Are you tired of maintaining your old and polluting oil-fired heating system? Although the price of oil has been quite low recently, we don’t know what the future holds. Not to mention the smell of oil, the risk of spills and its environmental effects…

If you feel that replacing your old system with an electrical system is expensive and is causing you to hesitate, check out the Québec government’s Heating With Green Power program.
Managed by the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles, the program provides financial assistance to those who replace fossil fueled systems with systems that use electricity or other renewable sources of energy.

Financial assistance varies according to the type of property and the system that is being replaced, but the amounts paid are relatively high. In the most common case of a single-family home where we replace the central oil-based heating system and water heater, the grant would be $1,525. A chart showing different scenarios and related amounts is available online.

Unlike other government programs, this is not a tax credit. It is a direct subsidy, paid by cheque. Furthermore, there is no income threshold at which financial assistance is available.

How the program works

To be eligible for this program, there are different conditions that must be met. The most important is that you must register for the program before starting any work. If you’re having work done under the Rénoclimat program, you could be automatically registered after your initial energy assessment. Otherwise, you can register only for the Heating With Green Power program through the program’s website. You must submit your most recent oil bill and Hydro-Québec bill.

Confirmation of your registration will be sent within 5 to 10 business days, and you can then begin the replacement of your old system. Once the work is complete, you must send the financial assistance form, as well as the invoices for the purchase and installation of the new system, to the program administrator to prove that the work has been performed. You will receive your financial assistance within the following weeks.

Most specialized contractors are aware of this program and can guide you in the procedure to follow to ensure that you maximize the financial assistance you receive. Taking this step will not only help the environment, it will help your wallet at the same time!

Source: www.centris.ca