Group protests cancellation of energy program

Éconologis program helps low-income households cut energy bills with thermostats, water-saving devices, and efficiency advice, but a proposed cancellation by the Energy Board would exclude renters, reduce sustainability gains, and raise utility costs.

A coalition of community and consumers groups is denouncing the government’s decision to cancel a program that helps low-income families improve their energy efficiency.

The Econologis program, which has been in place for a decade, helps 15,000 families a year at an annual cost of about $4 million, said Charles Tanguay of the Union des Consommateurs.

"You can have an electronic thermostat," said Tanguay. "You can have a shower device to reduce your water consumption and you have also basic advices that can help for the future for those households to reduce their energy bill as part of curbing energy waste across communities."

The government’s Energy Efficiency Agency has requested permission from the province’s Energy Board to cancel the program, similar to when EnerGuide rebates faced cuts in Nova Scotia, effective April 1.

But the decision is no joke, said the groups.

The Econologis program has been effective in helping low-income consumers reduce their energy consumption at a time when energy costs are rising, the groups said.

The program is also good for the environment since low-income families often have old inefficient appliances and live in poorly insulted buildings, where energy savings can have an outsized impact, the group said.

The new program will also apply only to property owners, much like when the ecoENERGY program ended abruptly in other jurisdictions, leaving renters out in the cold, the groups said.

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