Ontario says it’s expanding its electricity rebate program to include about 100,000 more families.
The province announced it would expand the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) as of March 1. The program offers rebates to households under specified income levels.
The move raises the household income threshold for receiving the rebate to $71,000 per year, up 35 percent from the previous cap of $52,000.
Those eligible for the OESP can receive credits from $35 to $75. Higher credits are available to indigenous customers or those living with indigenous family members, residents who use electric heating, or those who rely on electricity-intensive medical devices, the government said.
There is no deadline to apply for OESP. In 2022, an estimated 212,000 households participated.
The program is one of several that the province offers to cut the cost of energy for Ontario residents.
In October, it increased the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) from 11.7 percent of the electricity bill to 19.3 percent. The program was introduced in 2019 to help families, farms, and small businesses with energy costs. The government says the average household saves $26 a month or $312 a year through the OER.
The Energy Affordability Program helps cut electricity bills through energy-need assessments on properties, identifying home upgrades that can reduce energy waste.
Ontario’s announcement comes after a recent report found that one in five households in Canada live in “energy poverty,” defined as being unable to “maintain healthy indoor temperatures,” with rural parts of the country finding it a bigger concern.
