On September 16th, 2022, The Government of Canada announced that it will invest up to $250 million over four years through the Low Carbon Economy Fund (LCEF) to help make home heating more affordable for families across the country- especially in Atlantic Canada, where a significantly higher percentage of homeowners still use furnace oil to heat their homes compared to the rest of the nation.

Support home Heating Map

This map shows the energy sources used for heating in different provinces in 2015. (CER/Statistics Canada) https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bans-fossil-fuel-heating-homes-1.6327113

In Atlantic Canada, 305,900 homes out of 1,022,256 currently use furnace oil, an expensive and carbon-intensive fuel, for their home heating systems. By using a heat pump, it can help households conserve about three times the energy. Early estimates indicate that the funding could help 10,000 to 25,000 homes nationwide, with over 40 per cent of those in Atlantic Canada.

Of the total investment, $118.4 million has been dedicated for Atlantic Canadian support. Funds will be given to provincial governments through the LCEF to expand existing energy efficiency programs, while the allocation of funds by province will be finalized pending final confirmation with each jurisdiction.

With a focus on lower-income households, this funding is expected to help homeowners who currently use home heating oil move to more affordable and greener home heating sources. The government says moving from heating oil to a heat pump can save homeowners thousands of dollars each year.

“This new funding can be stacked with other federal and provincial incentives, so that up to 100 per cent of the cost of a new heat pump may be covered for low-income households,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Related Information on home heating announcement: