P.E.I. households with net incomes of up to $129K now eligible for free heat pump

P.E.I. households making a net income of up to $129,000 a year will now be eligible for a free heat pump under the federal government's Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program.

But to qualify for the maximum amount, at least five people must be living in the house.

The federal program had been previously announced, but it wasn't available on P.E.I. while the two governments had been in negotiations.

Island households will be eligible for up to $15,000 with the new federal program portion, depending on the size of the household.The money can be used to install a new or secondary heat pump, or for other work such as electrical upgrades or removing old oil tanks.

"This is a big, big program that is rolling out here," said Steven Myers, P.E.I.'s minister of energy, environment and climate change.

"It could put up to a hundred million dollars into Prince Edward Island's economy in its lifetime, so it's a huge project. And for us, we've been so willing to make the changes for climate change."

To be eligible for the free heat pump conversion, the household must have used at least 500 litres of oil as fuel in the previous heating season. The levels of eligibility are as follows:

• Net household income up to $100,000 (for the primary resident and that person's spouse and common-law partner), with oneto three people living in the house.
• Net household income up to $122,000, with four people living in the house.
• Net household income up to $129,000, with five or morepeople living in the house.

Announcement in Charlottetown

The announcement was made at a news conference Tuesday in Charlottetown.

It's all part of the federal government's goal to get Canadians off fossil fuels, said Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

"We certainly recognize with the heat waves that we're seeing and the cold spells in the wintertime, that we want to reduce the use of oil," she said. "This is a wonderful program that ensures Canadians will have access to it."

The federal government also released its Green Buildings Strategy.

That includesa plan to completelyphase oil-based heating systems out ofnew builds by 2028.