From pv magazine Global
British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, is making its rebate scheme for heat pump installations available to apartment renters and condo owners.
The Better Homes Energy Savings Program Condo and Apartment Rebate will provide up to CAD 5,000 ($3,638) for the purchase and installation of high-performance electric heat pumps in individual suites within multi-unit residential buildings.
The first phase of the program opened on Tuesday. It covers suites in condo and apartment buildings of six stories or less that are currently heated by electricity. It is estimated that it will support the installation of at least 500 heat pumps.
A statement from the provincial government says the program will be expanded in the autumn to include condos and apartments heated by fossil fuels.
To receive a heat pump, income-qualified apartment renters or condo owners must obtain a signed permission form from their landlords or strata corporations. Applicants then receive an eligibility code that is used by a registered contractor to secure the rebate.
Adrian Dix, the province’s Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, said nearly a third of homes in the region are in multi-unit residential buildings “We’ve had great success supporting the switch to heat pumps in single-family homes and in entire multi-unit residential buildings,” Dix said. “All British Columbians who need a heat pump should have access to one, to feel comfortable in their homes year-round, experience better energy efficiency, and save money.”
Since the introduction of the Better Homes Energy Savings Program in June last year, British Columbia has provided funding for 27,832 heat pumps.
The program is funded by the provincial government alongside contributions from electric utility BC Hydro and the federal government. In April this year, the province announced CAN 50 million in each of the next two fiscal years to deliver up to 8,300 new heat pump rebates.
In addition to the rebate scheme, BC Hydro is offering non-income-qualified rebates to customers in individual suites in condo and apartment buildings of up to CAD 2,500 on high-performance heat pumps and CAD 1,000 for heat pump water heaters in electrically heated buildings.
BC Hydro began a rebate scheme covering the installation of residential rooftop solar and battery energy storage systems last year.
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