After four years of helping its Sault Ste. Marie customers make energy more affordable, PUC Services has concluded its AffordAbility Fund Trust (AFT) program as of Sept. 30.
The program’s goal was to help Ontarians who did not qualify for low-income programs but wanted to conserve energy to help cut the cost of their electricity bills.
PUC Services and the AFT provided energy saving measures to 6,800 residences in Sault Ste Marie, which represented eight per cent of Ontario residences that took part in the program.
“The program was for a free appliance exchange and upgrades to home heating for customers who qualified. Otherwise, everyone who applied received a free kit which included LED lamps and other energy savings measures programs," said Mark Britton, PUC conservation and demand management supervisor in an email.
The program was for residential customers only.
To support local businesses and industries, the separate Save On Energy program has been in existence since 2011.
The AFT made the decision to complete the program at the end of September due to an oversubscribed budget and new program availability.
"The previous provincial government initially funded the program, and Local Distribution Companies (such as the PUC) were the administrators of it. The budget we received from AFT was based upon current and future subscriptions. As a result of the pandemic, we experienced extended delays from manufacturers and noticed increased costs. This significantly impacted our budget. Our primary goal was to ensure that everyone received something from the program. We also directed customers to the new Energy Affordability program," Britton stated.
All utility customers want to save on energy costs, and since energy-efficient appliances help prevent greenhouse emissions, many are interested in conserving energy use for the environment’s sake.
Despite 6,800 Sault residences having benefitted from the AffordAbility Fund Trust program, it appears some are holding back on applying for such programs.
"There is a lot of fluctuation right now in programs available,” Britton stated.
“With governments changing, programs change with little to no notice. The current pandemic, shortages and/or lack of products make it difficult to fulfil programs. This may turn people off from participation,” he noted.
Though the PUC - along with many other businesses and organizations - has repeatedly warned the public of scams, Britton said “with the fear of scams or less than honest sales tactics, people are sometimes hesitant."
With the AFT program wrapped up, the PUC is seeking feedback from customers who took part in the program via email.
The utility company is also encouraging customers who were unable to participate in the program and who want more information on other available energy programs to visit the Energy Affordability Program website.