LOW-INCOME ENERGY NETWORK

1. LOW-INCOME ENERGY NETWORK LIEN/AHAC Conference Helping Low Income Consumers Sarah Blackstock Income Security Advocacy Centre

2. Presentation outline • LIEN pyramid • Energy conservation programs • Rate and emergency assistance programs

3. LIEN’s approach to low-income energy conservation & assistance

4. Benefits to Low-Income Households • lower energy bills • improve comfort/quality of life • ensure access to electricity and heat • reduce risk of homelessness • allow people with low incomes to participate in the “Culture of Conservation”

5. Benefits for Society • reduce demand for emergency assistance • reduce need for public expenditures • reduce poverty • reduce pollution • reduce need for new generation facilities

6. LIEN model • for low-income home-owners and tenants who pay for utilities directly • based on pyramid • Brantford Power’s pilot project “Conserving Homes” based on LIEN model

7. Energy conservation • Ontario Energy Board • OEB encouraged Local Distribution Companies (LDCs) to develop low-income Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) • not mandatory • 33 LDCs spending approx. $9.6M

8. Energy conservation • Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC) • energy costs are 40% of annual operating budgets, $400M/year • Energy Management Program

9. Energy conservation • Discretionary benefits for OW/ODSP clients • one-time benefit • maximum of $50 • to pay for pre-approved low-cost energy conservation measure

10. Energy Conservation • Conservation Bureau • Minister of Energy gives OPA/Conservation Bureau responsibility for low-income and social housing CDM in October 2005 • target of 100MW reduction, equivalent of the energy consumption of 33 000 homes

11. Energy Conservation • EnerGuide for Low-Income Households (EGLIGH) • cancelled by Harper gov’t in recent budget • $500M, 5-year program • available to homeowners, multiple-unit buildings and rooming houses • for retrofits such as draft-proofing, heating system upgrades and window replacements • Green Communities leading lobbying campaign to save EGLIGH

12. Rate and emergency assistance • Federal Energy Cost Benefit • one-time benefit provided in Jan 06 • $250 to families receiving NCBS • $125 to seniors receiving GIS • $250 to senior couples where both receive GIS • 3.1M payments made

13. Rate and emergency assistance • Provincial Emergency Energy Fund • STW/LIEN worked with ComSoc to establish fund in 2004 • fund doubled to $4.2M (April 12/06 announcement) • $500 000 to First Nations members on reserve • managed by municipalities and the Ontario Native Welfare Administrators’ Association on behalf of First Nations

14. Rate and emergency assistance • Provincial Emergency Energy Fund con’t • to help pay for arrears, security deposits, reconnections • paid directly to energy providers • can access fund once, unless there are exceptional circumstances • amount provided depends on factors such as number of months energy has been disconnected and reconnection fees

15. Rate and emergency assistance • Ontario Home Electricity Relief program • legislation introduced in April 06 to provide low-income families with a one-time payment • up to $120 per family • to be eligible families have to file 2005 tax returns by Dec. 31, 2006 • 1.5M families will be eligible

16. Rate and emergency assistance • Social assistance • SA recipients who pay for heating costs directly can receive assistance a part of their shelter allowance • Community Start-up and Maintainenace Benefit

17. Rate and emergency assistance • Charities • Share the Warmth (not in all communities) • Winter Warmth (United Way, Toronto Hydro and Enbridge) • municipal programs • churches • varying levels of assistance • varying critieria

18. Being warm, cool and green • Role of government • Role of utilities • Role of activists