less options for people who are renting apartments and rental property owners. However, Efficiency NS can help to install some free energy-saving measures like tank wraps, LED lights, and faucet aerators in apartments. There are energy saving options for just about everyone! If you have experience with any of these programs, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Happy energy saving!
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AuthorMay is a sustainability coach, consultant, and gardener working in Nova Scotia. Archives
July 2023
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