P.E.I. government reducing many of its energy efficiency rebates as of Monday
The province announced the changes to its Net Zero and efficiencyPEI rebates on Thursday, after it paused accepting new applications for some programs earlier in the year.
"We're trying to balance fiscal responsibility — staying within the budgets that we have in the division — while maximizing our return on investment," said Derek Ellis, the director of sustainability for the province's Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
That means "moving some investments away from some of the poorer-performing programs from an energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions perspective and over to the higher-performing programs," he said.
As a result, the amount of money Island homeowners will get for installing heat pumps, buying electric vehicles and putting in solar panels is set to decrease.
The province will also pause new applications for free heat pumps, free insulation and free electric hot water heaters due to high demand, a news release said.
The province measures the cost effectiveness of its programs based on dollar spent per ton of greenhouse gas emission elimination, as well as dollar per kilowatt hour saved, Ellis said.
"We have a good idea of how [programs] perform over time and have made some changes in response to that," he said.
Popular programs
The province has seen a lot of uptake on its heat pump and solar panel rebates, Ellis said, adding that the province is happy to continue offering rebates to homeowners on those items, at a lower rate.
The heat pump rebate for residential properties is set to decrease from $1,200 to $900 per unit, while the solar panel program will see a change in incentive rate and a rebate capped at $5,000 for solar panels installed on a home, compared to the prior $10,000 cap.
People wanting solar panels who were previously approved by the province will get the old amount, while anyone who applied on or after Jan. 8, 2025, will get the new amount if they are deemed eligible.
"Incentives and caps for commercial and agricultural clients will remain the same," the news release adds with regard to solar panels.
"Rebates on energy-efficient equipment for business, community, commercial and industrial buildings [are] increasing, including air source heat pump rebate increasing from $600 to $900. Rebates are also increasing for selected lighting and for packaged terminal heat pumps."
Rebates for the purchase of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles have been popular, particularly in Charlottetown and Summerside, Ellis said.
While the amount of those rebates are going down, annual registration of those vehicles will still be free.
Ellis also said the province will not be making changes to its infrastructure plans to support EVs, citing projects underway to create more fast charging stations in communities across the Island.
Some rebates the same or higher
Some of the energy efficiency and rebate programs will continue unchanged, including the e-bike incentive, instant rebates on appliances, and the provincial subsidy for home energy audits.
As well, the provincial news release says, there will be a "40 per cent increase in rebates for insulation for attics, walls, basements, headers, exposed floors, windows and doors, and air sealing."
As for new home construction, the news release said, "incentives will be increased and re-aligned to match national building code tiers, so people will get more money back."
Ellis said the province tries to stay in line with the latest trends and best practices to help Islanders minimize energy costs.
"Where we can make life more affordable and also reduce energy and GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions, we will always make the case for that, and ultimately the decision-makers here in government will have the final say."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Veteran federal judge T.S. Ellis III, who presided over trial of Trump aide Paul Manafort, has died
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Federal judge T.S. Ellis III, whose legal scholarship and commanding courtroom presence was evident in numerous high-profile trials, has died after a long illness. He was 85. Ellis oversaw the trials of former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former U.S. Rep. William 'Dollar Bill' Jefferson as well as the plea deal of 'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh across a judicial career that lasted more than 35 years. His acerbic wit sometimes drew muted complaints at the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where Ellis was based, but his legal reasoning was unquestioned. Ellis died Wednesday at his home in Keswick, according to the Cremation Society of Virginia. Thomas Selby Ellis III was born in Colombia in 1940 and frequently found ways in court to utilize his Spanish-language skills. He often told Spanish-speaking defendants who relied on interpreters to speak up as they pleaded for leniency, saying he wanted to hear their words for himself. He joined the Navy after receiving an undergraduate degree from Princeton, and completed graduate studies at Oxford. He received his law degree from Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. He was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In a courthouse known as the 'Rocket Docket' for its speedy disposition of cases, Ellis' courtroom reflected his iconoclastic nature. Rarely did his hearings start on time, though when he presided over jury trials his punctuality improved as he zealously guarded jurors' time commitments. He frequently chastised lawyers to cut short long-winded arguments, in what he called 'a concession to the shortness of life.' But he was easily coaxed or diverted into telling stories from the bench recalling episodes from his long legal career. He snapped at lawyers who annoyed him, but would often adopt a more conciliatory tone later in the same hearing, and apologize for his short temper. His penchant for speaking freely drew raised eyebrows at what was arguably the highest-profile trial over which he presided: the prosecution of Manafort, on charges of tax and bank fraud related to his work advising pro-Russia Ukrainian politicians before managing Trump's campaign. Ellis ultimately delivered a 47-month sentence, and said as an aside that Manafort appeared to have lived 'an otherwise blameless life,' a phrase he often used at criminal sentencings. Critics who found much to blame in Manafort's long career working for clients including the tobacco industry and international despots were outraged by the comment. In 2009, Ellis sentenced Jefferson, a former Louisiana congressman, to 13 years in prison for taking bribes, including $90,000 found hidden in his freezer. The case threw multiple curveballs at Ellis, including a sexual relationship between a key witness and an investigating FBI agent. In 2017, Ellis reduced Jefferson's sentence to time served after a Supreme Court case changed the rules for what constitutes bribery of public officials. He made clear, though, that he believed Jefferson's actions were criminal, and called his conduct 'venal.' 'Public corruption is a cancer,' he said at the time of Jefferson's resentencing. 'It needs to be prosecuted and punished.' Ellis' sentencing hearings often followed a familiar script in which he invited defendants to explain themselves 'by way of extenuation, mitigation, or indeed anything at all' that they wanted to say on their behalf. He invariably told defendants before passing judgment that 'you write the pages to your own life story.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Prince William and Princess Kate Butting Heads Over Plans to Send Their Kids to Boarding School
Princess Kate is losing her battle to keep Prince George from getting shipped off to a snooty boarding school — and palace insiders fear the thought of being separated from her first-born son may be too much for the fragile cancer survivor to endure. A royal source reveals that future monarch Prince William, 43, wants his 12-year-old heir to be educated at William's alma mater, Eton College, and insiders expect Kate's hardheaded husband will get his way … and George will be sent to the school in September 2026. 'I think Kate is really sad because she doesn't want him to go away,' the source says. 'She's very nervous, and she wants to spend more time with him.' In 2024, the Princess of Wales, 43, revealed that she was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer after planned abdominal surgery, but she was in remission following chemotherapy. However, insiders are concerned that skeletal Kate could still be grappling with the effects of her grueling treatment. The palace source predicts that George's absence from the family's quaint home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor will 'take a toll on her physical health. She might feel guilty in a way. The past few years have been filled with a lot of lows because of her illness, and I'm sure she just wants to be with her family as much as she can. When George goes away, she will not get that chance, and she undoubtedly will not be happy with that.' Courtiers also fear that Kate may be overcome with worries for George's safety. 'In this day and age of social media,' explains the expert, 'she is concerned about George's privacy, and since he'll be away at school, she won't have eyes on him. That will most likely tear her apart inside to know that she's not there to protect him.' Making matters worse, insiders say the couple's 10-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, will also likely enroll in a boarding school two years after George, and their youngest, 7-year-old Prince Louis, may follow in their footsteps! 'If Kate is not close to George or any of her children,' says the source, 'it could cause a lot of anxiety for her. And she doesn't need to be dealing with anxiety right now.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Massive offshore wind farm approved by Scottish Government
An offshore wind farm which developers say could be the world's biggest has been approved by the Scottish Government. Berwick Bank – proposed to be built off the coast of East Lothian – aims to deliver 4.1 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is believed to be enough to power every home in Scotland twice over and around 17% of the homes in the UK. The development will feature up to 307 turbines and have two connection points to the grid – one in Dunbar, East Lothian, and another in Blyth, Northumberland. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes welcomed the approval, saying the Government had given the application 'extremely careful consideration'. She said: 'The decision to grant consent to Berwick Bank is a major step in Scotland's progress towards achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis, as well as supporting national energy security and growing our green economy. 'It is also an important decision for Scotland's renewables sector, and this investment will be further built upon through the delivery of Scotland's significant future pipeline of offshore wind projects under the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas leasing rounds. 'We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation – to minimise the impact of the development on the marine environment and other marine users – and balance the needs of people and nature.' Developers SSE Renewables will have to provide a plan to counter any impact the wind farm may have on seabirds to be approved by ministers. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the announcement means there have been enough wind farms approved in the UK to meet the Government's ambition of delivering clean power by 2030. 'We welcome this decision, which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower,' he said. 'We need to take back control of our energy and more offshore wind getting the green light marks a huge step forward in Britain's energy security and getting bills down for good. 'But we know there's a lot more work to do and we must go further and faster to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels and make working people better off with clean, homegrown, secure power as part of our Plan for Change.' The UK Government aims to have between 43 and 50GW of energy capacity in offshore wind by the end of the decade, with 15.9GW currently online and a further 28GW having received consent. Stephen Wheeler, the managing director of SSE Renewables, said news of the approval is 'hugely welcome'. He added: 'At over 4GW of potential capacity, Berwick Bank can play a pivotal role in meeting the mission of Clean Power 2030 for the UK and achieving Scotland's decarbonisation and climate action goals. 'Berwick Bank has the potential to rapidly scale-up Scotland's operational renewable energy capacity and can accelerate the delivery of homegrown, affordable and secure clean energy to UK consumers from Scottish offshore wind, helping meet the UK's clean power ambition by 2030.'
